·8 min read
SkiErg alternative: how to train the Hyrox SkiErg when your gym doesn't have one
The best SkiErg alternative copies the hinge-and-pull, not the machine. Gym and home options ranked, sample sessions, and what no substitute can teach you.
The best SkiErg alternative is a cable or band straight-arm pulldown done with a real hip hinge, paired with rowing for the engine. That combination covers what the SkiErg actually asks for: lats and trunk pulling down hard, hips doing a lot of the work, and an aerobic system that can hold a pace for several minutes. A lat pulldown machine covers part of it. A tricep pushdown covers almost none of it, no matter how fast you do it.
Most gyms have a rower. Far fewer have a SkiErg. Below: what the Hyrox SkiErg demands, the alternatives that transfer in a gym and at home, sample sessions, and the things only the real machine can teach. If you'd rather not juggle substitutes by hand, that's what an app that plans runs and stations together does with the equipment you've actually got.
What a SkiErg alternative needs to train
Start with the station. It's the first of eight, straight after the first kilometer of running, and a guide to hyrox stations has the full race order. Under section 8.1 of the 26/27 singles rulebook, you ski 1,000 m on the monitor, the same in every individual division. Both feet stay on the platform, the damper is preset to 6, and you can adjust it as often as you like.
The movement is a double-pole stroke. Concept2, which makes the machine, describes the technique on its SkiErg technique page: lead with the upper body, then drive the handles down by hinging at the hips before the knees bend, with the core and lats driving the power and the arms finishing the movement.
That breaks down into four things a substitute should train:
- Lats and trunk pulling down, with the arms mostly straight.
- A fast hip hinge coupled to that pull.
- Grip and shoulder endurance over hundreds of strokes.
- An aerobic engine that can hold a steady pace for 1,000 m, then run.
The fourth matters more than people think. In the first published Hyrox study, faster finish times correlated with higher VO2max and greater endurance training volume. A SkiErg substitute that only trains the pull, and never the breathing, is missing half the job.
No single alternative covers all four. A good week covers them with two or three. That's the logic behind a Hyrox plan built around your weak stations: strength and pattern work early, race-specific work later, and running throughout.
The best SkiErg alternatives, ranked
| SkiErg alternative | Pull pattern | Hip hinge | Engine | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable double-pole pulldown | High | High | Medium | Cable stack, two handles or a rope |
| Banded double-pole pulldown | High | High | Medium | A long band and a high anchor |
| Rowing | Low | Medium | High | Rower |
| Straight-arm lat pulldown | High | Low | Low | Cable stack |
| Medicine ball slams | Medium | High | Medium | Slam ball |
| Battle rope double slams | Medium | Medium | Medium | Battle rope |
| Air bike | Low | Low | High | Air bike |
1. Cable double-pole pulldown
The closest copy. Set two handles (or a rope) at the top of a cable stack. Stand facing it, a step back, arms up. Pull both handles down to your thighs by dropping your chest and hinging at the hips, the way you would on the machine, then stand tall and let the handles rise.
Use it for time, not just reps: 30 to 60 seconds of steady strokes is far more SkiErg-like than sets of 10. Keep the weight moderate. If you need to squat to move the stack, it's too heavy.
2. Banded double-pole pulldown
The same movement with a long resistance band anchored high, over a pull-up bar or a door anchor. The band gets harder at the bottom of the stroke, which is the opposite of the SkiErg, but the pattern is right and it works at home. Two bands, one per hand, let you pull with arms slightly apart like the real handles.
3. Rowing
The rower isn't the same movement. It's seated, legs-first, and the pull is horizontal. But it trains the same engine and the same pacing skill: holding a split for a few minutes without blowing up. It's also station five, so you need it anyway. The trade-offs are covered in our skierg vs rower guide; for a gym with only a rower, row more and add the pulldowns above for the pattern.
4. Straight-arm lat pulldown
A strength builder, not a copy. Standing, arms straight, pull a bar or rope from overhead to your thighs. It loads the lats in the same line as the SkiErg without the hinge. Do it heavier and slower than the double-pole version, for sets of 10 to 15.
5. Medicine ball slams
Concept2's own tip is to visualize the stroke like slamming a medicine ball, and that's a decent drill. Overhead reach, then hinge and slam. It trains the hip-to-arms timing explosively. It's choppier than a SkiErg stroke, so use it for intervals, not 1,000 m-style pieces.
