Hyrox races have quickly become one of the most popular sporting events today, growing exponentially with more and more people taking part.

These competitions combine functional exercises with running, testing both cardiovascular endurance and physical strength.

Typically, Hyrox races include stations with exercises like rowing, skiing, sled pushes, weighted lunges, and more, all interspersed with running segments. The result is a full-body, high-demand challenge.

However, one common issue among participants is a lack of grip strength. During the events—especially in exercises that require holding heavy objects or pushing and pulling with intensity—many athletes struggle because they haven’t developed this capacity enough.

That’s why more and more people are looking for effective ways to improve their grip strength, and calisthenics is an ideal discipline for that.

Calisthenics offers a wide range of specific exercises that can significantly strengthen your grip. Some of the most effective ones include:


This exercise involves hanging from a bar with your arms fully extended, holding the position for as long as possible. It’s perfect for building strength and endurance in your hands and forearms.


A more advanced variation that greatly increases the difficulty, helping to further improve unilateral grip strength and stability.


By introducing techniques like the false grip—where your wrists rest over the bar—you can specifically target grip strength and wrist flexor endurance. This also improves your capacity for more complex transitions.

Another great way to strengthen your grip through calisthenics is by focusing on forearm work on the ground. 

 are very effective and can be adapted to different difficulty levels by adjusting the angle and hand position. These types of exercises allow for progressive and controlled development.

 are excellent tools for training both wrist flexion and extension from various angles, letting you adjust the intensity based on your individual needs.

Here’s a specific routine with these exercises:

5 sets of 15 quadruped wrist push-ups on the ground

I’ve added this routine to Calisteniapp so it’s easier for you to follow along, with videos and explanations for each exercise. 

Ultimately, strengthening your grip is crucial for performing at your best in Hyrox races and for preventing injuries. By incorporating these specific calisthenics exercises, you’ll see a significant improvement in your performance.

I hope this article has been really helpful and that you start working on your grip strength as soon as possible. See you in training!

Grip Training for Hyrox with Calisthenics

an article about how to increase your reps in basic calisthenics exercises

, and many of you asked me to make one explaining how to increase the amount of time you can hold static or tension-based exercises. So, let’s dive into it.

To quickly recap and give a bit of context: in that previous article, I explained that the optimal way to increase your max reps in an exercise is simply by accumulating a high volume of reps and sets of that exercise throughout the week.

Do you need a different approach for static exercises?

Given that, a key question comes up: does the same approach work for static exercises? Should we just accumulate as much time in these exercises as possible each week? The answer here is both yes and no. Let me explain.

If we’re talking about a static hold where you already have enough control to maintain sets of 5 seconds or more, with good technique and without feeling too much muscular or joint stress, then yes. You simply need to perform a lot of sets of that static hold to rack up a good amount of time each week, and that’ll be enough.

The problem comes when you can only hold the position for a few seconds and you feel like you're right at your limit: your form starts to break down, your muscles are close to failing, and your joints are under a lot of tension. In these situations, just trying to accumulate more seconds each week isn’t enough, because you wouldn’t be able to do them with good quality, and you’d also be at high risk of injury.

How to approach increasing hold time in static exercises that push you to your limit

So, what can we do in these cases? Here are a few solutions:

Artificially increase the time using negatives.


Negatives, or eccentrics, involve increasing your time under tension by using a variation of the exercise that gradually takes you down to the most difficult position. For example, a front lever negative would be lowering yourself slowly from a vertical position to horizontal, while a planche negative would involve lowering from a handstand down into the planche position. This way, even if you can only hold the full position for two seconds, doing negatives can easily get you up to 6–8 seconds of time under tension.

Artificially increase the time using easier variations.


Another option is to slightly reduce the difficulty of the exercise by modifying your technique. Specifically, bending your elbows a bit (or even a lot, depending on the case) is an excellent way to make exercises like the planche or front lever easier. With this variation, even though the technical difficulty is reduced, your muscles are still working hard. This can help you go from barely holding one or two seconds to longer sets, allowing you to accumulate a good amount of volume each week. As an extra tip, I recommend combining this method with the previous one by doing negatives with your elbows bent to maximize your time under tension.

Increase the time by using earlier progressions.


This is probably the most common method, and I especially recommend it when your muscles and connective tissue aren’t ready yet for a more advanced progression. If you feel like you’re pushing your body too far or you feel discomfort in the position (for example, in your wrists, elbows, or shoulders when trying a straddle planche), drop down to an earlier progression like the advanced tucked planche. Spend time holding that position and, after a while, try the more advanced version again. If you feel more comfortable, you can then start applying the previous methods like negatives or easier variations with bent elbows.

