Top 5 Accessory Exercises for Hyrox Success

At REVIVAL, we’ve coached countless athletes through the demands of Hyrox – a true test of hybrid fitness. While compound lifts and event-specific practice form the backbone of any smart Hyrox programme, it’s often the accessory work that builds the resilience, balance, and efficiency required to excel on race day.

These top 5 accessory exercises are what we programme consistently to help our clients move better, recover faster, and perform stronger when it matters most.

1. Sled Drags (Backwards & Forwards)

Targets: Quads, hamstrings, grip, and conditioning

Hyrox features both sled pushes and sled pulls – and both require relentless leg drive and bulletproof mechanics. But it’s the sled drags, especially backwards, that build knee-dominant strength and help bulletproof the quads.

Why we love it at Revival:Low-skill but high-output. Great for injury-proofing the knees and improving metabolic conditioning without excessive eccentric loading.

Coaching Tip: Use a long rope and keep hips low. Drive through the balls of your feet and stay upright through the torso.

2. Heavy Farmer’s Carries

Targets: Grip, traps, core, posture

Sandbag carries may be one of the most underestimated events in Hyrox. They torch your grip, test your breathing, and challenge your posture. Farmer’s carries replicate this stress while being scalable and simple to progress.

Why we love it at Revival:It builds raw grip strength, postural endurance, and “engine under fatigue” – all in one move.

Coaching Tip: Think “proud chest, tight core, smooth strides.” Start heavy, but controlled.

3. Wall Ball Thruster Holds

Targets: Shoulders, quads, lungs, mental grit

Yes, wall balls are already in Hyrox – but the thruster hold variation is a brutal accessory to build positional endurance and control. Holding at the bottom of a squat or just before the press replicates race-day fatigue.

Why we love it at Revival:This isn’t just physical – it trains mental discipline and breath control in high-tension positions.

Coaching Tip: Start with 3 x 30-second holds at the bottom or mid-press with a lighter med ball. Don’t chase reps – own the position.

4. Box Step-Overs with Dumbbells

Targets: Glutes, quads, coordination, unilateral strength

Step-overs mimic the movement patterns of lunges and sandbag carries, but with added balance and hip drive. They’re lower-impact than jumps but still demand coordination and power.

Why we love it at Revival:It challenges each leg independently, exposes imbalances, and translates beautifully to both lunging and running mechanics.

Coaching Tip: Keep dumbbells at your sides, lead with control, and drive through the heel of the front foot.

5. Band-Resisted Rowing Sprints

Targets: Pulling power, posterior chain, anaerobic capacity

Standard rowing is great – but add a band to the flywheel, and you turn it into a strength-builder. Band-resisted sprints teach power production through every stroke and build serious pulling resilience.

Why we love it at Revival:It replicates the aggression needed for the 1,000m row in Hyrox, where pace, form, and intensity all need to hold.

Coaching Tip: Use short intervals (e.g., 5 x 150m) with full recovery to maintain explosive output.

At Revival, we believe success at Hyrox isn’t just about brute force or speed – it’s about being well-rounded, movement-efficient, and fatigue-resistant. These accessory lifts aren’t just add-ons – they’re the difference makers.

Looking to level up your Hyrox prep? Drop in for a Hybrid Fitness Assessment at our West London studio – and let’s get to work.