1,000m Row Workouts

Start with the actual race sequence

Four stations and five runs precede rowing: SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull and Burpee Broad Jumps, each separated by the specified running sequence. After rowing comes run 6, then the 200-metre Farmers Carry with kettlebells. Three stations remain after rowing, not four. These details refer to Singles 26/27.

Burpee Broad Jumps are station 4, but run 5 separates them from rowing. A direct BBJ-to-row transition can be a training combination; it is not the race sequence. See the rowing guide for more context.

HYROX^® Singles 26/27 · §1 / §7.2 / §8.4–8.6

Choose a reference, not a universal formula

For these examples, choose a provisional, manageable split and record what happens. The cited studies do not validate adding 10–15% to a fresh 2,000-metre split to predict HYROX^® pace. Nor do they establish a universal Open or elite target table.

On the RowErg, pace is displayed as time per 500 metres. At an average of 2:20/500 m, 1,000 metres takes 4:40 of rowing. A split of 2:30 is slower than 2:20; a smaller time is faster. This is arithmetic, not a performance standard.

Use the pace chart for conversions. Compare repeated sessions with their preceding work, machine, settings and rest recorded. Do not use an eight-second drift or a fresh 1,000-metre result alone to certify race readiness or diagnose a weak aerobic base.

Concept2 · PM5 · Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract · Jones & Vanhatalo (2017)

Set up the RowErg and read the monitor

Singles 26/27 presets the rowing damper to 6 and allows adjustment. Concept2’s general suggestion to begin around 3–5 is training guidance, not a mandatory HYROX^® setting or evidence of what most competitors use. The damper controls airflow; drag factor measures the flywheel’s deceleration. A higher damper setting admits more air and slows the flywheel faster between strokes.

The PM5 shows current pace, average pace, distance and stroke rate. Distance matters because the race requires 1,000 metres. Increasing stroke rate alone does not guarantee a faster split. For distance intervals, use Select Workout, New Workout, Intervals: Distance, then set the work distance and rest. Menu details can vary with firmware.

During the race, remain seated until the required distance is completed and the judge confirms completion; return the handle to its holder as instructed by the rules.

HYROX^® Singles 26/27 · §1 / §7.2 / §8.4–8.6 · Concept2 · Damper Setting · Concept2 · PM5

Five optional sessions

These are coaching examples, not five mandatory weekly sessions or prescriptions tested in the cited studies. Select, shorten or omit them within your complete plan. Warm-up and cool-down are additional to the work distances below.

1. Four short repetitions

Try 4 × 250 m with 90 seconds between repetitions: 1,000 m of rowing work. Choose a manageable effort and compare the average splits. The aim is to practise pacing; completing these intervals does not establish a validated pass mark for a harder workout.

2. Two repetitions with a controlled finish

Try 2 × 500 m with three minutes between them: 1,000 m in total. Within each repetition, begin the first 250 m conservatively and, if appropriate, row the second 250 m a little faster. This is a negative-split practice option. Its format alone does not make it lactate-threshold training, and the rest period does not establish an identical recovery state for everyone.

3. Run, then row

If suitable within your preparation, run 1,000 m and then row 1,000 m at a manageable effort. Record both efforts and the transition. This rehearses a run-to-row sequence but omits the preceding four stations and earlier runs; it does not reproduce everyone’s physiological state at station 5. Adjust effort rather than holding a target regardless of discomfort.

4. Practise the station 4-to-5 order

For a partial sequence rehearsal, choose a manageable amount of Burpee Broad Jumps, include the following run, then row up to 1,000 m. Record any shortened distances. The competition order is BBJ, run 5, rowing; the prescribed race distances are 80 m BBJ and approximately 1 km for each designated running section. A three-minute BBJ effort is not an equivalent distance or a validated reproduction of race fatigue. This example omits the earlier race.

5. Longer rowing volume

If 4,000 m of work is already appropriate for your training, an option is 4 × 1,000 m with two minutes between repetitions at a comfortable effort. Reduce the number or distance as needed. The 4,000 m excludes rest, warm-up and cool-down. A fixed addition of 20–30 seconds to a predicted race split does not establish a physiological training zone.

HYROX^® Singles 26/27 · §1 / §7.2 / §8.4–8.6 · Jones & Vanhatalo (2017) · Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract

Fit the sessions into your preparation

Choose sessions by their purpose and by the rest of your running and strength work. The examples do not establish that everyone needs two or three rowing sessions weekly, that a third raises injury risk, or that harder exercise cannot produce adaptation until a base phase is complete. Use your own training record to decide what to repeat or change.

Research on tapering supports reducing training volume before competition in the populations studied. The cited 2007 and 2023 meta-analyses do not test these five HYROX^® sessions or prove that 3–4 × 250 m in race week causes no muscle damage or glycogen depletion. Individualise the final weeks rather than presenting that exact recipe as a proven HYROX^® taper.

The CrossFit pacing paper studied 13 male regional-level athletes in a different workout. The critical-power review explains exercise-intensity and recovery concepts. Neither validates a six-to-eight-week improvement promise or the proposed negative-split lactate mechanism for this programme. The four-week example is another planning option, not a guarantee.

Bosquet et al. (2007) · abstract · Wang et al. (2023) · abstract · Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract · Jones & Vanhatalo (2017)

Check technique without diagnosing from a split

Concept2 describes the drive in the order legs, body, arms, with the reverse order on recovery. Start with straight arms and comfortable, near-vertical shins; finish with legs extended, a slight backward lean and the handle below the ribs. Keep wrists flat and relaxed. Let the hands clear the knees before bending the knees on the return.

Use these as observation points. Do not hold the handle stationary while the seat slides away or turn the sequence into a demand for a rigid pause between phases. A slower split alone does not identify which muscle is fatigued or prove that these four technique issues explain most race losses.

For practice, record the average split, stroke rate and how the movement felt. There is no established 20-second deficit here that automatically calls for a second hard session, and no guaranteed six-to-eight-week correction.

Concept2 · Rowing Technique · Concept2 · PM5 · Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract

FAQ

How many sessions should I do each week?

Choose from the examples within your overall preparation; they are not all intended for the same week. The cited evidence does not establish one optimum frequency for every HYROX^® athlete.

Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract · Jones & Vanhatalo (2017)

Does a fast fresh 1,000m prove I am ready?

It records performance under those conditions. A run-to-row rehearsal adds context, but neither it nor a five-to-eight-second tolerance is a validated readiness test in the cited research.

Ribeiro et al. (2024) · abstract · Jones & Vanhatalo (2017)

What should I check at 500 metres?

Check distance, average pace, current pace and how the effort feels. A lower time per 500 metres means faster rowing. A split deviation alone does not establish its cause or dictate an automatic stroke-rate increase.

Concept2 · PM5

Should I row immediately after Burpee Broad Jumps?

You can choose that training combination, but Singles has run 5 between BBJ and rowing. Include the run if the purpose is to rehearse that part of the race sequence.

HYROX^® Singles 26/27 · §1 / §7.2 / §8.4–8.6

Can I use a different rowing machine?

You can adapt a workout to available equipment, but these sources do not establish identical displayed distances or splits across brands. Practise the competition machine when possible to learn its controls; four to six final sessions is not an evidence-based universal minimum.

Concept2 · PM5 · HYROX^® Singles 26/27 · §1 / §7.2 / §8.4–8.6