How to Get Better at Walking Lunges for HYROX (Without Destroying Your Knees)

By Rich Ryan | RMR Training

Walking lunges have never been my strength.

I could survive them. I could manage them. But at the elite end of HYROX, “managing” a station isn’t good enough anymore. You can’t afford to give away 15–20 seconds late in the race and expect to stay competitive.

So this training block, I finally stopped avoiding the problem—and started treating walking lunges like the performance limiter they are.

This article breaks down exactly how I’ve been training walking lunges for HYROX, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how you can apply the same framework—whether you’re racing Open, Pro, or Elite.

This isn’t theory.
This is experience.

Why Walking Lunges Are So Hard in HYROX

Walking lunges don’t show up fresh.

They show up 45–70 minutes into the race, after:

• Running fatigue
• Sled push and pull
• Farmer’s carry
• Burpees
• Global muscular and aerobic fatigue

That means your lunge ability isn’t just about leg strength—it’s about:

• Recoverability
• Aerobic capacity
• Muscular endurance
• Joint prep
• Pacing discipline

You can be “good at lunges” and still fall apart in a HYROX race.

I’ve seen elite rowers look average on the row.
I’ve seen elite runners reduced to Zone 2 survival mode.

HYROX breaks you down—then asks you to perform anyway.

The Real Problem I Had With Lunges (And Maybe You Do Too)

For years, I thought my issue was simple:

“I’m not good at lunges.”

Wrong.

The real problem was recovering from lunges.

Whenever I doubled down on volume, my knees—especially my patellar tendon—would flare up. Hips would feel jammed. Lower back would tighten. And suddenly, everything else in training suffered.

So I avoided lunges.

But avoiding a weakness doesn’t make it go away—it just caps your ceiling.

Step 1: Fix Recoverability Before Adding Volume

Here’s the biggest shift I made:

The problem wasn’t lunges.
The problem was preparation.

I was picking up the sandbag cold and wondering why it felt awful.

Once I treated knee, ankle, and hip prep as non-negotiable, everything changed.

Prep Movements That Changed Everything for Me

Disclaimer: I’m not a physical therapist. This is personal experience—not a textbook.

1. ATG Lunges (Knees Over Toes)

• Extreme knee-over-toe range of motion
• Calf touches hamstring
• 2–3x per week before lunges
• Massive improvement in knee comfort

2. Heel-Elevated Goblet Squats

• Removes ankle mobility as a limiter
• Allows deep, controlled knee flexion
• Great for knee health and positioning

3. Peterson / Poliquin Step-Ups

• 6–8 inches
• Heel elevated, controlled eccentric
• Direct patellar tendon loading

Once my knees felt good before and after lunges, I could finally train them hard.

HYROX Lunges = Aerobic First, Strength Second

This is critical:

If your aerobic capacity isn’t strong enough, none of the strength work matters.

Lunges happen late in the race. If you’re globally fatigued, you won’t access your strength anyway.

This is why:

• Farmer’s carries feel “heavy” when they’re not
• Wall balls fall apart despite high rep capacity
• Lunges slow to a crawl

Aerobic fitness is the foundation.
Everything else stacks on top.

Step 2: Build Muscular Endurance (Progressively)

Once prep and recovery were handled, I finally leaned into volume.

But not recklessly.

How I Approach Lunge Volume

• Start low (50–75 reps)
• Progress gradually
• Build week over week
• Stop before recovery collapses

Muscular endurance adapts quickly—if you respect progression.

Once adapted, lunges stop destroying you and start becoming a workhorse movement.

Step 3: Get Stronger Without Crushing Recovery

I’ve tried max-strength lunges. They work—but recovery cost is high.

This block, tempo work has been the sweet spot.

Tempo Lunge Strength Work

• 3–4 seconds down
• Explosive up
• Moderate load
• Low volume

Exercises I use:

• Bulgarian split squats
• Split squats (front foot elevated)
• Reverse lunges

This builds:

• Positional strength
• Tendon resilience
• Control under load

Without wrecking the rest of training.

Step 4: Isometrics = Free Speed

Isometrics were a game changer.

Overcoming Isometrics

• Push against fixed pins
• Max effort for 3–5 seconds
• Builds neural drive and strength

Yielding Isometrics

• Hold heavy load in bottom position
• Builds tendon thickness and durability
• Uncomfortable—but effective

Thicker tendons = better energy return = more efficient movement.

Step 5: Speed Comes From Position, Not Rushing

Trying to “move faster” with lighter lunges didn’t help.

Speed came from:

• Better posture
• Better breathing
• Better control
• Better pacing

Once I owned the sandbag instead of letting it own me, speed followed naturally.

The Pacing Breakthrough: Count Steps

This was embarrassingly simple—and incredibly effective.

I started watching Elite 15 races:

• Counted steps per 20m
• Timed each length

For me:

• 18 steps per 20m
• ~31 seconds per length = sustainable
• ~26 seconds = too fast, blow-up risk

Now I train lunges exactly like running:

• Target pace
• Repeatable effort
• No guessing on race day

Sample Weekly Lunge Structure

Day 1 – Strength Focus

• Joint prep
• Isometrics
• Plyometrics
• Tempo split squats

Day 2 – Muscular Endurance

• Prep + ISO
• Progressive lunge volume (measured distance + pacing)

Day 3 – Compromised HYROX Workout

• Lunges under fatigue
• Engine-focused, not grindy
• Lunges become aerobic builders, not pace killers

The Big Takeaway

If lunges are a problem for you:

It’s probably not because you’re weak.
It’s because something upstream is broken.

Fix:

• Prep
• Recovery
• Aerobic capacity
• Position
• Pacing

Then build volume.

HYROX rewards process—not shortcuts.

Train This the Right Way

Inside the RMR Training App, we apply this exact framework across:

• Strength
• Muscular endurance
• Compromised running
• HYROX-specific race prep

You’ll find:

• 12-week & 10-week plans
• Base & build programs
• Running for HYROX
• Strength for HYROX
• My full Phoenix build workouts

All coached, all tested.

$49/month. Real training. Real results.

Phoenix is coming—and it’s time to be ready.