You’ve heard about middle-aged, White, affluent men joining CrossFit gyms, buying padel rackets, and if you’re my age — 32 — you definitely know one person who just signed up for their first marathon despite actively hating running. Bonus points if you’re reeeeally, really deep down the rabbit hole, and know someone training for an Ironman (usually the same guy who signed up for the marathon).
But no. It doesn’t stop there.
Because a new (rock) star has entered the arena *drumroll*: HYROX.
Fitness for “hybrid rockstars”. (Did you cringe? I did!)
Now, don’t get me wrong. Combining endurance training with strength-based exercises is a pretty solid deal. Now, whether HYROX is as “hybrid” as it claims to be is a different discussion considering that most movements still sit very comfortably on the endurance side of the spectrum and only flirt with actual strength.
But let’s step back for a second. So far, we figured out that HYROX is some form of functional fitness regime. But some of you might still feel as if I am speaking Greek – wondering what in Zeus’ name HYROX even is supposed to be.
The short story: It’s a global fitness race born in Germany combining running with functional workout stations, like wallballs, lunges, sled pushes or rowing. Events take place all over the world, and usually indoors, and training for such events does not happen in HYROX-standalone gyms, but instead, it lives inside commercial gyms all over the world that offer HYROX-style workouts and brand-affiliated training sessions. Arguably, this makes it highly scalable and easy to integrate into existing fitness ecosystems.
Just a first-degree cousin – or a revolution?
While some still summarize HYROX as “CrossFit for people who suck at gymnastics and weightlifting”, others treat it like a revolution.
This revolution – Iclaim – can only be understood if one understands it’s enemy: the CrossFit ecosystem. Yes, I know. CrossFit and HYROX are not the same. But before you little rockstars get your torches and pitchforks out, let us be patient for a second. Because at first glance, CrossFit and HYROX do look familiar. Like a copy-paste scenario but half of the content went missing in the process. Your little first-degree cousin that you keep forgetting even exists unless they show up during the Christmas holidays.
Compared to CrossFit, you will not find any Olympic lifts at a HYROX event. Nor complex gymnastics. In fact, it’s completely void of movements that require years of skill acquisition. What’s left is something the vast majority of able-bodied people can realistically train for and become “good enough” at. That matters. Because if people feel like they could place well, they tend to stick around. We (as humans) are that simple.
And as such, there aresome key differences.
CrossFit has more movements and far more technically demanding ones — both in gymnastics and weightlifting. This is also exactly why many people will simply never be remotely competitive in CrossFit, no matter how motivated they are.
And then there is the anxiety of surprise with CrossFit competitions. But don’t worry…
HYROX, however, would never do you dirty because here everything is predictable. Same movements. Same order.Same distances or rep ranges. No surprises. In that sense, HYROX is the exact opposite of that box of chocolates Forrest Gump’s mama always talks about: because doing HYROX you know exactly what you will be getting every single event.
Removing surprises and keeping it boring simple, progress is incredibly easy to track. Beat your last time. Beat your friend’s time. Beat your time again. Add a buddy option and suddenly people can go through their midlife crises together.
What else would one want from life?
All jokes aside: HYROX is for pretty much everybody (and their mom. And her mom even). And honestly? That’s not a bad thing. Promoting movement and exercise is almost always better than not promoting it at all.
So why am I even talking about it?
Because things are getting… well, interesting. At least speaking for us who follow functional fitness news.
Going for Gold …at the Olympics 2032?
While CrossFit has long had the dream of becoming an Olympic sport (and probably never will be considering the way it is governed), it’s little first-degree cousin HYROX might break the cycle for functional fitness at last. Or will it?
In recent news, the Germanfounders seem positive and optimistic at least (as a German I can confirm that optimism is not one of our strengths – aggressively pushing for victory on the other hand…but let’s not go there…).
Their first success was HYROX’s recent adoption by the World Triathlon Association which at least raises some eyebrows. But does this strategic move make it more “official”? More legitimate? More Olympic?
Probably not. But the fact that these conversations are happening at all is worth paying attention to.
Which brings us to the big question:
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it… even a sport?
Honestly? HYROX sits in an awkward space between mass participation event and competitive sport. Like marathons, Ironman races, or long-distance ski races, it relies heavily on standardisation, repetition, and endurance. Something CrossFit has struggled with. The outcome is measurable, comparable, and rankings exist. But like CrossFit, HYROX still reads more like a brand than a sport.
The question is: does HYROX even need to answer that question to be successful?
Because maybe that’s the real genius of HYROX…
It doesn’t care what it is — as long as people keep signing up.
However, we (sports scientists and beyond), I argue, might need to ask it nonetheless — especially as governing bodies, sponsors, and institutions start treating it like something more than just another fitness trend.
Images:
Image 1: By HybridFitty – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145705193
Image 2: By HybridFitty – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145705189
