The eight stations.

• Reach tall, then hinge at the hips and crunch down so your bodyweight and legs drive the handles past your hips.
• Long, full strokes beat short, fast ones. Slow the recovery and stay controlled; do not bounce at the top.
• Exhale on the drive, inhale on the way back up.
• The damper is preset to 6 and you may change it. Train at 6 so race day feels the same.

Strategy. Hold one steady split from the first 250m, even or slightly negative. Your heart rate is already high from run 1. About 5 to 10 seconds per 500m slower than your 2k pace is right for most people.

Rules. Both feet stay on the SkiErg base the whole time; heels can hang over, but a foot on the floor is a warning, then 15 seconds. Raise an arm and wait for the judge before you leave.

• Body at about 45 degrees, a straight line from your heels to your shoulders, chest close to the sled.
• Elbows bent and rigid. The arms hold you to the sled; the legs move it. If your elbows collapse or your wrists break, the push leaks.
• Short, quick steps to get it moving, slightly longer once it rolls. Drive the ground back, keep your feet under you, finish each step with the hip.
• When you feel yourself rising as you tire, reset lower. That one habit is worth more than any strength work.
• Shoes that grip the turf matter. Test them on a sled in training, and lace a heel lock so your heel does not lift.

Strategy. Never let it stop; a moving sled is far cheaper than a restart. If you must rest, do it at the end of a length, not mid-lane. And do not race it: it is station two, there are six more, and a run follows.

Rules. Stay in your assigned lane. The whole sled must clear the 12.5m line before you turn it. First slip is a warning, then 15 seconds each.

• Hand over hand: stay hinged, short quick pulls, rope always tight. Fastest when the sled is light for you and you are fresh, and the hardest on grip and biceps. Most Open athletes use it for the first lane or two.
• Hinge pull: both hands on the rope, arms straight, sit back into a half squat, then drive the hips and lean away so your bodyweight drags the sled a meter or more. Re-grip, repeat. Fewer pulls, fewer grip resets, legs and glutes do the work. Best for moderate to heavy sleds and for anyone whose grip is the limiter.
• Walk-back: grab the rope at the front of your box, lean back with straight arms and walk backwards to the back of the box, then step forward and re-grip. Slowest per pull but the cheapest on grip and arms. The realistic way through a Pro sled, or an Open sled for a lighter athlete, and how most people finish lanes three and four.
• Whichever you use: rope tight the whole time, feet planted or moving inside the box, and pull from the hips and elbows, not the fingers. Wet hands are the enemy; gloves or the event chalk.

Strategy. Mix them. Hand over hand while fresh, then hinge pulls or walk-backs as the grip goes; if you are on a Pro sled or you are light for the Open sled, plan on hinge and walk-back from the start. A slow pull that never stops beats fast bursts with stalls, and the run to the other end is the only free break.

Rules. Standing only, no seated or kneeling pulls. Stay inside your box and off its lines while holding the rope. Sled fully over the 12.5m line before you turn. Warning, then 15 seconds a time.

Wet rope is what beats most people here, and it is the station the Stonegrip Glove was built around: a palm that holds the rope when your hands are soaked, so you pull from the hips instead of squeezing. The Stonegrip Glove →

• Drop, chest touches (nipple line on the floor), bring your feet up inside your hands, and jump forward from the bottom. Swing your arms for free distance.
• Both feet take off and land together, within 5cm of each other. No extra steps or shuffles.
• Consistent jumps of 1.5 to 2m. Fewer, longer reps: 40 reps over 80m beats 55.
• Your hands go down no more than 30cm ahead of your toes, and you can come up onto a knee.
• Breathe in on the burpee, out on the jump.

Strategy. One of the two biggest time sinks in the race, and it is not about strength. Steady, continuous reps. If you need a breath, take it at the bottom, not standing up.

Rules. Each section starts with hands behind the line and chest on the floor. Both feet fully cross the line at the end of each section; a foot on the finish line means one more rep. Warning, then 15 seconds.

• Drive: push with the legs, swing the body, finish with the arms. Recovery: arms away, body over, then bend the knees.
• The damper is preset to 6; most people row best between 4 and 6. Set it before you start and leave it.
• 24 to 30 strokes a minute. Long, powerful strokes at a lower rate cost less than short, fast ones.
• Footplates are preset to 4. Adjust before you start if you need to.

Strategy. Even split. Start a notch conservative for 200m, hold your goal split through the middle, and only lift the last 150m if you have it. The goal is not a fast row; it is a lower heart rate walking into the farmers carry.

Rules. Stay seated until the monitor reads 1000m and the judge confirms. You can stop and rest with the handle in the holder.

• Shoulders pulled back and down, chest up, core braced. When the upper back rounds, the swaying starts and the grip goes with it.
• Arms straight by your sides (that is the rule). Quick, short steps, almost a shuffle run.
• Grip the handle deep in the palm, not in the fingers.
• Check the athlete map: 200m may be more than one lap.

Strategy. The one station to go as fast as you can. Elite men are through it in under 1:30. If you must rest, set the bells down cleanly; they cannot move forward when you put them down.

Rules. Both bells carried the whole way, arms extended at your sides. Wrong weight means redoing the station. Return them to the box with the handles upright, or it is 30 seconds.

A tacky palm holds the handle with less squeeze, which is grip you keep for the wall balls. That is the whole idea behind the Stonegrip Glove. Whatever you wear, train the carry in it. The Stonegrip Glove →

• Sit the bag across the back of your shoulders, hands on the handles, elbows up and relaxed. Let the bag rest; do not fight it with your arms.
• Medium step, trailing knee straight under the hip, knee clearly touches, then drive up to full hip and knee extension. Alternate legs.
• You can stop with both feet together between reps. No steps or shuffles.
• Breathe out on the way up. If you need a pause, take it standing tall, still under the bag.

Strategy. A grind. Steady rhythm and no heroics: you still have to run a kilometer and throw 100 wall balls after this. The bag never leaves your shoulders.

Rules. Knee touches, stand tall, alternate legs, front foot fully over each line. The bag stays on both shoulders; resting it on anything is 15 seconds. Return it to the marked area or it is 30 seconds.

• Start standing tall with the ball in both hands. Full squat, hips below the knees, then drive up and throw. The ball has to hit your target.
• Catch it at chest height and let it take you straight into the next squat. If it hits the ground, you have to stand tall again before the next rep.
• Go a little deeper than you think. Tired legs make parallel feel lower than it is.
• Breathe in on the squat, out on the throw. No powdered chalk here; it is a 2-minute penalty.
• You may take your shoes off at your target. They go under the rig and you carry them to the finish.

Strategy. Planned sets with short rests: 10 sets of 10 with 8 to 10 seconds between, or 25-20-15-15-15-10. Rest with the ball at your feet, facing the target, three deep breaths, go again. Aim for the last 25 to be as quick as the first 25.

Rules. Below-parallel squat, both hands on the ball, ball strikes your target, stand tall before the next rep after a bounce. Anything else is a no-rep.

Chalk is banned here and the ball is slick by rep 30. A palm that grips the ball is the only help the rules allow, and the Stonegrip Glove is legal at every station. The Stonegrip Glove →