So, I Did HYROX: An Honest Review by a Diehard CrossFitter
When I first heard about HYROX, I wasn’t at all interested in trying.
Perhaps because it was mostly running, and, as most CrossFitters can attest, we don’t like going any further than a 400-meter loop.
But after some coaxing, I signed up (thankfully on a doubles team with a good friend of mine).
Before signing up, I interviewed aerobic capacity expert Chris Hinshaw and wrote a piece on how CrossFitters should train for a HYROX competition.
Did I follow the advice he gave?
- Not entirely, and I’m regretful of that decision.
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The Details
The event was the first HYROX race to be held right in the heart of New York City, and over 5,000 athletes competed.
The race has grown in popularity in the last couple of years and has become a highly accessible fitness event for all types of athletes.
- Please remember that this is a review of HYROX from a full-time CrossFitter, meaning I don’t really venture into any other fitness classes or run regularly outside of my training.
With that caveat out of the way, the following review is organized into three parts:
- What’s the hype all about?
- Is it anything like CrossFit?
- Is it worth it?
So, What’s the Draw?
I get it.
You show up, and it feels like a club: the music is blaring, people are running at all times, and the crowd is cheering.
- It has a very fun vibe. For CrossFitters, think something similar to TYR Wodapalooza. Even the spectators were into it.
The event was well run, and it seems that all those involved had their marching orders. That said, the set-up itself was a bit chaotic.
- In NYC at least, the vendors were in the middle of the arena, with each station taking up most of the general area. Athletes were split up into different heats, which ran the entire day from morning through to the evening.
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Athletes begin in a chute, lined up alongside other competitors. An emcee/HYROX leader amps up the competitors and briefs them on the lay of the land roughly five minutes before the heat’s scheduled start time.
The clock ticks down, and boom, they’re off.
- It’s crowded. Even with the staggered heat times, you’ll find yourself slowing down behind a doubles team or having to do some bob-and-weave maneuvers to get around the other athletes.
- Energy is high. Fans cheer you on at all points of the race, which is different from a CrossFit competition, where fans may congregate near the end of the finish line or in one section of an arena. The energy was very high, and it definitely felt like you were all in it together.
CrossFit and HYROX
From my perspective, these sports are not the same. And don’t let people tell you they are.
Both have very different training modalities and can both play a beneficial role for one another. But if you solely train CrossFit and do not run, chances are you won’t do well in HYROX and vice versa.
Christian Toetzke, founder and CEO of HYROX, reiterates that CrossFit and HYROX have a positive relationship, and both sports aim to get as many people involved in fitness as possible.
- “Clearly, we index higher on running in HYROX training — it’s half of the event, and that is a really clear conscious choice. Running is the most fundamental movement on earth, and it’s by a long way the most popular form of training and competition so it makes a lot of sense to base a sport and training around it,” Toetzke told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
- The two sports can’t be compared one-to-one, Toetzke adds. With the simplicity of movements and the running foundation, “we seem to have hit the sweet spot among these groups.”
Is It Worth It?
My short answer is yes. The lead-up to the event and the excitement of the actual race made it all worth it.
As CrossFitters, we like to test our mental strength and our ability to push through hard workouts.
HYROX was no different. It’s a much longer training modality than we’re used to, but I felt the same mental blocks and had to find ways to push through them.
- My number one tip coming out of this race is to RUN. And to run way more than you think you should. Skip the met-cons and get outside.
- Candidly, I continued my regular CrossFit training with maybe one extra run a week. In an ideal world, I would have added speed work one day and longer run intervals another day.
The Bottom Line
HYROX is a race for everyone and I find that to be a big draw.
As a coach and as an athlete, it feels like a sport that is attainable and approachable, which Toetzke said is the goal of the race.
- “Its key differentiating factor is that anybody can participate and level up their fitness,” he said. “The goal is to create an empowering, inclusive community of gym goers that transform the world of fitness racing.”
I honestly had an amazing HYROX experience and I came out of it a stronger athlete.
Even though I didn’t train for the runs, it tested my aerobic capacity and my ability to push past the pain threshold (even when I don’t want to).
While the two sports live in separate lanes, it doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t intermingle.
Author’s Note: A special shout out to my partner Tess for carrying our team. Love you, bud!
Featured image: HYROX