Is Hyrox The New CrossFit?

In the fitness world, it seems everyone is either running a marathon or deeply embedded in the Hyrox community: a high-intensity workout challenge that’s rivalling CrossFit. You may have spotted devotees on your social feeds, sweating it out on the ski erg, throwing a weighted ball around or dragging a sled along the ground in preparation for one of the competitions, which take place all over the world. Think you’ve got what it takes? Here’s everything you need to know about the notoriously hard functional fitness challenge.

Hyrox: The Cult Workout Taking Over The Fitness World

What Is Hyrox?

Hyrox is a fitness challenge founded in 2017 in Germany. Over the past few years, interest surrounding the competition has surged, and events now take place in 11 different countries around the world, with a particularly big following in London.

Hosted indoors in exhibition halls, races involve a combination of both running and functional exercises. Participants can compete individually, in pairs or as a relay in groups of four, with the ultimate goal of landing a spot on global leaderboards. 

Hyrox describes itself as ‘the ultimate showcase of functional fitness, putting all that work you do in the gym, at home or outdoors to the test’. Each race begins with a 1km run, followed by a circuit of exercises, which is repeated eight times. 

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The workout stations are:

• 1000m ski erg – when done efficiently, this killer machine works the full body: arms, shoulder, core and lower body
• 50m sled push – targets your lower body
• 50m sled pull – like the previous station, but backwards, so more work for the core and back
• 80m burpee broad jumps – think burpees, but with a big leap in between
• 1000m row – this marks the beginning of the second half of the race
• 200m farmers carry – walking with weights, engaging upper back muscles and core, with grip strength required
• 100m sandbag lunges – lunging with 10, 20 or 30kg on your back, targeting the thigh and glute muscles
• 75/100 wall balls – this involves squatting and throwing balls at the wall

How To Get Into Hyrox

Although the workout is undeniably gruelling, it was designed to be open to all, no matter what your fitness level is. The exercises are based on natural human movements, like lunging and squatting, but combined they provide a challenge that anyone can work towards. To get involved, start by finding a Hyrox class at a partner gym, such as Third Space, Gymbox, Fitness First, or The Gym Group. There you can learn the ropes, and perhaps find a partner or team to compete with in an upcoming race.

What Are The Benefits Of Hyrox?

Because Hyrox is based around functional exercises, it’s designed to help you feel stronger in everyday life. It also combines cardio and resistance training, providing a well-rounded, full-body workout that benefits both heart health and muscular strength, plus there’s an endurance element. There are also clear goals, meaning you have progressive milestones to work towards – and the community element encourages support and motivation.  

How To Sign Up

You can find upcoming races at hyrox.com