Another pretty common option is using resistance bands to make the exercises easier by reducing the amount of body weight you have to support.

I know some people love this option and even get good results with it. So, if you’re really into it, go ahead.

However, personally, I’m not too convinced by this method. The band changes the way your body weight is distributed, which could actually make things harder when you try the exercise without the band later on.

Plus, there’s often an ego factor involved—many people prefer to use the band to feel like they’re already doing a more advanced progression (like jumping straight into a full front lever) rather than patiently working on an earlier progression without the band (like an advanced tucked front lever).

My recommendation is to prioritize methods that don’t involve bands, unless you really enjoy using them and want to include them in your training.

In the end, increasing your hold time in static exercises comes down to adapting the method to your current level of control over the exercise. If you can hold the position for several seconds comfortably, just focus on accumulating weekly volume. But if you’re close to your limit, use techniques like negatives, easier variations with bent elbows, or drop back temporarily to an earlier progression. While resistance bands can help, I recommend prioritizing band-free methods to achieve solid, sustainable results in the long run.

If you need training programs for static exercises, in Calisteniapp we’ve got programs for front lever, planche, back lever, human flag, handstand, and much more. 

Unlock Longer Hold Times in Your Calisthenics Statics

Hyrox is a hybrid competition that combines running with functional exercises like wall balls, burpees, sled push and pull, and rowing. Calisthenics—bodyweight training—can be a perfect complement to your Hyrox prep, helping you boost your strength, endurance, and overall performance.

When you're just getting started with Hyrox training, the priority is building a solid base of strength and muscular endurance. Basic calisthenics will help you master fundamental movements that are key in the competition.

Pair that with light running sessions (3–5 km) to build a strong base of strength-endurance, technique, and general conditioning.

One of the key differentiators in Hyrox is grip strength—and calisthenics lets you train it in a very direct and effective way.

Try incorporating variations of dead hangs:

: Just hang from a bar with both hands for time.

: This involves flexing the wrist so it sits higher on the bar, which increases forearm engagement significantly.

: Hang from one arm for a set time, then switch. The resting arm gets a break while you hang with the other.

: Hang from one arm without switching—tough but excellent for building serious grip endurance.

Build a routine around these variations and aim to increase your times over the weeks. That’ll ensure your grip strength is well-developed.

And remember, all pulling exercises also engage your grip indirectly, so they’re a great complement to your grip-specific work.

Besides grip strength, there are other crucial physical qualities you'll want to develop to perform at your best in Hyrox. Focusing on these areas will round out your preparation:

: Intense intervals with jumping jacks or fast-paced burpees.

: Dynamic stretches and joint mobility drills.

Calisthenics Adaptations for Hyrox Events

Every Hyrox event has specific movement demands. You can tailor your calisthenics to mimic those patterns, helping you build neuromuscular familiarity with the actions you’ll face on competition day.

: Combine lower body work with push and pull drills—for example, burpees with double lunges and squats, or burpees followed by pull-ups.

: Walking lunges with a backpack or added weight.

: Pull-ups, inverted rows, and high-intensity cardio with mountain climbers or jumping jacks.

: Practice burpees with long jumps, focusing on covering a specific distance.

To sum it up, incorporating calisthenics into your Hyrox prep will help you build a solid foundation of strength, endurance, and mobility—all crucial for tackling the unique demands of the event. Start with basic exercises to condition your body, then progress into more intense and specific routines that simulate real Hyrox conditions.

Don’t forget to work on complementary aspects like muscular endurance, cardiovascular capacity, core stability, and joint mobility. If you follow these steps consistently and with a solid plan, you’ll show up at Hyrox physically prepared, resilient, and ready to crush it.

Here are three sample routines you can follow based on your level:

Calisthenics x Hyrox Intermediate Routine

Boost Your Hyrox Performance with Calisthenics (+ Routines)

Over the years, as I’ve shared content, coached people, and managed our app, there’s one question I’ve heard over and over again:
“Yerai, I’ve hit a plateau in my routine or program and I just can’t make any progress—what can I do?”

Interestingly, almost everyone who asks me this question is making the same exact mistake. The good news? It’s easy to fix, and I’m going to show you how.

When someone tells me they’re stuck at a certain number of reps or can’t get past a specific phase in their routine, the first thing I ask is:
“How long are you resting between sets and exercises?”

