Hyrox wall balls: weight, target height and how to stop dying at rep 60

The Hyrox wall ball station is 100 reps of squatting below parallel and throwing a medicine ball to a target: 4 kg, 6 kg or 9 kg depending on division, to a target 2.70 m high for women and 3.00 m for men. It's the last station, the finish line is on the other side of rep 100, and it's where a surprising number of good races quietly fall apart.

Not because the ball is heavy. Because people do 30 unbroken on adrenaline, 20 more on hope, and then spend the rest of the station in sets of three. Below: the official standard, Hyrox wall ball weight and height by division, technique, how to split 100 reps, the no-reps that cost you, and how to train it with or without a ball. If you'd rather have it programmed, that's an app that programs your Hyrox prep.

What is the Hyrox wall ball station?

Wall balls are station eight, the last of what are the hyrox stations: after eight kilometers of running, two sleds, burpee broad jumps, a row, a carry and 100 m of lunges. Your legs arrive already cooked by the sandbag lunges, and now they need to squat 100 times.

That's the whole problem, and it's why wall balls need a plan, not willpower. They also need practice on tired legs, which is what a week-by-week Hyrox plan should build toward. If you're still new to the format, what is hyrox explained covers the race from the start line.

The official Hyrox wall ball standard

From section 8.8 of the 26/27 singles rulebook:

• ›Start standing tall, hips and knees extended, holding the ball with both hands. You can't pick the ball up off the floor and throw it in one motion.
• ›Full squat: at the bottom, your hips must go lower than your knees (below parallel).
• ›Two-handed throw that strikes your designated target in the strike zone. Women hit the women's target, men hit the men's.
• ›After the ball hits the target, either catch it and go straight into the next rep, or let it drop and start again from standing. You can't catch it after it bounces and carry on.
• ›100 valid reps. Where no digital targets are in use, you only go to the finish once the judge confirms 100.

Two quirks worth knowing. Digital screens may show your rep count and no-reps, but the rulebook says the physical target and the judge are the official standard. And judges may use a squat depth box to check depth; you can't request one, and you can't sit on it.

You're allowed to take your shoes off once you reach your target (place them under the rig and take them to the finish with you). Powdered chalk at wall balls is a 2-minute penalty.

Hyrox wall ball weight and height by division

These come from the 26/27 singles rulebook. Balls are color-coded: white for 4 kg, grey for 6 kg, black for 9 kg.

Two things people get wrong. First, the target height goes by sex, not division: Women Pro throws the heavier 6 kg ball to the same 2.70 m target as Women Open. Second, the heights are metric. If your gym's target is set to a round number of feet, it isn't quite the race height, so measure it.

For the sled, sandbag and carry loads, the weights for your division are all in one table.

Wall ball technique

Wall balls are a squat and a push press joined by a throw. Efficiency is the whole game, because 100 slightly wasteful reps cost far more than 100 good ones.

The squat

• ›Ball high on your chest, elbows under it, hands slightly behind and under the ball.
• ›Feet roughly shoulder width, toes turned out a touch, whatever lets you hit depth comfortably.
• ›Sit down and back to just below parallel. Not deeper than you need. Every extra centimeter is wasted work over 100 reps.
• ›Stay upright. A torso that folds forward makes the throw harder and the ball drifts away from the wall.

The throw

• ›Drive from the legs. The ball should leave your hands because your hips and knees extended hard, not because your arms pressed it. Your arms just guide it.
• ›Aim at the target, not near it. Pick a spot in the middle of the strike zone.
• ›Stand a consistent distance from the wall. Too close and the ball comes back into your face; too far and you chase it. Find your spot in training and set up there every time.

The catch

• ›Catch it high and ride it down. Receive the ball with soft arms and let the catch flow into the next squat. That bounce out of the bottom is free energy.
• ›Breathe on a rhythm. Most people breathe once at the top of each rep. Find your rhythm before race day.

How to pace 100 reps

This is the part that decides your finish time. Decide your rep scheme before race day, practice it, and stick to it.

Pick a scheme you can hold

Common approaches in coaching practice:

• ›10 x 10 with short, planned rests. Simple, sustainable, good for a first race.
• ›Descending sets, e.g. 20, 20, 15, 15, 10, 10, 10. Front-loads the work while you're freshest.
• ›Sets of 15 to 25 for people with strong legs and a lot of wall ball practice.

The right scheme is the one you can hold all the way to 100 without your sets collapsing. If you can't do your planned set size on tired legs in training, it's the wrong plan.

Rest short, rest standing

Planned rests should be a few breaths, not a wander. Hold the ball or let it drop, take your breaths, and go again. Resting longer because the rep counter feels far away is how 100 wall balls turn into a slow walk.

Rate the effort honestly

Your first set should feel controlled, around a 7 out of 10, because it's going to get harder on its own. If you're unsure how to judge that, RPE for lifting and running is the simplest tool: if your first set feels like a 9, you started too hard.

Common Hyrox wall ball no-reps

Wall balls have no warnings. The rulebook says plainly: it's a rep or a no-rep. Every no-rep is one more squat you have to do. The common ones:

• ›Not deep enough. Hips must go below knees. Shallow squats are the single biggest source of no-reps, and they get worse as you tire.
• ›Missing the target. The ball has to strike your target in the strike zone. Low throws late in the set are the classic.
• ›Not standing tall. Each rep starts with hips and knees extended. Rushing the bottom of a rep from a half-squat doesn't count.
• ›Picking the ball off the floor and throwing it. Stand up fully with the ball first.
• ›Catching it off a bounce. If the ball hits the floor, start again from standing.

How to train Hyrox wall balls

Build the squat and the engine

Front squats, goblet squats and thrusters build the strength and the position. Wall balls themselves build the skill. Do both. Then add running, because the station is done on legs that have just run a kilometer after 100 m of lunges.

Volume, often

Wall balls reward frequency. Several short sessions a week, adding sets over time, teach your body the rhythm. Build toward 100 total reps in your planned scheme, then toward 100 reps after a run and a set of lunges.

Good options are short blocks inside race-specific Hyrox workouts, such as:

Training wall balls without a wall ball

If your gym has no medicine balls or no target, train the closest movement:

• ›Thrusters with dumbbells or a light barbell: the same squat-to-press pattern.
• ›Goblet squat to press with a kettlebell or dumbbell.
• ›Front squats for depth and position, plus light ball throws against any safe wall.
• ›Air squats for volume if you have nothing at all, building toward 100 reps in sets.

None of these trains the catch or the target, so try to get some sessions on a real ball and target before race day. The same logic applies to the other stations: sled push alternatives work by keeping the pattern, not the exact equipment.

How exrsz handles wall balls

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so wall ball volume and squat strength sit in the same plan as your running. It adapts each week to how you actually trained and reshuffles missed sessions instead of piling them up.

FAQ

What is the Hyrox wall ball weight?

Under the 26/27 singles rulebook, the wall ball is 4 kg for Women Open, 6 kg for Women Pro and Men Open, and 9 kg for Men Pro.

What is the Hyrox wall ball height?

The target is 2.70 m (about 8 ft 10 in) for women and Women Pro, and 3.00 m (about 9 ft 10 in) for men and Men Pro.

How many wall balls are in Hyrox?

100 reps, in every individual division. It's the eighth and final station.

Do you get warnings for wall ball no-reps?

No. The rulebook gives no warnings at wall balls: every rep is either a rep or a no-rep, and no-reps don't count toward your 100.

Can you take your shoes off for Hyrox wall balls?

Yes. The rulebook allows you to remove your shoes at your wall ball target, place them under the rig, and take them with you to the finish.