What Is Hyrox And Why Is It Becoming So Popular?

Whether you stumbled upon Hyrox through your favorite fitness influencer’s social media or overheard it being talked about at the gym, it seems like Hyrox is everywhere right now.

In this blog, we’ll dive into what Hyrox is, the benefits it offers, who it’s for, and what kind of training you should do if you’re planning to compete.

Founded in 2017, Hyrox is a global fitness race designed to challenge gym enthusiasts in new ways. The event combines functional strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and endurance training, testing overall fitness in a way that hasn't been done before.

Each year, Hyrox hosts events where athletes can compete in this intense race. Initially held in Hamburg, the events have expanded globally, with the Hyrox Championships standing as the pinnacle of the competition. Only 2,000 athletes out of a massive 90,000 competitors qualify to represent their country at the championships. The event spans two days, featuring the most competitive races, guest speakers, entertainment, and even a Hyrox party to wrap things up.

While only a select few can make it to the Hyrox Championships, the race itself is open to almost anyone. Hyrox prides itself on being accessible to all, with the slogan "The Fitness Competition for Every Body," highlighting that athletes of all fitness levels are welcome. The race is definitely challenging, but with the right training, it’s totally doable and a fantastic way to push yourself to the next level.

If you're thinking about taking part in a Hyrox event, it's important to understand what this strength and endurance indoor race is all about.

The format for every Hyrox event is the same, consisting of eight rounds. Each round includes a 1km run followed by a different functional exercise:

• SkiErg
• Sled Push
• Sled Pull
• Burpee Broad Jumps
• Rowing
• Farmer's Carry
• Sandbag Lunges
• Wall Balls

This combination of running and functional movements will challenge both your endurance and strength, pushing you to your limits!

From the outside, Hyrox and CrossFit might seem pretty similar—they both involve high-intensity workouts and functional movements that provide a tough full-body challenge. But there are some key differences between the two, and many athletes choose to compete in both! You can read more about Hyrox vs. CrossFit here, but the main differences between these two events are:

The Competition: Hyrox races are the same everywhere you go. They feature the same running distance and exercises, in the same order, no matter the location. On the other hand, CrossFit competitions usually include a variety of workouts, and competitors don’t know what the specific events will be until right before the competition begins. Hyrox events tend to last around 60-90 minutes, which is longer than most CrossFit workouts.

Exercises: Hyrox exercises are chosen because they’re fairly straightforward and safe, making them accessible to the average gym-goer. CrossFit workouts, however, often involve more complex and advanced movements that take time and practice to perfect.

Running: Running is a major component of Hyrox—making up half of the event. This is something that’s not as common in CrossFit competitions. Running 8km throughout the race is no easy feat, and it can present a unique challenge for CrossFit athletes who may not be used to long-distance running.

While the race is definitely challenging and requires some training, Hyrox was designed with the average gym-goer in mind—and 91% of Hyrox athletes are members of a local gym.

To make the events accessible for everyone, Hyrox offers four different race divisions, ensuring there’s a competition for all fitness levels.

Open: This is the standard Hyrox race, which is challenging but achievable for most gym-goers.

Individual Pro: For the more experienced Hyrox athlete, this division ups the difficulty by including heavier weights.

Doubles: Grab a partner and tackle the race together! You’ll complete the 1km runs as a team, but split the functional exercises.

Relay Teams: Split between four people, this race is perfect for gym buddies, corporate teams, or friends looking to compete together.

Hyrox races don’t have any time limits, and you don’t need any qualifications to participate. According to Hyrox, 98% of participants successfully complete the race.

While the race is doable for most, it still requires preparation and training to ensure you’re ready for each exercise. Even if you're not aiming for a personal best, we still recommend training for the event to help reduce your risk of injury!

Hyrox races test your strength, power, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness, and realistically, they require a solid level of training to complete. If you're wondering whether it's worth taking on, you'll be happy to know there are plenty of benefits, including:

Improved Athletic Performance: Training for Hyrox involves a mix of strength, endurance, and mobility, all of which can help boost your overall athletic performance, including improving your lifts in the gym.

Fat Loss: Hyrox training is intense, combining cardio, strength, and endurance. This type of training burns a lot of calories, which can help you stick to a calorie deficit and promote fat loss.

Better Everyday Movement: The strength, flexibility, and mobility gains from Hyrox training also improve your efficiency in everyday activities and help minimize the risk of injury.

A New Challenge: Hyrox is a fresh challenge that many gym-goers haven’t tried before. If you thrive when you have a specific goal to work toward, signing up for a Hyrox event can provide some great training variety and keep you motivated.

Social and Supportive: While training for Hyrox can be tough, the events themselves are incredibly rewarding and social. On race day, you'll be cheered on by spectators and compete alongside like-minded individuals with similar goals. Plus, you'll become part of the #HYSOCIETY, connecting with everyone involved in Hyrox—from athletes to judges!

Hyrox is a tough, endurance-based event, so it's crucial to incorporate the right training to minimize injury risk and maximize performance without burning out too quickly.

Practicing each functional exercise is key, but you'll also want to complement that with strength and endurance training that supports those main movements!

You can also get a Hyrox training plan here.

Running: Since running makes up 50% of Hyrox events, your training should include endurance running and cardio work. Keep in mind, you’ll be running in between other exercises, so along with longer runs and cardio sessions, it’s important to mix these into circuit training to practice switching between different types of exercise.

SkiErg: This exercise works your lats, triceps, pecs, obliques, abs, biceps, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Full-body exercises like push-ups, deadlifts, and pull-ups are great ways to prep for the SkiErg.

Sled Push: This targets the quads, glutes, hamstrings, pecs, deltoids, and triceps. For this, focus on lower body and push exercises, like bench press, lateral raises, leg extensions, and reverse lunges.

Sled Pull: It works the quads, hamstrings, lower back, biceps, traps, and lats. Incorporate lower body and pull exercises like bent-over rows, lat pulldowns, good mornings, and deadlifts.

Burpee Broad Jumps: These hit the quads, hamstrings, glutes, deltoids, lats, and traps. They require a lot of power and work the whole body, so add exercises like box jumps, hip thrusts, lunges, shoulder presses, and lat pulldowns into your training.

Rowing: Targets the quads, hamstrings, lats, and rhomboids. Make sure to include leg and back exercises like leg presses and barbell rows. Also, practicing your rowing technique on the rowing machine will be super beneficial!

Farmers Carry: Focuses on the obliques, abs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, traps, and grip strength. Try exercises like pallof press, crunches, bicep curls, face pulls, and tricep extensions.

Sandbag Lunges: Works the glutes, quads, calves, and hamstrings. Add unilateral lower body movements like walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and reverse lunges into your routine.

Wall Balls: These challenge the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and deltoids. Exercises like squats and military press will help prepare you for wall balls.

Mastering your form in these exercises is essential to make sure you’re meeting the movement standards and avoid being penalized on race day.

If Hyrox sounds like something you'd like to try, but you're not sure you’re ready to commit to an event yet, why not start practicing these exercises at one of our Pure Fitness gyms? We have everything you need to get started in our functional training areas.