Hyrox Essential Gear List

Name: Hyrox Training Logbook
Brand: Kitaborn
Price: 12.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Brick Method Press

Most “Hyrox gear lists” online are affiliate-stuffed brochures listing 40 items you don’t need. This isn’t that. This is the actual minimum gear that makes a difference, the optional gear worth the money, and the stuff to skip entirely.

Free printable version: scroll to the bottom for a downloadable race-day checklist you can print and pack with your kit.

The four tiers

Gear in this list is split into:

🟢 Essential - you cannot race or train Hyrox well without these
🟡 Strong upgrade - meaningful difference; worth buying once you’ve trained 4+ weeks
🔵 Optional / nice-to-have - depends on your specific weakness or context
🔴 Skip - things athletes buy thinking they’ll matter but don’t

🟢 Essential gear

Shoes (1 pair)

You only need one pair of Hyrox-credible shoes. They handle sled push, runs, lunges, wall balls. See our full shoe review.

Top pick for most: Reebok Nano X4 (~$150).

Compression shorts (2+ pairs)

Sandbag lunges = 100 unilateral reps with weight on shoulders. Without compression shorts, the chafe is unbelievable. Two pairs minimum (one fresh per training day; rotate).

Brand-agnostic - any quality compression shorts work. Avoid cotton.

Lightweight technical singlet or shirt (2+ pieces)

Wicking, lightweight, race-cut. Cotton dies in this sport - wet cotton + sled push sweat + 60 minutes = misery. Skip it entirely.

Water bottle with electrolytes

You’ll be sweating heavily. LMNT is the most popular electrolyte brand among Hyrox athletes - high sodium, no sugar. ~$1–2 per packet.

Heart rate monitor

Hyrox is paced by feel, but your HR data tells you when you’ve gone out too hard (mid-runs HR spike) and when you can push harder. Any reliable strap works:

Polar H10 - gold standard, accurate, $90
Garmin HRM-Pro - best for Garmin watches

A Hyrox training logbook

Don’t train Hyrox without logging. The volume + intensity demands force you to track what works week-over-week or you’ll plateau. Most athletes use either:

A physical logbook like the Kitaborn Hyrox Training Logbook - written, weekly review pages, station PR pages
A spreadsheet (works, but reviewing requires opening 10 tabs)
A training app (Train Heroic, etc.) - works for programmed athletes; weak for free-form Hyrox prep

🟡 Strong upgrade gear

Weighted vest (10–20lb)

Single highest-ROI training tool. Vested 5K runs do more for sled push endurance than another set of squats. See our weighted vest guide.

Top pick: 5.11 TacTec + 8.75lb plates (~$140 total).

Lifting gloves or palm grips

Hyrox station 6 (farmer’s carry) + station 8 (wall balls) destroy soft hands. By station 8 you’ll be fighting a no-rep just to grip the medicine ball. Grips solve this.

Bear KompleX 3-hole grips (~$25) - most popular
Rogue lifting gloves if you prefer full-coverage

Quality grip socks

Three reasons:

Sled scrape - sliding low calves on rubber matting tears skin without high-cuff socks
Shoe slippage - moisture in shoes loosens fit; grippy socks lock the foot
Recovery - compression socks help post-race calves

Brand-agnostic. Look for high-cuff (mid-calf) with grip dots on the sole.

Sandbag (training)

If you train at home, get a Hyrox-spec sandbag. The lunge-station sandbag is a specific shape (long, with handles) - not the same as a pure rucking sandbag.

Goruck Sandbag (50lb) - heaviest commitment
Rep Fitness sandbag - better entry price
See our sandbag guide

Foam roller + mobility tools

Unsexy but essential for recovery. Hyrox training accumulates fatigue fast. Cheap roller + lacrosse ball = enough for most athletes (~$40 combined).

A pre-workout that won’t wreck you

Skip the high-stim brands. Long-effort sports like Hyrox punish heart-rate-spike pre-workouts.

Legion Pulse - moderate caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline
Or: just black coffee ~30 min pre-session, plus electrolytes

🔵 Optional / nice-to-have

GPS watch

Useful but not essential - your phone or a basic chrono works. If buying:

Garmin Forerunner 265 - best Hyrox-friendly mid-range; HR + custom workout support
Apple Watch Ultra 2 - if already in Apple ecosystem

Knee sleeves (5–7mm)

Helpful for athletes with cranky knees during sled push or wall balls. Most athletes don’t need them.

Recovery boots / pneumatic compression

Nice if budget exists. Normatec or Rapid Reboot. ~$700 - expensive but useful for athletes training 5x/wk.

Mouth guard

Some athletes wear during heavy sled push. Not standard. Try if you’re prone to tooth-clenching during max effort.

Race-day tape (KT tape, leukotape)

For specific known weak spots (existing knee tape strategy, blister prevention on toes during long runs).

🔴 Skip these

Compression sleeves (full leg) - solve a problem most Hyrox athletes don’t have. Skip.
Olympic lifting shoes - hi-top weightlifters are death on the run portions.
Sled push gloves - your hands don’t grip the sled like a barbell. Don’t waste $40.
Belt squat machines / specialty Hyrox gym equipment for home - overkill. A regular gym + sandbag does it.
Hyrox-branded apparel from third-party sellers - $80 for a logo. Skip unless you genuinely want the brand affiliation.
CBD recovery products - minimal evidence base for Hyrox-specific recovery. Sleep + protein > $50/mo on CBD.
Pre-race carb loading powder - for an event under 90 min, normal high-carb meals 24hr out cover you. No special powder needed.
Anti-chafe creams - compression shorts solve it cheaper.

Race-day kit checklist (printable)

Pack these in your bag the night before:

TO WEAR / CARRY TO VENUE:
☐ Race-day shoes (broken in, NOT new)
☐ Compression shorts
☐ Race singlet/shirt (lightweight, wicking)
☐ Grip socks
☐ Lifting gloves / grips
☐ Heart-rate strap (paired to watch)
☐ Watch (charged the night before)
☐ Race bib confirmation

WARM-UP BAG (carried into venue):
☐ Foam roller or lacrosse ball
☐ Resistance band
☐ Jump rope
☐ Light layer
☐ Water bottle + 1 electrolyte packet

BAG-CHECK BAG (FOR AFTER):
☐ Change of clothes (incl. socks!)
☐ Dry shoes
☐ Towel
☐ Post-race fuel: banana, recovery drink
☐ Phone, wallet, ID
☐ Warm layer (cold-weather races)
☐ Hand-warmers (winter races)
☐ Iced beverage in cooler bag (humid races)

DON'T BRING:
☐ New shoes
☐ New singlet
☐ Anything you haven't trained in

Want a full printable version? The Hyrox Training Logbook includes this checklist plus a complete race-day checklist on perforated pages, designed to slip into a gym bag.

What to do this week

Audit your gear against the 🟢 essentials list
Order missing essentials now (2-week shoe break-in is real)
Skip the 🔴 list even when influencers push it
Add 🟡 upgrades incrementally - one piece per training month, not all at once

Part of the Kitaborn Hyrox series. Books born with purpose.