HYROX Doubles guide: rules, weights and teamwork

In HYROX^® Doubles, both partners complete all eight running segments together and share the work at eight stations. You do not split the running into 4 km each. This guide explains the 2026/27 format, division loads, legal changeovers and practical ways to prepare as a team.

How HYROX^® Doubles works

A team has two athletes. Both run the designated 8,000 m: eight approximately 1,000 m segments, each followed by a station. A running segment can contain several laps, depending on the venue. Check the event map instead of assuming that one lap equals one kilometre.

At the stations, you use a “You Go, I Go” format: one partner works while the other rests. The station total belongs to the team, so you do not each complete 1,000 m on the SkiErg or 100 wall balls. You can choose an unequal work split; the rules do not require a 50/50 share. Every changeover must still follow that station’s movement and positioning rules.

Run together, enter each station together and wait until both partners are present before beginning. Leave together after completing the required work. During a station, the resting partner must remain on their feet in the permitted area and avoid obstructing others. Resting does not mean sitting, kneeling or lying down beside the equipment.

The rulebook specifies a one-minute penalty when partners do not stay together on a run. More than three such penalties leads to an Out of Competition result. It does not define the requirement as an “arm’s reach” measurement. Follow the course and judges’ instructions rather than inventing a distance allowance.

Divisions, station order and weights

The 2026/27 Doubles divisions are Women, Women Pro, Men, Men Pro and Mixed. There is no Mixed Pro division in this rulebook. The middle column below groups three divisions with the same equipment loads; they remain separate competition divisions.

Station after the run	Team work	Women	Women Pro / Men / Mixed	Men Pro
1. SkiErg	1,000 m	Same distance	Same distance	Same distance
2. Sled push	50 m, 4 × 12.5 m	102 kg	152 kg	202 kg
3. Sled pull	50 m, 4 × 12.5 m	78 kg	103 kg	153 kg
4. Burpee broad jumps	80 m	Same distance	Same distance	Same distance
5. Rowing	1,000 m	Same distance	Same distance	Same distance
6. Farmers carry	200 m	2 × 16 kg	2 × 24 kg	2 × 32 kg
7. Sandbag lunges	100 m	10 kg	20 kg	30 kg
8. Wall balls	100 valid repetitions	4 kg	6 kg	9 kg

Sled weights include the sled itself. A kettlebell entry such as 2 × 24 kg means that the working athlete carries both 24 kg kettlebells; it does not mean one kettlebell per partner. All five divisions complete 100 valid wall balls.

The wall-ball target is 2.70 m for women and 3.00 m for men. In Mixed Doubles, both use the 6 kg ball, but the woman uses the 2.70 m target and the man the 3.00 m target. Women Pro use 6 kg at 2.70 m. Do not select a target from the ball weight alone.

Doubles is not a format in which every load is lighter than Singles. Corresponding Women, Women Pro, Men and Men Pro divisions use the same listed station loads as Singles. The difference is that partners share station work while both complete the runs. See the weights chart for Singles comparisons.

Choose a partner and a division you can prepare for

Discuss running pace, experience with the loaded movements, available training time and the kind of race you want. A partner’s fast standalone run or strong sled push does not establish how the pair will move through the entire event. Practise running together after station work before agreeing on a race plan.

You do not need identical strengths or an equal work share at every station. You do need a plan both people understand and can adjust. Choose the division from its actual loads and movement standards, not from an assumption that a stronger partner can remove every difficult task. Both athletes still run the full distance.

Agree in advance how you will signal a change, what happens if a movement becomes unreliable and who listens to the judge’s count. These are practical planning choices, not requirements to use a particular work ratio or a minimum number of joint sessions.

SkiErg: plan the switch without passing handles

The team completes 1,000 m. The working athlete keeps their feet on the base as required by the movement standard; the resting athlete stays in the marked area. Only the working athlete may adjust the damper. Partners must not pass the handles directly to each other.

Practise a controlled changeover that lets the next athlete take the handles without a hand-to-hand transfer. You might test equal distances and an unequal split, then compare the whole sequence, including the next run. Neither a single changeover nor a particular split is universally fastest. At 1,000 m, follow the required finish procedure and obtain the judge’s confirmation before leaving.

Sled push: complete each length

Use the assigned lane. The entire sled must cross the 12.5 m line before changing direction; four lengths make 50 m. The resting partner walks immediately behind the working athlete and must not obstruct another lane.

Alternating completed lengths is one possible plan to rehearse, not a rule requiring a change every 12.5 m. Decide where the next athlete will stand and how you will communicate the switch. In training, record the surface and equipment as well as the load: a gym rehearsal does not establish a guaranteed race time on a different setup.

Sled pull: the resting partner cannot manage the rope

The working athlete pulls while standing in the Racers Box and must respect its boundary lines. The whole sled must cross the end line before the next length. The resting partner remains behind and cannot help manage the rope with hands or feet.

Practise keeping the rope in your own lane and changing roles without moving into another team’s space. A plan that relies on one partner pulling while the other clears the rope is not a legal way to share the station. Ask a judge if you are unsure where to stand at your assigned box.

Burpee broad jumps: exchange at the correct position

The total is 80 m, not a fixed number of burpees. Valid repetitions require the prescribed chest contact and jump standard. During a changeover, the incoming athlete places their hands where the outgoing athlete’s feet landed, aligning fingers and toes as specified in the rules. Moving the start of the next repetition forward gains an illegal advantage.

The resting partner follows behind rather than blocking the side of the working athlete. Rehearse the changeover position while fresh before adding running. Use a manageable stretch or number of repetitions as a training cue, while remembering that the race station is measured by distance.

