You can’t win a HYROX race on the SkiErg, but you can absolutely ruin your race there.
I’ve seen it happen over and over again. Athletes step off the SkiErg already breathing like the race is over, and we’re barely five minutes in. Heart rate through the roof, legs flooded, and mentally panicking before the race has even settled.
I’ve raced HYROX twice in the Men’s Open division and plan to do more. I’m not elite, and I’m not pretending to be—but I am a personal trainer, and I’ve made these mistakes myself. I learned the hard way what actually matters for HYROX Open athletes, especially beginners.
This post breaks down the three biggest beginner SkiErg mistakes in HYROX and how to avoid blowing up your race before it really starts.
Quick disclaimer: This isn’t an elite-level breakdown. This is practical advice based on racing, coaching, and experiencing what actually matters if you’re trying to survive and perform well in HYROX Open.
Mistake 1: Treating the SkiErg Like a Place to Make Time
This is the biggest mistake I see.
The SkiErg is the first station. You feel fresh. The crowd is loud. Your heart rate feels under control. So you think:
“I’ll just push this a bit and get ahead.”
Here’s the truth:
You don’t gain much by smashing the SkiErg, but you lose everything if you overcook it.
I’ve watched athletes gain maybe 5 seconds on the SkiErg, then spend the next three runs completely paying for it. That “small win” turns into minutes lost later.
In my first HYROX race, I went all out. My stroke rate was way too high. I came off the SkiErg already fatigued, heart rate through the roof, and my hamstrings starting to cramp. My very next run suffered, and the entire race fell apart right from the start.
That’s when I realized something important:
The SkiErg isn’t about proving how fit you are.
It’s about not sabotaging the rest of your race.
Mistake 2: Making the SkiErg All Arms
Another common mistake is turning the SkiErg into an arm workout.
A lot of athletes aggressively yank the handles down with their arms. It feels powerful at first—but it’s inefficient and it drains you fast.
The power on the SkiErg should come from your lats, hips, torso and your body weight. Not just your arms doing all the work.
Think about:
Driving your chest down
Hinging at the hips like a deadlift
Letting your body weight do the work
If your arms, especially your triceps are on fire halfway through the SkiErg, that’s usually a sign you’re pulling too much with them.
This took me time to clean up. I didn’t fix it in one session, and you probably won’t either. But even small improvements in technique can save a lot of energy over the course of the race.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the Role of the SkiErg in HYROX
The SkiErg isn’t just 1,000 meters on a machine.
It sets the tone for everything that comes next.
If you leave the SkiErg: Tense, Breathing hard and Mentally rushed, you carry that into the runs, into the sleds, and eventually into the wall balls.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this:
How you exit the SkiErg matters more than how fast you finish it.
Your goal should be to step off Calm, breathing under control and ready to move. If you can jog away smoothly and settle into your run, you did it right. Even if your split isn’t flashy, that controlled exit almost always leads to a better overall race.
The Big Takeaway
If you take one thing away from this:
The SkiErg is about control, not dominance.
Respect it. Stay relaxed. Think one station ahead, not just this one.
That approach will almost always lead to a better HYROX race, especially for beginners and Open athletes.
If this helped you, drop a comment on the video with your questions and let me know when your next HYROX race is. And if you want more HYROX content from someone actually racing and learning along the way, make sure you subscribe—I’ll keep sharing what works as I go.
