Hyrox Starter Kit: Essential Equipment to Begin Training

A competition sled costs more than €600, weighs 80 kg empty, and needs a sliding surface you don't have in your living room. Luckily, 80% of the physical preparation for Hyrox can be built at home with less than €300 of equipment if you buy in the right order. This guide gives you that priority: what to buy first, what to wait on, and what you don't need even if you see it in every Instagram video.

What weights does Hyrox use (and why it matters when buying)

Before pulling out your card, it's worth knowing what loads the competition actually uses. If you buy an 8 kg kettlebell to train farmers carry and the race calls for 24 kg per hand, the equipment won't prepare you for anything. The table below summarizes the official weights for the 26/27 season by category.

You don't need to replicate these exact kilos at home from day one. What you do need is equipment that lets you train the movement pattern (throwing, loading, dragging, carrying) with progressive load that gets closer to your category over time. You can check your target time and the running pace you'll need with PesaFit's Hyrox calculator before deciding how much to invest in equipment.

Priority 1: the minimum kit to get started (€0-100)

If you just signed up for your first race, or you're still not sure you'll like it, don't spend more than €100 the first month. Three items cover wall balls, cardio, and mobility — the stations where technical improvement shows up fastest.

• Wall ball: the most cost-effective item on this list. Used in warm-ups, squat-and-throw sets, and the full station simulation. Costs €20-30 and lasts for years with a soft shell.
• Jump rope: not a Hyrox station, but it replaces the burpee broad jump and running as a high-density cardio warm-up in a small space. For €5-13 you get the cheapest cardio tool there is.
• Resistance band: useful for warming up the hip and shoulder before wall balls and sled, and for adding tension to squats if you don't have weights yet. A 5-level set costs €15-25.
• Mat: for ankle and hip mobility work that will save you from more than one injury once you start loading sandbag lunges.

If you're only going to buy one ball, get the right weight for your category: 4 kg if you're a woman in Open, 6 kg in Men's Open or Women's Pro, 9 kg in Men's Pro. Buying a lighter one 'to start with' won't prepare you for the real test — better to do fewer reps with the correct weight than 100 with one you'll never use on race day. The sandbag is the next logical purchase because it trains a pattern no other home gym equipment replicates well: loading unbalanced weight onto your shoulder and doing lunges with it.

Priority 2: the quality upgrade (€100-300)

With the Priority 1 kit, you can already train technique and cardio at home. The next step adds functional strength and power, which are the most common deficits for people coming to Hyrox from pure running.

The kettlebell is the most versatile piece in this price range. A well-executed swing trains the same posterior chain as the sled pull, and the kettlebell goblet squat is the perfect progression before loading up sandbag lunges.

For anyone who already has a kettlebell and a sandbag, the slam ball adds the explosive power component missing from the other two: maximum-velocity throws to the ground that train the same intent as a 1000 m sprint. Since it's a filled ball that doesn't bounce, it's safer for home floors and ceilings than a hard medicine ball.

If you feel knee discomfort as you pile on volume with sandbag lunges or wall balls, 5-7 mm neoprene knee sleeves (the category covered by the PICSIL brand in our accessory picks below) provide compression and warmth without limiting range of motion. They don't replace fixing your technique, but they ease the feeling of overload during high-volume weeks.

Priority 3: the sled, without breaking the bank

The sled is the piece that raises the most doubts because it's expensive, heavy, and needs a sliding surface (smooth flooring, artificial turf, or a strip of recycled rubber). Before buying one, consider these three options.

If your budget doesn't stretch to a sled this year, a weighted vest is the cheapest alternative for simulating extra load during movement: lunges, stair climbs, or even short sprints with added weight train part of the strength-endurance the sled demands, even though the movement pattern isn't identical.

Measure what matters: heart rate and pace

Hyrox combines 8 km of running split into 1 km segments with 8 strength stations. The costliest mistake isn't about equipment, it's about pace: going out too fast on the first runs and arriving with no legs left for the sled in segment 5. A chest-strap heart rate monitor is more reliable than a wrist-based one for detecting in real time whether you're overdoing it.

Combine your heart rate data with our heart rate zone calculator to set your target zone for each running segment, and with our running pace calculator to translate that heart rate into a min/km pace you can follow without checking your watch every 200 meters.

