What Is Hyrox—And Why Is Everyone Doing One?

Hyrox is a globalized fitness phenomenon on the rise—chances are, at least one person in your life is currently training for one. There’s even a Hyrox dating app and a Hyrox cruise.

But what the heck does a Hyrox actually involve?

Simply put, it's just an 8K fitness race event, says Katharine Markhauser, co-owner of Chelsea Athletica, a Hyrox-affiliated gym in Chelsea, Que.

The "fitness race," however, does not play out like your average Sunday fun run.

The race is held indoors and incorporates running with strength and cardio challenges.

The Hyrox is broken up into eight parts or stages. Participants begin with a 1K run, then perform a set number or length of an intense strength-focused activity (think lunging while holding sandbags) or explosive cardiovascular activity (such as burpees and broad jumps). The formula—run 1K and perform a stage challenge—rinses and repeats eight times, and every race has an identical structure.

There’s no breaks and no rest periods. It’s like a high-intensity interval workout competition minus the rest.

“It’s a very taxing race,” says Markhauser. “Your heart rate is so high. It’s like a Zone 5 workout,” she says.

And the race isn’t short—it can take upwards of two hours to complete.

On the bright side, you can decide how you want to do the Hyrox. Aside from competing solo, you can also sign up as a relay team of four—with each teammate completing two 1-km runs and two strength stations—or with a partner (you both run, but you can divide and conquer the strength stations).

However you slice it, completing a Hyrox is an intense physical activity—so why on earth is it so popular? For starters, says Dermot Cleary, founder of Toronto's Smashbox Performance and Fitness, the city’s first Hyrox affiliate gym, the race—which was launched in Germany in 2017—has been masterfully marketed. According to Clearly and Markhauser, Hyrox is also incredibly fun to train for because it's such a social sport. (We'll take their word for it.)

Think of it like CrossFit—but different

Hyrox is often compared to CrossFit—an intense workout that includes strength training and cardio—and there are similarities.

“Hyrox is basically a long form CrossFit WOD [workout of the day] that can take between 90 minutes and two hours to complete," says Cleary.

He compares Hyrox to a triathlon or Spartan Race that plays out like a very long, very taxing CrossFit workout.

And if you don’t train for it, you’ll likely regret it. That’s where the Hyrox-affiliated gyms come in to help.

Both Markhauser and Cleary offer specific Hyrox training classes to help people master the movements performed during the race, like sled pulls and sandbag lunges, for example.

But the training should be more diverse if you want to be in the kind of shape the race demands.

Cleary says in addition to Hyrox classes, doing something like CrossFit is the best prep method for the event. And he recommends people give themselves at least three months of training in advance of race day to ensure they're up to the challenge.

Markhauser also stresses that it’s key to have a balance between traditional strength training and running in your training.  

“You have to work on your running,” she says.  

You'll also have to work on your explosive sign-up game, as securing a spot in one of the highly competitive races is one of Hyrox's greatest challenges.

“It’s extremely hard to get into the race,” says Markhauser. “People say it’s harder to get into a Hyrox than get Taylor Swift tickets.”