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ATHX 2027 Workouts: Everything You Need to Know

Katie McGonigleKatie McGonigle |

ATHX is back for 2027 with a fresh set of workouts built to test strength, endurance and functional fitness under pressure. Athletes will face new lifting windows, a run-to-ski endurance test and a demanding MetCon X featuring dumbbells, sandbags, bench work, burpees and rowing.

As the official equipment partner of ATHX, BLK BOX provides the high-performance equipment athletes rely on across every zone. From rigs and barbells to dumbbells, sandbags, soft benches and conditioning machines, the 2027 workouts demand equipment that can stand up to competition-level intensity.

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The ATHX Format for 2027

The signature ATHX format returns, taking athletes through a multi-zone test of strength, stamina and resilience. Three scored zones sit at the heart of the competition:

  • Strength - 20 minutes

  • Endurance - 24 minutes

  • MetCon X - 25 minutes

The movements and scoring vary between Pairs and Individual competition, with additional standards for Lite, ATHX and Pro categories.

The 2027 Workouts

Strength Zone

The 2027 Strength Zone tests overhead power, squat strength and pulling capacity. Every category will complete three components, with the combined result determining the final score.

0-5 minutes: 1RM Shoulder to Overhead

5-10 minutes: 2RM Back Squat

10-20 minutes: 3RM Deadlift (Pairs) / 10-15 Minutes: 3RM Deadlift (Individual)

The shorter lifting windows will reward athletes who can make smart load selections and execute cleanly under pressure. A reliable rack, competition-ready barbell and quality bumper plates will be essential for recreating the demands of this zone in training.

Endurance Zone

The 2027 Endurance Zone replaces the run-and-row format with a simple but unforgiving run-to-ski test. Athletes must complete a set run before using the remaining time to accumulate as much distance as possible on the SkiErg.

Pairs - All Categories

24-minute time cap

The run distance is determined by category:

  • Lite: 2.4 km

  • ATHX: 3 km

  • Pro: 3 km

Both athletes begin the run at the same time. As soon as the first athlete completes the set distance, that athlete may begin skiing. The pair then works to build the greatest possible SkiErg distance before the time cap.

Score: Total distance achieved on the SkiErg.

Individual - All Categories

24-minute time cap

  • ATHX: 3 km run

  • Pro: 3 km run

  • Max-distance SkiErg in the remaining time

Once the athlete completes the run, they move directly to the SkiErg and accumulate as much distance as possible before the 24-minute cap.

Score: Total distance achieved on the SkiErg.

Pacing will be decisive. Push the run too hard and athletes risk losing output on the machine; hold too much back and they sacrifice valuable skiing time. Training should combine controlled running efforts with immediate transitions to sustained SkiErg work.

MetCon X Zone

MetCon X brings the 2027 competition to a brutal finish. Athletes move through rowing, dumbbell ground-to-overhead, dumbbell bench press, sandbag squats, a sandbag carry and burpees over a soft bench before returning to the rower.

Pairs

25-minute time cap

ATHX

  1. Calorie row - Men: 60 / Women: 45 / Mixed: 60

  2. 45 dumbbell ground-to-overhead - Men: 20 kg / Women: 12.5 kg

  3. 60 dumbbell bench press - Men: 20 kg / Women: 12.5 kg

  4. 45 sandbag squats - Men: 50 kg / Women: 30 kg

  5. 60 m sandbag carry - Men: 50 kg / Women: 30 kg

  6. 45 burpees over a soft bench

  7. Calorie row - Men: 60 / Women: 45 / Mixed: 60

Lite

  1. Calorie row - Men: 40 / Women: 30 / Mixed: 40

  2. 30 dumbbell ground-to-overhead - Men: 15 kg / Women: 7.5 kg

  3. 30 dumbbell bench press - Men: 15 kg / Women: 7.5 kg

  4. 30 sandbag squats - Men: 30 kg / Women: 20 kg

  5. 60 m sandbag carry - Men: 30 kg / Women: 20 kg

  6. 30 burpees over a soft bench

  7. Calorie row - Men: 40 / Women: 30 / Mixed: 40

Pro

  1. Calorie row - Men: 60 / Women: 45 / Mixed: 60

  2. 45 dual-dumbbell ground-to-overhead - Men: 22.5 kg / Women: 15 kg

  3. 60 dumbbell bench press - Men: 22.5 kg / Women: 15 kg

  4. 45 sandbag squats - Men: 70 kg / Women: 50 kg

  5. 60 m sandbag carry - Men: 70 kg / Women: 50 kg

  6. 45 burpees over a soft bench

  7. Calorie row - Men: 60 / Women: 45 / Mixed: 60

Score: Time taken to complete the workout.

Individual

25-minute time cap

ATHX

  1. Calorie row - Men: 45 / Women: 35

  2. 30 dumbbell ground-to-overhead - Men: 20 kg / Women: 12.5 kg

  3. 30 dumbbell bench press - Men: 20 kg / Women: 12.5 kg

  4. 30 sandbag squats - Men: 50 kg / Women: 30 kg

  5. 30 m sandbag carry - Men: 50 kg / Women: 30 kg

  6. 30 burpees over a soft bench

  7. Calorie row - Men: 45 / Women: 35

Pro

  1. Calorie row - Men: 45 / Women: 35

  2. 30 dual-dumbbell ground-to-overhead - Men: 22.5 kg / Women: 15 kg

  3. 30 dumbbell bench press - Men: 22.5 kg / Women: 15 kg

  4. 30 sandbag squats - Men: 70 kg / Women: 50 kg

  5. 30 m sandbag carry - Men: 70 kg / Women: 50 kg

  6. 30 burpees over a soft bench

  7. Calorie row - Men: 45 / Women: 35

Score: Time taken to complete the workout.

Why the 2027 Workouts Matter

The new workouts demand more than specialist strength or a big aerobic engine. Athletes need the composure to hit heavy lifts inside tight windows, the discipline to pace a run without compromising their SkiErg output and the muscular endurance to keep moving through a long, loaded MetCon.

The shoulder-to-overhead introduces a more dynamic test of upper-body power than a strict press. The endurance workout makes every second of the opening run count. In MetCon X, the addition of dumbbell bench press and sandbag squats places a new premium on upper-body stamina, trunk control and the ability to work under accumulating fatigue.

For coaches and gym owners, preparation should balance heavy barbell work with running, SkiErg intervals, loaded carries and high-volume functional movements.

Train Like You’ll Compete

To prepare for ATHX 2027, athletes should build their training around the equipment and movement patterns they will face on competition day:

  • Rigs and racks for squats and shoulder-to-overhead work

  • Barbells and plates for timed max-effort lifting

  • SkiErgs and rowers for race-specific conditioning

  • Hex dumbbells for ground-to-overhead and bench press

  • Strongman sandbags for squats and loaded carries

  • Soft benches for dumbbell pressing and burpee-over-bench practice

Practise transitions as seriously as the movements themselves. In every zone, the clock keeps running, and efficient equipment changes can be the difference between a good performance and a great one.

The Road Ahead

ATHX 2027 is a complete test of strength, speed, stamina and resilience. With new challenges across all three scored zones, athletes will need to be powerful under the bar, precise in their pacing and relentless when the workout gets uncomfortable.

BLK BOX is proud to support the ATHX arena with world-class equipment built for the demands of competition.

Ready to take on the challenge?

Better Starts Here. 2027 Starts Now.