Common mistakes when buying Hyrox equipment

• Buying the sled before the wall ball: the sled is the most expensive piece and the one you'll use least day-to-day if you train in a flat or apartment. The wall ball gets used in almost every session.
• Choosing a kettlebell that's too light: an 8-10 kg one becomes insufficient within two months. If your budget only allows for one, an adjustable 8-24 kg kettlebell beats a fixed one you'll outgrow.
• Ignoring competition weight when buying the wall ball or sandbag: always training with a load well below your category's gives a false sense of progress that collapses on race day.
• Spending on a €400 GPS watch before owning a €75 heart rate monitor: a chest strap gives better intensity data during short, intense efforts than any wrist sensor, and it costs a fraction of the price.
• Not checking your available floor before ordering a sled: without a smooth surface (synthetic parquet, polished concrete, turf), the sled won't slide, and you'll end up frustrated with it parked in a corner.

What kit fits your goal

Not everyone needs the same level of investment. First, decide how many races you plan to do per year, and size your equipment budget to that real frequency, not to the excitement of month one.

Notice that the most expensive jump (the sled) only shows up in the highest-commitment profile. For the other two profiles, paying for drop-in sled sessions at a box is cheaper than buying one, and it's the best cost-to-benefit decision during your first year.

How to set up your Hyrox training corner at home, step by step

1. Measure the real free space: you need at least 3x2 meters with no obstacles or fragile objects nearby to throw the wall ball.
2. Buy the wall ball, jump rope, and resistance bands first: these are the three items you'll use in almost every session, regardless of your level.
3. Add a kettlebell and sandbag in month two or three, once you know you're sticking with the routine.
4. Get a chest heart rate monitor before your first test race to learn to manage pace across the eight 1 km runs.
5. Decide on the sled last: if you train less than twice a week at home, solve that station with occasional sessions at a nearby box or gym.

Supplementation and recovery: what actually helps

Equipment handles the strength and technique side. Recovery between intense sessions is better covered by sleep, hydration, and two supplements with solid evidence: creatine monohydrate (3-5 g/day, no loading phase needed) to improve performance in short, repeated efforts like the sled or wall balls, and magnesium citrate for anyone who gets cramps after long, high-sweat sessions.

Neither replaces training or equipment; they're the last 5% of the equation, useful once you've already handled the other 95% (plan, technique, and rest).

What to buy (and what not to): final summary

If you had to take just one idea from this guide: buy cheap and specific before expensive and generic. The wall ball at your category weight is worth more than an expensive dumbbell you'll never use at any station of the race. The kit below groups the pieces that get bought together because they complement each other to build out the full training corner.

And these are the supporting accessories (heart rate, supplementation, and recovery) that aren't essential in month one, but make a difference from month two or three of serious training onward.

Frequently asked questions

What's the minimum amount of money I need to start training Hyrox at home?

With €50-70 (jump rope, resistance bands, and a wall ball at your category weight) you can already train wall ball technique and high-intensity cardio. The rest of the equipment gets added as you confirm you're going to keep training.

Do I need to buy a sled to train for Hyrox?

It's not the first purchase we'd recommend. If you train less than twice a week at home, it usually makes more sense to pay for drop-in sessions at a box or gym with a sled than to buy one for €150-600 that needs space and a proper sliding surface.

What wall ball weight should I buy?

The one for your competition category: 4 kg for women in Open, 6 kg for men in Open and women in Pro, and 9 kg for men in Pro. Always training with less weight than the race requires gives a false sense of progress.

Does a regular kettlebell work for training the farmers carry station?

Yes, as long as you work up to at least the weight for your category per hand (16, 24, or 32 kg). An adjustable 8-24 kg kettlebell lets you progress without buying several fixed pieces.

Is it worth buying a sandbag, or can I do lunges with a loaded backpack?

A loaded backpack works as a stopgap for the first few days, but the weight stays centered and stable, unlike a sandbag, which shifts and moves its center of mass as you walk. That's exactly what the real test demands, so from month two onward the sandbag is worth the investment.

What's more of a priority, a heart rate monitor or more strength equipment?

If you already have a wall ball, kettlebell, and sandbag, a chest heart rate monitor is the next best-value purchase: it helps you avoid the number-one beginner mistake in Hyrox, which is going out too fast on the first runs and having no legs left for the last stations.

Does Hyrox equipment also work for other functional training or CrossFit?

Yes. Wall ball, kettlebell, sandbag, slam ball, and jump rope are standard pieces in any functional or CrossFit training, not exclusive to Hyrox. It's equipment that pays off just the same even if you switch disciplines down the line.