The SkiErg comes straight after the first run, when adrenaline is highest and good judgement is lowest. It is easy to pull hard, see a fast split on the monitor and feel good about it. The cost shows up on the sled push and run two.
Pace by split, not by feel
Early in a race, feel is unreliable. Your heart rate is climbing from the first run, and you will not register how hard you are working until it is too late. Instead, pick a target 500 m split from training and hold it. The monitor shows it on every stroke.
A good target is roughly the pace you could hold for 2000 m in training, not your best 1000 m. You are not racing the SkiErg; you are passing through it.
Start controlled
The first 100 metres decide the rest. Many people start fast and then fade, which is the most expensive way to cover the distance. Start at or slightly slower than your target split and settle in. If you feel good after 500 metres, you can lift the pace a little for the last stretch.
Use your legs
The SkiErg looks like an arm exercise. It is not. A good stroke starts with a hip hinge and a slight knee bend, uses body weight to pull the handles down, and finishes with the arms. If you pull mostly with your arms, your shoulders and grip tire early — and you need your grip for the sled pull, farmers carry and wall balls later. Our SkiErg technique guide covers the stroke in detail.
Breathe on a rhythm
Breathe out on the pull, in on the recovery. Keeping to a rhythm stops you holding your breath, which many people do without noticing under effort.
Stroke rate
A lower stroke rate with a longer, stronger pull is usually more efficient than short, fast strokes. Find a rate you can hold for the whole distance in training, and repeat it on race day.
Finish and move
When the monitor hits 1000 metres, let go and walk out. Shake your arms loose as you move through the Roxzone. The sled push is next, and it will need everything your legs have.
How to train for it
Intervals of 250 to 500 metres at race pace, with short rests, build the ability to hold the split. Add a run before and after some sessions so you practise starting the erg with a raised heart rate, as you will in the race.
The takeaway
A SkiErg split a few seconds slower than you could manage is almost always a faster race. Nobody wins HYROX on the first station, but plenty of people lose it there.