HYROX Skierg Tutorial
The Skierg machine has been popularized in recent years by the sport of CrossFit but has found its peak popularity thanks to HYROX racing. It’s in fact the first functional station athletes must face in the race, and it’s now easy to spot in gyms across the world that offer hybrid style training.
HYROX racers must complete a 1000 meter ski before they can move onto the remaining 7km of running and 7 exercise stations. This makes it especially tricky from a strategy standpoint as they’ll want to push their pace, and will feel fresh enough to do so, but can’t afford to compromise themselves excessively for the rest of the event.
Therefore, to complete the Skierg station successfully and strategically it is important to train the movement, distance and speed with intention and purpose in training. In this article we will discuss the necessary technique, competition strategy and planning in your training session to ensure you can breeze through the skierg both in workouts and when racing.
Getting Started with the HYROX Skierg
First let’s talk basics.
It can be easy to overlook the importance of machine set up but it can make a HUGE difference, especially in training when you will likely be putting in a lot more meters on the machine than on race day.
The skierg is very height dependent so the first thing you have to think about is foot placement based on height.
Taller athletes will find themselves much more comfortable once they have grabbed the handles with skiing close to the rear end of the erg’s support. Shorter athletes will benefit from being closer to the machine.
However, it’s important to note that torso length will also play an important role so a taller athlete with a shorter torso may prefer to be a bit closer to the machine. We recommend playing around with the distance during your first training sessions on the erg to find the best fit for you.
Remember: practice, take note and be intentional about your decisions.
If you are training on a wall supported skierg and don’t have the wooden ground support for reference we recommend using arm length as a general distance reference to always ski at a consistent distance from the flywheel
Aside from where you stand the other major thing to think about is drag factor. If you do not know what drag factor is or how to check where you’re at on your machine CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO:
We recommend playing around with the flywheel resistance so that you can stay within a drag factor range of 80-120 for men and 70-110 for women.
Skierg Technique and common mistakes for HYROX athletes
Here’s the thing, it can be tempting to just sprint through 1000 meters on the Skierg. No matter what technique you use it can be a doable achievement and with the right grit you can get a really low time even with the worst technique.
However, how you’ll feel once you let go of the handles and start your next 1km run may vary vastly based on the effort and form you used on the erg.
If you want to prepare for a HYROX competition we have a training program for you!
An all out effort on the skiierg for a 1km distance may mean a 10-20 second difference, in other words a minor difference in the grand scheme of things that can be easily and quickly made up on the next run or station.
So the goal here is not just to be fast on the erg but energy efficient, minimizing the impact on those muscles that you will heavily rely on for the run.
So how do you do that?
First off you need to work on keeping a strong core through the pull, stop relying solely on your back and hamstrings and make sure you are thoroughly pulling with your arms.
Additionally, perfecting the first 5-10 pulls you perform on the machine, which will look drastically different from the rest once you get in a rhythm, can make a big difference.
We recommend checking out this video that goes in depth on how to approach the skierg technique from the first meter for a HYROX race.
The crucial thing here is to NOT overspend yourself on the skierg, finishing thirty seconds ahead of your competitors but with your heart rate out of control won’t give you any advantage.
But in order to go into this station ready to attack in a controlled manner you must know what average paces you can keep and for what time and distance.
And that is only something you can do if practiced in training.
Warm-Up and Preparation
All erg machines are pretty easy when it comes to warming up.
Being mostly an endurance type exercise with low impact for the joint you will find them to not be extremely fussy when it comes to preparing to face them in training.
However, specific mobility and warm up drills as well as prep routines can help loads making the most out of the session.
Making sure you’ve mobilized shoulders, hips and ankles will help make everything feel much smoother and some core and hamstring isometrics will help you be able to express max power output and ideal technique from the first pull.
Depending on the type of workout the next step after mobility and isometric holds will be getting your heart rate ready for the effort.
If your session is going to be somewhere in the Zone 2 or even 3 domain, you may find that you don’t need any additional warming up and can just jump into the session.
If however you are going to perform higher intensity intervals we recommend performing something as 5 rounds of 15 to 30 seconds sprints with ample time to recover heart rate between sprints.
Push each sprint a little harder until you are able to be close or above your target paces for the session.
DOs and DONTs of the skierg for HYROX racing
DO
DON'T
Cooldown
Although not as taxing as working with a heavy sled or farmer carries it's important to have a proper cooldown after a skierg session. Especially if you were training more “sprint style”.
Doing some stretching of the posterior chain and traps may help a lot in feeling fresh and good to go for your next session.
It’s also important to remember that if you couple your training with HYROX specific strength work you’ll be able to tackle your sessions more effortlessly and prevent injury.
If you want to prepare for a HYROX competition we have a training program for you!
Conclusions
Training smart will grant you a lot more success on race day than just clocking in a lot of kilometers on the erg or just planning to do an all out effort. You need to know yourself and your paces well to set yourself up for success on this HYROX station.
If you don’t know where to start for your HYROX prep and want more insights on what you might be missing in your race prep, a great program is the best place to start.