Rowing: each athlete manages their own setup

The team rows 1,000 m. The resting partner stays in the marked area behind the rower. Partners may not pass the handle, adjust the damper for each other or adjust each other’s foot straps. The working athlete controls their own permitted setup adjustments.

Learn your footplate position and practise taking over without relying on your partner to strap you in. The rulebook explicitly uses rowing as an example of shared work. Follow the officials’ directions for the changeover and have the completed 1,000 m confirmed before the team leaves the station. A fast transition is useful only if it complies with those instructions.

Farmers carry: both kettlebells stay with one worker

One athlete carries both kettlebells for their share of the 200 m. They may set them down to rest without advancing them. A handover must be sideways or backwards, never forwards. The resting partner follows behind.

Choose changeover cues that you can use on the actual course; do not assume there will be a convenient 100 m handover marker. At the end, cross the finish as required and return both kettlebells to the correct place with handles upright. Merely dropping them near the station is not a complete finish.

Sandbag lunges: preserve the standard through the switch

The team completes 100 m of alternating lunges. The rear knee must touch the ground, and each repetition finishes with the hips and knees extended. The sandbag stays supported on both shoulders during the working repetitions; resting it on the ground, a barrier or the feet is not an allowed unloading method.

A partner handover goes sideways or backwards, not forwards. The resting athlete follows behind. Rehearse a controlled transfer with an appropriate training load, and do not take extra walking or shuffling steps between lunges. Complete the finish-line requirement and return the sandbag as directed.

Wall balls: count valid repetitions, not attempts

The team needs 100 valid repetitions. Start from a standing position, squat below the required depth and throw with both hands to strike the correct physical target. Follow the wall-ball rules for resets and no-reps. The judge’s count governs; a screen is a visual aid.

For a changeover, hand the ball to your partner or place it on the floor. A “flying transition”, where one athlete throws to the target and the other catches the ball in the squat and keeps moving, is prohibited. The resting partner waits in the marked area under the rig without obstructing others.

Ten sets of ten, alternating athletes, is one possible 50/50 planning example. Five sets of twenty, alternating from the same starting athlete, produces a 60/40 split. Both add up to 100, but neither is a recommendation to force sets beyond reliable technique. Adapt the plan to valid repetitions and the judge’s instructions.

Train the partnership without turning every session into a race

Keep individual preparation and joint practice connected. Running sessions develop the running you both have to complete; strength and movement practice prepare you for your division’s stations. Joint sessions let you check pacing, handovers and communication. Their frequency should fit your existing workload, experience and recovery, rather than an arbitrary minimum number of partner workouts.

Start by practising unfamiliar transitions without fatigue. Then use selected run-and-station combinations before attempting a longer rehearsal. You do not need to perform every station while exhausted or complete a full race simulation every week to learn how to work together.

For example, a short rehearsal could contain 400 m of running together, 500 m of shared SkiErg work split 250/250, then another 400 m together. This is a partial practice block: 800 m of running and 500 m on the SkiErg, not a complete HYROX^® round. Adjust distances, effort and recovery to your preparation. Review whether the handle change was legal and whether you could resume running together.

For loaded stations, practise technique with a manageable load before checking the competition load when appropriate. A written plan should allow changes if either athlete cannot maintain the movement standard. Pain or an inability to perform a movement safely is not a reason to force a planned work share.

Pace and communicate as a team

Use joint rehearsals to find a running effort you can both sustain after station work. An isolated kilometre time or an ergometer personal best does not determine your race pace. Watch the whole sequence: station work, changeover, Roxzone route and the following run.

Pick short, unambiguous calls such as “change after this length”, “ten remaining” and “ready”. Confirm who is starting the next station before entering it. If one partner needs an earlier switch, acknowledge the request and use the legal changeover position. Avoid giving competing instructions while a judge is explaining a correction.

There is no universal number of seconds that teamwork will save, no mandatory male share in Mixed and no evidence here for a guaranteed improvement at a second race. Record your own practice observations and use them to make a provisional plan, not a performance promise.

Race-day checklist

• Read the event’s athlete information, course map and assigned start time. Do not move to an earlier or later wave without prior approval.
• Bring the required registration confirmation and government-issued photo ID. Each athlete wears their own timing chip on the ankle and keeps the required identification visible.
• Use the designated warm-up area and report to the start tunnel ten minutes before your start, as specified in the rulebook.
• Check the number of laps per running segment, the IN/OUT routes and the order of stations. Follow the running-lane instructions.
• Take the lane or equipment assigned by staff. Enter and leave each station together, complete its finish procedure and listen for confirmation.
• Plan hydration within the rules. Use official aid points or permitted personal supplies carried from the start; do not rely on a spectator handing you a drink. Headphones are prohibited.

Frequently asked questions

Does each partner run 4 km?

No. Both athletes complete all eight running segments together, for a designated 8,000 m each. Only the station work is shared. Venue-specific laps and the Roxzone route are separate details to check on the event map.

Must we split every station equally?

No. Doubles uses shared “You Go, I Go” work without a compulsory 50/50 split. Choose a plan you can execute, respect the resting partner’s position and follow each station’s changeover rules.

Which wall-ball target does Mixed Doubles use?

Both partners use the 6 kg ball. The woman throws to the 2.70 m target and the man to the 3.00 m target. The team completes 100 valid repetitions in total.

Sources and scope

The official HYROX^® Doubles rulebook for 2026/27 supports the divisions in section 4, team procedure in section 7, station rules and loads in section 8, equipment restrictions in section 10, event-day procedures in section 11 and penalties in section 12. The load comparison uses the 2026/27 Singles rulebook, section 8. Training blocks and work splits above are adjustable practice examples, not measured performance findings or official training prescriptions. Follow the information issued for your event and any subsequent rulebook revision.