Accessibility

Hyrox is an extremely challenging yet extremely accessible sport. This is a very potent mix. If we compare it to CrossFit, it is so much simpler. It can take years before someone can do their first CrossFit competition with competency, but most people who have a general base of health are able to prepare for a Hyrox race in a few months. This is because the movements lack complexity, so even if someone lacks strength or cardiovascular capabilities, they are still able to perform all the exercises. CrossFit, on the other hand, has so many complex movements that need to be mastered before doing a competition.

Hyrox is far more accessible for Masters athletes than other hybrid sports such as CrossFit. Masters in CrossFit often lack the mobility required to perform the movements with precision, making it a very challenging endeavour, often with a very high start-up cost in terms of time and effort. Hyrox, however, doesn’t require this high start-up cost as the movements require much less mobility and technique.

Variety

Hyrox is an enjoyable sport in the sense that it requires a variety of physical characteristics. In order to be able to perform a Hyrox race, you will need to have both strength and cardiovascular capabilities. This means that a week of training for a Hyrox event can be varied and fun, in that it will involve a strength training session, a high-intensity interval training session, and a long-distance endurance outing. When training is fun and enjoyable, people tend to be much more consistent, which in turn makes more people interested.

Running Popularity

The popularity of Hyrox also coincides with the popularity of running. Running events such as marathons and half-marathons have been exploding in popularity over the past 5 years. This means all these individuals who are interested in running will want to test out the Hyrox race. The rise in the number of running clubs is another reason and reflection of how much running has increased in popularity. Not only do run clubs help you improve your cardiovascular health but they also offer a great source of community.

Runners can add a lot of variety into their annual diary through adding a Hyrox into their schedule once a year. It is also great for runners’ long- and short-term health to be lifting weights in order to prepare for a Hyrox.

Social Media

In the age of social media, events like Hyrox have the opportunity to get almost every individual to post about their performance. Hyrox has done this extremely well—the end of the race is done so that everyone can make their social post and discuss their experience. This has caused it to become more and more popular, as everyone who competes in it is very likely to post about it on social media. This is less true for other sporting events.

Measurable Progress

The amazing thing about Hyrox is that it can truly be about beating yourself year upon year. Just like in running or testing our max lifts, we test ourselves against our previous performances. This can be an extremely motivating factor when trying to stay very consistent with your training regime. If every year you manage to take a couple of minutes off your Hyrox time, you can be sure that your physical health is generally moving in the right direction.

For example, many amateur competitors aim to improve their time by 2 to 3 minutes each year or hit personal benchmarks in certain workout stations. These tangible goals make training purposeful and allow athletes to see real improvement. It also allows people to pinpoint specific weaknesses and see if their training interventions are successful.

The End of CrossFit?

CrossFit has dominated the “functional fitness” space for the past 10–15 years. However, its popularity is slowly decreasing. The CrossFit gyms that have been running for years will most likely always have their loyal members, but the growth rate of new gyms has decreased, especially since COVID, when CrossFit gyms all over the world took large hits.

Hyrox has filled this space and added a new lease of life to the functional fitness space. This is completely normal—activities can become “fashionable” at certain moments and fashions are always dynamic. This can be seen with the amount of Google searches for Hyrox in comparison to CrossFit. Hyrox now easily outperforms the once very popular CrossFit.

Luckily for CrossFit and CrossFit gyms, most people who want to train for a Hyrox will consider joining a CrossFit gym, as for the moment it tends to be CrossFit gyms that provide these styles of training sessions—meaning that over time, if trends continue, the majority of CrossFit gyms will provide some form of Hyrox training.

Give It A Try

Doing a Hyrox can be an excellent experience. It allows you to push yourself both physically and mentally, train regularly with friends, all while improving your physical health.