A background on Hyrox
We’re all familiar with fitness races that have been in the game for a while: those such as Ironman, or obstacle course races such as Spartan. But have you ever heard of Hyrox? If you haven’t yet, this blog will tell you everything you need to know about it, and information about why and how to turn your studio or gym into the hottest new Hyrox training location.
What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is arguably one of the most popular fitness races on the rise in the world today. The race is still fairly new in the fitness world — started in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany by Christian Toetzke and 3X Olympic Medallist and World Champion Moritz Furste. The race is described as a “mass participation” race, in that thousands of participants can participate at once.
The race, at its basis, consists of an 8km run with intermittent functional workouts after every 1km. Hyrox is a race that while doesn’t require any prior qualifications, is more successfully and safely completed with training beforehand. Like any fitness race, this training can take place in a variety of locations, including in a personal home environment, with a personal trainer, or in a fitness studio which is registered as an Official Hyrox Training Club.
Where can I find Hyrox?
Hyrox is growing rapidly all over the world, and is no longer limited to Germany where it started, let alone Europe. Lovers of the sport can now find race events in cities like Singapore, Sydney, Acapulco, Dallas, and Paris. The race usually takes place indoors in large convention halls, so is suited to take place anywhere no matter the weather.
Hyrox training centres, reflecting its worldwide presence, can also be found everywhere — there are over 4,000 of them. If you live in a big city, chances are there is already a studio that is Hyrox affiliated nearby. You can search for it here on the official Hyrox website.
Race style & details
As mentioned earlier, the whole race includes 8km of running, but it is broken up after each single km with a functional workout station where the participant must complete the specific workout. In order of which they take place, these include:
- 1000m SkiErg: This machine developed for ski training works by the user pulling down on overhead handles which resist as you pull down.
- 50m Sled Push: This time focusing on the leg muscles, a weighted sled is pushed forward as quickly and steadily as possible
- 50m Sled Pull: Similar to the sled push but the inverse, it used a whole different group of muscles
- 80m Burpee Broad Jump: The infamous burpees, but dare we say even harder?! Take your regular burpees and add forward movement within every jump.
- 1000m Row: At the halfway point of the race, some classic seating rowing comes in.
- 200m Farmers Carry: This one looks easy, but gets harder with every step as the weights in your hands feel heavier and heavier.
- 100m sandbag lunges: Getting the thigh and glute muscles working to the max to lift up and down a sandback perched upon your back.
- 100m Wall Balls: As the final station, participants throw a weighted ball against an elevated flat target, returning back as heavy as ever!
The whole race is generally completed in 1-2 hours. After the wall balls, the competitor is then done and has successfully completed the event, time for celebration!
Who is getting into the sport?
Hyrox may seem like an intense sport and race, and perhaps it is, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a race for everyone, there are even races set-up for kids! All it takes is some discipline and the desire to get into the sport.
Fitness enthusiasts at every level are trying Hyrox. This includes a person who may only frequent a workout class a few times a month, to pro athletes. As the competition gets more widely known, it offers more competition for highly competitive athletes that compete at world championship events where the best Hyrox athletes convene to battle it out.
The race can be completed as singles, doubles, or in a relay format for both men and women.
Why adding Hyrox is a good idea for your fitness studio
In order for fitness studios to thrive, they need to serve the interests of the ever-changing fitness community, and offer classes and activities that appeal to them. Read on to see the perks of becoming an affiliated Hyrox training club.
Be part of a global fitness movement
It’s clear that Hyrox has become a huge sport in the past few years, and has no sign of slowing down. With over 4,000 Hyrox centres and races in 11 countries, hopping on the craze is not a bad idea. As more and more studios adapt Hyrox into their studios, it’s a good plan to be one of the first ones in your city, that way members will remember that yours has been doing Hyrox for a while and is the go-to studio for it.
Offer greater appeal and variety at your studio
Have you seemed to offer every class that you can think of and want to include a class that involves multiple activity types but can’t think of one? Hyrox could be the perfect option to add at your studio.
When customers see that you offer Hyrox training classes, they will be excited, and it can even push existing members to try a new sport. Hyrox training can be offered at all times as it is a great form of exercise, no need for a race coming up.
Find new types of customers + revenue
You may not think of people that like to partake in fitness races as those that can be found in boutique fitness studios, but they definitely are and can be! Everybody needs a place to train.
Perhaps you weren’t targeting this type of clientele previously, but with the addition of Hyrox at your studio, now you can. You can market the Hyrox name at your studio and leverage that to your advantage - people will recognise the name as it has a lot of notoriety and hype around it. Even if some customers don’t plan on doing a race, it’s a great dynamic-driven workout that can be done year-round. Some of these clients may have not signed up for a membership at your studio otherwise, but once they have, they’ll be even more likely to stick around for other classes.
Build a community
People signing up for the Hyrox training at your studio are all going with one goal in mind: participate in a Hyrox event. Chances are, the people in your training modules will all be attending the same scheduled race.
By all training together in an organised program, it creates a support sytem where every athlete can inspire and motivate one another.
What types of studios should consider it?
Any type of studio can become Hyrox affiliated, but of course it makes sense for those that have machines and a space that accommodates the exercises the race involves. Think rowing machines, sleds, dumbbells, medicine balls, etc. Fitness-based studios will be more suited to offer this kind of training as they would already have the teachers with expertise in the area.
Steps to become a Hyrox studio
Becoming a Hyrox affiliated training centre is actually quite easy! You can find all the steps and link to apply here on the official website, we will explain the steps listed there below.
- Create Your HYROX365 Account - Register to create your account portal
- Become a Hyrox training club - in the account, click “BECOME A HYROX TRAINING CLUB TODAY”
- E-sign the Online Affiliation Agreement- fill out the form, sign, and pay the yearly/monthly fees necessary
- Activate Your Account - click on “Activate your account” and fill in all your details to officially register
- Receive Your Welcome Email - this final email will get you set up and welcome you to the community!
After you have registered your studio, you will have access to the Hyrox 365 training plans, rights to use the brand logo, and name in your communication.
How bsport facilitates operations in Hyrox training
bsport supports studios that offer Hyrox training and the classes they offer. Many of our partners already offer Hyrox training classes at their studios. This includes Hustle Boxing Norwich, The Mad Studio, and Train Yard in the UK, who all partner with bsport to offer their specialised training classes.
Creating Hyrox specific classes
bsport allows studio owners to create the exact classes they’d like to offer based on activity type. As soon as the studio starts offering Hyrox, they can easily create the classes to be added onto the schedule per day and time. Members can then easily find the Hyrox-only classes by the smart filter by the activity type, which can be done on the website widget and branded app. Members can quickly see the classes they’re looking for and book from there.
Hosting Hyrox events
There is no better way to prepare your members for a Hyrox event than a simulation right in your studio! With bsport, you can plan events ahead of time that loyal members can book ahead of time, adding another level of depth to your Hyrox offerings.
Creating Hyrox special packs and offers
Studios can create special packs or to promote their Hyrox offerings, that are targeted for those classes only. Passes can be made with the certain number of classes you’d like, and be made compatible only for Hyrox sessions. That means you can market your Hyrox classes individually or even present special offers on them.
Hyrox is here to stay
As we have seen in this blog, Hyrox is an exhilarating new sport and race in the fitness world. The race, incorporating so many different activities and stations in one, works every part of the body and mind as enthusiasts race against the clock performing the best they can through the ups and downs.
Adding Hyrox training to your studio or even focusing its offerings on it brings an opportunity to embrace and attract a whole new type of client base, motivating existing members to stay and try something new, and build a new type of community.
