HYROX Doubles training plan: 8 weeks with your partner

A good HYROX Doubles training plan covers three things: running, because both partners run all 8 km side by side; strength and technique on the 8 stations; and partner sessions where you practise splitting the work and the changeovers. The plan below is 8 weeks, 3–4 sessions a week, with one of them together.

A note before you start: I’m not a coach. This plan is general guidance built around the Doubles rules and format, for healthy adults training for an Open Doubles or Mixed Doubles race. Adjust it to your level, build up gradually, and check with a professional if you have an injury or health condition.

Who this plan is for

• You and your partner can run 5 km comfortably.
• You can train 3–4 times a week, with one session together.
• You’re racing Doubles Men, Doubles Women or Mixed Doubles (Open weights).

Not sure how Doubles works yet? Read the HYROX Doubles rules first.

The weekly structure

Session	Who	What it builds
A. Easy run, 30–50 min	Alone	Aerobic base: you’ll run 8 km in the race no matter how you split the stations
B. Strength + stations	Alone	Legs, grip and the station movements (sled, lunges, wall balls)
C. Compromised running	Alone	Running well after a station: e.g. 4–6 × (1 km run + 1 station)
D. Partner session	Together	Shared pace, splitting stations, changeovers (workouts below)

If you can only train three times, keep A, C and D.

The 8 weeks

Week	Focus	Partner session (D)
1	Base	Workout 1: side-by-side 1Ks
2	Base	Workout 2: erg ladder
3	Build	Workout 3: sleds and bags
4	Build, slightly lighter week	Workout 4: wall ball 200
5	Race-specific	Workout 5: half simulation (runs + stations 1–4)
6	Race-specific	Workout 5 again, with stations 5–8
7	Peak	Workout 6: full simulation
8	Taper (race week)	Short session: 3 × 1 km together at race pace + changeover practice

In weeks 1–4, keep most runs easy and conversational. From week 5, make session C closer to race effort. In race week, cut the volume roughly in half and keep a little intensity.

6 HYROX partner workouts

All of them follow the Doubles rules: one partner works at a time, you choose when to swap, and both of you stay on your feet.

1. Side-by-side 1Ks

6 × 1 km together at the slower partner’s target race pace, 2 minutes’ rest. The goal is to find a pace you can both hold; in the race, running apart costs 1 minute.

2. Erg ladder

2,000 m SkiErg + 2,000 m row, shared. Swap every 250 m in the first half and try 150 m or 500 m swaps in the second half. Notice which length keeps both of you at your best pace.

3. Sleds and bags

4 rounds: 50 m Sled Push + 50 m Sled Pull, shared, then 100 m Sandbag Lunges, shared. Practise the legal handover: the sandbag moves sideways or backwards, never forwards. No sled? Use heavy prowler pushes or a rope pull.

4. Wall ball 200

200 wall balls between you, in sets of 10–20. Hand the ball over or let it drop; a throw-and-catch changeover is a no-rep in the race, so don’t train it.

5. Half simulation

4 × (1 km run together + one station at full race distance, shared). Do stations 1–4 one week and 5–8 the next. Time each changeover.

6. Full simulation

8 × 1 km together + all 8 stations at race distance, shared, at a controlled hard effort (not all-out). If you don’t have every piece of kit, swap in the closest option. This is where you test your final split plan.

Building your split plan

Use the partner sessions to decide who does what. A few principles:

• Short swaps on the ergs and wall balls usually keep both partners fast.
• The stronger partner often takes more of the sleds; the lighter or faster partner more Burpee Broad Jumps.
• Don’t save one partner for the end: you both still run the last kilometre and do the wall balls together.
• Write it down and keep it simple enough to follow when you’re tired.

Mixed Doubles: train the weights you’ll race

In Mixed Doubles both partners use the men’s Open weights: 152 kg Sled Push, 103 kg Sled Pull, 2 × 24 kg kettlebells, a 20 kg sandbag and a 6 kg wall ball, with a 2.70 m target for the woman and 3.00 m for the man. Train with those exact weights in sessions B and D, even if one partner takes a smaller share. Full numbers are in the HYROX weights guide.

No partner yet?

Training is easier when you’ve found your partner early. RoxConnect shows who is going to each race and looking for a Doubles partner, for example at HYROX London or HYROX Bilbao. Here’s how to find a HYROX Doubles partner.