Sandbag lunges technique for HYROX

Setting up the bag

Getting the bag onto your shoulders quickly and securely matters, because you do not want to be adjusting it every few steps. Most people lift it from the floor with a hinge, bring it to the chest and then press or roll it over their head onto the upper back, or clean it straight onto one shoulder and then shift it behind the neck.

Once it is in place, hug it with both arms or hold the ends, keep your elbows down and your chest up. The bag should sit across the top of your back and shoulders, not pulling you forwards. If it slides around, stop once and fix it rather than fighting it for 50 m.

Rules on how the bag must be carried can change, so check the rulebook and practise in the approved position.

Lunge technique that holds up for 100 m

The sandbag lunge exercise guide covers the basic pattern. For racing, focus on these points:

1. Step forward a moderate distance: roughly enough that both knees can bend to about a right angle at the bottom.
2. Lower the back knee straight down until it touches the floor lightly. Do not crash it into the ground.
3. Keep your torso upright and your front foot flat, with weight through the middle of the foot and heel.
4. Drive up through the front leg and bring the back leg straight through into the next step.
5. Keep a steady rhythm and breathe once per step.

Step length is personal. Too long a step overstretches the hip flexor of the back leg and makes it hard to stand up. Too short a step pushes the front knee far forwards and loads the quads and knee heavily. Find the length that feels strong and repeatable, then keep it.

Pacing and breaks

The best approach for most people is a deliberately slow but continuous pace from the first step. Starting fast is tempting, especially coming off the run, but the second half of the distance is where the burn really builds.

If you need a break, stand tall with the bag still on your shoulders, take two or three deep breaths and go again. Dropping the bag means you have to lift it back up, which costs time and energy. Plan any breaks before the race, for example a short pause at each turn, rather than stopping whenever it hurts.

Watch the knee touch as you tire. Judges will no-rep lunges where the back knee does not touch, and no-reps on this station are demoralising and slow. Better to go slightly slower and make every rep count.

It helps to break the distance down in your head. Rather than thinking about 100 m, think about reaching the next turn or the next marker on the floor. Counting steps in blocks of ten is another simple trick that keeps your mind on the job instead of on the burning in your legs.

Your breathing should stay rhythmic: breathe in as you lower, out as you drive up. If you catch yourself holding your breath at the bottom of each rep, slow down slightly until the pattern returns.

Common mistakes

• Slamming the knee. It hurts and can bruise. Lower under control and touch lightly.
• Leaning forward. The bag tips you over and the lower back takes the strain. Chest up.
• Front heel lifting. Weight on the toes loads the knee. Keep the front foot flat.
• Shallow reps. No knee touch, no rep. Standards matter more when tired.
• Racing the first 25 m. The distance is 100 m. Pace from the start.

If your knees are sore after lunge sessions, or pain sits below the kneecap, look at your step length and volume first. The physio guide to knee pain explains when to get it looked at.

How to train the lunges

You need regular lunge volume in the build-up, progressed gradually. Useful sessions:

• Walking lunges: start with bodyweight or light load, then build to 4 x 25 m at race weight.
• Split squats and step-ups: strength work for the same muscles with less wear on the knees.
• Race rehearsal: 200 m farmers carry, 1 km run, 50 m sandbag lunges, then 30 wall balls.
• Lunge and run bricks: 25 m lunges, 400 m run, repeat 4 times.

Unilateral strength work such as the Bulgarian split squat builds the strength side. For the endurance side, see leg endurance for lunges and wall balls, which covers how to combine the two stations in training.

The lunges lead straight into the wall balls, so practise them together regularly. The next step is wall balls technique for HYROX. The Lower classes at Lycan Strength on Thursdays are a natural place to build the leg strength heavy lunges need.