The answer is almost always the same: short breaks of 45 seconds, one minute, maybe a minute and a half at most. Some even admit they don’t really keep track and just rest “by feel.”

That’s where the main problem lies. In routines focused on strength, hypertrophy, or skill development—like muscle ups, handstand push-ups, planches, or front levers—short rest periods don’t allow for proper recovery between sets. This is especially true when you’re training near your limit.

If you truly want to build strength or muscle, you need to rest longer between sets.
My personal recommendation is to start with at least 2 minutes of rest between sets. If you still feel like you’re not fully recovered, don’t hesitate to stretch that to 2 and a half or even 3 minutes for hypertrophy routines. And when it comes to strength training or technical skills work, you can take up to 5 minutes between sets with no problem at all.

This gives your body the chance to fully recover so you can hit each set with maximum intensity—pushing past the limits that previously held you back.

Shorter rest periods—ranging from 20 seconds to about a minute and a half—can be effective in other types of routines:

, where the goal is to do as many reps as possible of one or more exercises in the shortest time.

, where you’re pushing your body to work at high intensity in a short period.

, though in these cases, you should be aware that it’s not ideal for breaking through a plateau.

You can also use short rests if the routine is fairly easy for your current level, or during the first few weeks of a new program while your body is still adjusting.

, which are more common in the gym than in calisthenics. For example, when working biceps and alternating arms, you can shorten rest periods because one arm is already recovering while the other is working.

Personally, I never go below 2 to 2 and a half minutes of rest. And when I’m doing especially tough routines—like advanced planche work or heavy weighted pull-ups—I don’t hesitate to rest for up to 5 minutes between sets. This approach helps me train at full intensity and continually break my own records.

I hope this helps you keep the right approach in mind and finally push past those frustrating plateaus.

If you’re looking for training programs to build muscle, get stronger, or improve a specific skill, check out the ones we offer on 

Rest Times in Calisthenics: How Long You Should Rest Based on Your Goals

Every now and then, I get questions about 

how to increase the number of reps in a specific exercise

people often suggest things like adding weight, doing slow tempo reps, adding complementary exercises, or strengthening the involved muscles.

While all of those might have some merit in certain contexts, 

none of them are actually the most effective way to get more reps

The best way to reach that goal doesn’t involve exotic or supplementary methods. 

It’s much simpler: increase your weekly volume of reps for that specific exercise.

So how do you actually go about doing that? There are several ways. Let’s look at some examples for someone who can currently do a maximum of 10 pull-ups and wants to increase that number:

. For instance, you might start with 3 sets of 8 reps, then do 4 sets of 6, and finish with 6 sets of 4. In a single session, that adds up to 13 sets and 70 total reps.

—something like 15 sets of 5 reps. That’s 75 total reps in one workout.

 (Every Minute on the Minute) with low reps, like 4 reps every minute for 20 minutes. That gives you 80 reps in just one session.

 works too. For example, a ladder from 10 to 1 gives you 55 total reps in a single workout.

, which is similar to a cluster set but spread throughout the day. This works well if you have a pull-up bar at home.

As you can see, all of these methods follow the 

same principle: increase the total volume of reps for your target exercise during each session, and by extension, across the week.

Now, what about exercises where you can only do a few reps?

If you're currently able to do between 1 and 5 reps, here’s what I recommend:

If you can do at least 3 reps: use the same methods I mentioned before—sets, clusters, EMOMs, or Grease the Groove—but stick to 1 or 2 reps per set.

If you can only do 1 or 2 reps: work on easier variations or progressions of the final exercise, still using the same methods. Once you can do at least 3 full reps of your goal exercise, you can move on to the next level.

What about all the other methods people suggest?

As for the other ideas I often hear, like adding weight, using tempo reps, or doing complementary exercises—they can work, but they’re not ideal.

Take weighted reps, for example. That approach is more about building strength than endurance. Sure, getting stronger can lead to a slight improvement in endurance, since the two qualities are connected. But it’s not the most efficient way to improve endurance. Doing high-volume reps of the target movement, without added weight, is a much better strategy for that.

, there’s an entire section dedicated to this topic. Just go to the "Workouts / Sessions / Endurance" section and you’ll find 

 that can help you out. If you’re a PRO user, we also offer full training programs like 

, with detailed weekly programming designed specifically to help you improve this ability. Go check it out!

Hope this clears things up and gives you something useful to apply in your own training.

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