What is Hyrox and Why is it Gaining Popularity?
Share
Hyrox is a fitness competition that combines running with eight functional exercises. The format is always the same: you run 1 km, then complete one exercise, and repeat this cycle eight times. The exercises include the ski ergometer, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. Weights and distances are adjusted depending on whether you are male or female and which competition division you enter. This consistency makes Hyrox different from CrossFit, where the workouts change often. Since the first Hyrox event in 2017, it has grown quickly, attracting tens of thousands of athletes worldwide.
How Demanding is a Hyrox Race?
A new scientific study looked at what happens in the body during a Hyrox race. Eleven recreational Hyrox athletes completed a simulated competition while researchers measured their heart rate, blood lactate (a marker of muscle fatigue), and perceived effort. On average, athletes took about 86 minutes to finish. Around 60% of the time was spent running, and 40% on the exercises. The exercises felt harder than the runs. Heart rate and lactate levels were higher during exercise stations, especially towards the end. The wall balls at the finish were the most exhausting part. The overall effort was rated as “hard” to “very hard,” meaning the competition challenges both your aerobic (endurance) and anaerobic (high-intensity) systems.
What Matters Most for Performance?
The study found that certain fitness qualities made a big difference in race times. The best performers had a higher VO2max (a measure of how much oxygen your body can use during exercise), did more endurance training each week, and had a lower body fat percentage. Interestingly, hand grip strength and muscle mass did not strongly influence overall performance. This suggests that, although you need enough strength to handle the weights, cardiovascular fitness and running ability are more important for success.
How Should You Train for Hyrox?
Because Hyrox is a mix of running and functional strength work, your training needs to cover both. However, the study suggests endurance training should be the priority. Here are some practical tips:
- Include regular running sessions at moderate intensity to build aerobic capacity.
- Add high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to improve your ability to work at high effort for short periods.
- Practice running after doing strength exercises to get used to the fatigue effect.
- Maintain basic strength training to ensure you can handle competition weights, but avoid excessive strength volume that might interfere with endurance progress.
- Use exercises like rowing, skiing, or cycling to add variety and reduce running injury risk.
Why Hyrox Can Benefit More Than Just Athletes
Hyrox training can also be useful for general health and fitness. It combines endurance and resistance work, helping you meet the World Health Organization’s physical activity guidelines. The variety of exercises keeps training engaging, which can improve motivation and long-term consistency. Because the format is predictable and scalable, it can be adapted for beginners, older adults, or people returning to fitness. In addition, the movements—pushing, pulling, carrying—are functional and can help with everyday activities.
Hyrox for Tactical and Occupational Fitness
The study’s authors also see potential for Hyrox-style training in tactical populations such as soldiers, firefighters, and police officers. These roles often require a mix of endurance, strength, and the ability to perform under fatigue while carrying or moving loads. Hyrox mimics these demands in a controlled and measurable way.
Key Takeaways
Hyrox is a unique fitness race that blends endurance and strength challenges. Research shows it pushes the body to work at hard to very hard intensities for over an hour, with the exercises being the most demanding segments. If you want to perform well, focus on improving your aerobic capacity, running efficiency, and ability to transition between different types of effort. At the same time, make sure you can handle the set weights and distances. Whether you are a competitor, a fitness enthusiast, or part of a physically demanding profession, Hyrox training can be an effective and motivating way to improve overall fitness.