6. Battle rope double slams
Both arms together, big overhead-to-floor waves, with a slight hinge on each one. Good for shoulder and grip endurance and for breathing hard. Less hip involvement than the slam ball unless you deliberately add it.
7. Air bike
No pull pattern worth mentioning, but a strong engine builder, and the arms work too. If your limiter on the SkiErg is fitness rather than technique, bike intervals help. If it's technique, they don't.
SkiErg alternatives at home
At home, the band does most of the work:
- Banded double-pole pulldowns for time, two or three rounds of 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slam ball or sandbag slams for intervals.
- Kettlebell swings for the hip hinge. The swing is a fast loaded hinge, the same hip action that powers the stroke.
- Running intervals or a bike for the engine.
A cheap long band and a sturdy anchor point get you most of the pattern. The rest is running, which you're doing anyway.
Sample sessions using SkiErg alternatives
Session 1: Pattern and strength (early in a block)
| Exercise | Sets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Straight-arm lat pulldown | 4 x 12 | Slow lowering, ribs down |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8 | The hinge under the stroke |
| Cable double-pole pulldown | 4 x 45 seconds | Moderate weight, steady rhythm |
| Hanging knee raise | 3 x 10 | Trunk |
Session 2: Race-specific (later in a block)
| Block | Work |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | 10 min easy run, light pulldowns |
| Main set | 4 rounds: 1 km run, then 2 min cable or banded double-pole at a hard but steady pace, then 500 m row |
| Finish | Easy jog |
The run-then-pull pairing is the point. On race day the SkiErg arrives after a kilometer of running, and the next run follows straight after. Practice both transitions.
Session 3: Engine intervals (no SkiErg, no cable)
Six rounds of 2 minutes hard on the rower, 1 minute easy, then 3 rounds of 20 slam ball slams and 10 banded pulldowns. Hard, short, and kind to your legs.
What a SkiErg alternative can't teach
Three things only the real machine gives you:
- Your damper setting and pace. You need to know your split per 500 m for a controlled 1,000 m, and whether you'll leave the damper at 6.
- Staying on the platform. The rulebook gives a warning, then 15-second penalties, if your feet come off the base onto the floor.
- The feel of the flywheel. Cables and bands don't respond like air resistance does.
Find a gym, a Hyrox training session or an affiliate with a SkiErg and get on it a few times before race day. Even three sessions makes the station far less of a surprise.
Alternatives for the other stations
The same rule, keep the pattern and swap the equipment, works across the race:
- Sled pull: a rope drag with plates on turf is the go-to sled pull alternative.
- Sled push: plate pushes and heavy split squats are the core sled push alternatives.
- Wall balls: thrusters or goblet squat to press, which are our wall ball alternatives that actually transfer.
- Farmers carry: dumbbells or a trap bar for distance. The difference between suitcase carry vs farmers carry matters here, because the one-sided version builds the trunk stiffness that helps the two-handed one.
Where SkiErg work fits in the week
SkiErg substitutes are mostly upper-body and trunk work, so they're easy to place. Pulldowns and slams pair well with an upper-body day or an easy run day. Race-specific sessions with running count as a hard day: keep them away from the day before your heaviest legs session or your key run, the same rule as any hard conditioning.
How exrsz handles training without a SkiErg
exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so if you don't have a SkiErg, the plan uses what you do have. Erg work, station strength and running sit in one plan, it adapts each week to how you trained, and it reshuffles missed sessions.
FAQ
What is the best SkiErg alternative?
A cable or band double-pole pulldown with a real hip hinge, done for time. Pair it with rowing for the aerobic side, since the SkiErg is a 1,000 m pacing test, not just a pull.
Can I use a rower as a SkiErg alternative?
For the engine, yes. For the movement, only partly: rowing is seated and legs-first. Row for fitness and add pulldowns to train the SkiErg's pulling pattern.
What is a good SkiErg alternative at home?
A long resistance band anchored high, used for banded double-pole pulldowns, plus slam ball slams and kettlebell swings for the hinge. Running or a bike covers the engine.
Do I need a SkiErg to train for Hyrox?
No, but get on one a few times before race day to find your pace and damper setting. The singles rulebook presets the damper to 6 and lets you change it.
What muscles does the SkiErg work?
Mainly the lats and trunk, with the hips contributing through the hinge and the arms finishing the stroke, according to Concept2's technique guide.
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