HYROX Wall Balls: Weight, Target Height, Rules and How to Get Faster
Training photo: Dan Fahey, Gritty Soldier
The last station is 100 wall balls, and you do them after 8 kilometers of running and seven other stations. Nobody is fresh here. The athletes who move up the leaderboard in the final minutes are the ones who planned their sets and kept their reps clean.
HYROX Wall Ball Weights and Target Heights
| Division | Ball | Target | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 4 kg | 2.70 m | 100 |
| Women Pro | 6 kg | 2.70 m | 100 |
| Men | 6 kg | 3.00 m | 100 |
| Men Pro | 9 kg | 3.00 m | 100 |
The Rules
- Start standing tall with hips and knees extended, holding the ball in both hands. You cannot scoop it off the floor and throw in one motion.
- Hips below knees. Every squat has to break parallel at the bottom.
- Hit the target zone with a two-handed throw.
- Catch and go, or reset. You can catch the ball and drop straight into the next rep, or let it bounce and restart from standing tall. You cannot catch a bounced ball and keep going.
- No warnings. Each rep is valid or a no-rep, and only valid reps count toward 100.
- The judge decides. Digital target screens are only a visual aid. The physical target and the judge's call are official.
- No powdered chalk at this station. It is a 2-minute penalty.
- Shoes: you may take them off at the target, but you carry them with you to the finish.
Wall Ball Technique
Catch high, ride it down
Catch the ball at chin height with your elbows under it and let the catch flow straight into the squat. Fighting the ball wastes energy.
Throw with your legs
The throw comes from standing up out of the squat. Your arms just guide the ball. If your shoulders are on fire after 20 reps, you are throwing with your arms.
Stand at the right distance
About an arm's length from the wall. Too close and the ball comes straight back into your face. Too far and you chase it forward on every rep.
Breathe once per rep
Exhale on the throw, inhale on the catch. It keeps your rhythm and stops you holding your breath until you have to stop.
How to Break Up 100 Wall Balls
Plan your sets before race day and stick to them:
- Strong: 25, 25, 25, 25 with 5 to 10 seconds standing rest.
- Solid: 20 x 5 with short rests.
- First race: 10 x 10, with a few breaths between sets. Steady sets of 10 often beat a hero set of 30 followed by a long stop.
Rest standing with the ball held at your chest, not on the floor. Picking it up and resetting costs time on every set.
From the Pro Division
Austen's Race Pointers
Battle Bunker founder Austen Alexander is a Navy veteran and a seven-time HYROX Pro racer. His advice holds whether it is your first race or your fiftieth:
- Don't go out too hot. The first run and the SkiErg feel easy because you are fresh. That is the trap. Hold back early and you will still have legs when the race really starts.
- Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast, especially with your cardiovascular system. Once your heart rate is pinned in the red, getting it back down costs far more time than staying steady would have.
- Take breaks as needed. Do not try to go unbroken on every station. A short planned break on the sleds, the lunges, or the wall balls costs seconds. Blowing up costs minutes.
How to Train HYROX Wall Balls
- Volume: work up to 100 to 150 quality reps in a session, twice a week.
- EMOM: 15 to 20 reps every minute for 6 to 10 minutes. It teaches sustainable pace.
- Run into wall balls: 1 km run, then 50 wall balls. 2 or 3 rounds. This is the finish of the race.
- Lunges into wall balls: 50 m sandbag lunges straight into 50 wall balls. Your legs will tell you why this matters. Our sandbag lunge guide covers the station before this one.
- Strength: front squats and thrusters once a week build the base.
The Skirmish Training Sandbag
The lunges cook your legs right before the wall balls. Train them together at home. Adjustable from 20 to 40 lb, made in the USA, $89.
Shop the SkirmishCommon Mistakes
- Shallow squats. No warnings here, just no-reps. Train full depth every rep.
- Catching a bounced ball and continuing. That rep does not count.
- Going out too fast. An unplanned 40-second stop costs more than ten planned 5-second breaks.
- Arm-only throws. Use your legs.
See every station in order in what HYROX is, every station and every weight, and put it all together with our HYROX race-simulation workouts and pacing strategy.
Free download
The 8-Week HYROX Training Plan
Four sessions a week, every station covered, the official 2026/27 weights, and garage swaps for the sled and SkiErg. Free PDF to your inbox.
Get the free plan
The Raider Training Sandbag Kit
Train the lunges that come right before the wall balls at full race weight. Filler bags let you load it to about 44 lb for Men Open and Women Pro, 66 lb for Men Pro, or up to 80 lb for overload work. Made in the USA, $139.97.
Shop the RaiderHYROX Wall Balls FAQ
How heavy are HYROX wall balls?
4 kg for Women, 6 kg for Women Pro and Men, and 9 kg for Men Pro, under the 2026/27 rulebook.
How high is the HYROX wall ball target?
2.70 meters for Women and Women Pro, and 3.00 meters for Men and Men Pro.
How many wall balls are in HYROX?
100 valid reps in every division.
What happens if a wall ball does not count?
It is a no-rep with no warning. It does not count toward 100, so you have to do another valid rep.
Can I take my shoes off for the wall balls?
Yes. You may remove them at the target, but you must take them with you to the finish area.
Source: HYROX 26/27 Singles Rulebook. Rules can change between seasons, so check the current rulebook before race day. Battle Bunker is not affiliated with HYROX.
