Is Hyrox the new CrossFit? Explaining the latest fitness craze.

It looks like a race, feels like a brutal group workout and keeps popping up all over social media. Hyrox is changing how people think about training, and who it’s for.

No, we're not talking about the cookie brand Hydrox, though you may want one after you complete one of these workouts. Hyrox is a fitness craze taking over gyms not only in the United States, but overseas. Sometimes compared to CrossFit, the viral competition and workout style marries endurance with functional exercise.

Created less than a decade ago, Hyrox has enjoyed a boom in recent years, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants to competitions in at least 11 different countries, according to the sport's official website.

Social media videos of muscled bodies jumping, sweating and running may give an intimidating first impression; however, Hyrox training is offered in divisions meant to appeal to most fitness levels, according to its founders.

What is Hyrox?

Hyrox is an indoor fitness race or competition that combines running with functional exercises. It adheres to an 8-8 format: 8 km of running alternating with 8 functional exercise stations.

Like other popular hybrid exercise styles, it focuses on cardiovascular, endurance and strength training. Workouts are divided into eight sections. A typical Hyrox training session may include stations for burpees, weighted sled pulling, rowing or kettlebell swings, each punctuated by a 1-kilometer (about 0.62-mile) run.

Now do that eight times in a row, and you've got a serious workout.

What are Hyrox competitions?

While Hyrox-style workouts have become increasingly popular at gyms, it's a sport and competition first and foremost.

Hyrox launched in Germany in 2017, according to its website. It was created by endurance pro Christian Toetzke and three-time Olympic field hockey medalist Moritz Fürste, who have branded it as a low-barrier sport that anyone can join.

The first Hyrox event took place in 2018, also in Germany, featuring 650 participants. Compare that to modern events that have seen up to 8,000 participants and 10,000 spectators at a time, according to its founders, and you can see how the fitness race has exploded over time.

Competitions have taken place in countries around the world, from the United States, Germany and France to Spain, Austria and the Netherlands. The number of Hyrox-affiliated gyms skyrocketed to 5,000 worldwide in 2024, representing 260% year-over-year growth, according to a Dec. 2024 Instagram post from the official Hyrox account.

To become affiliated, gyms must pay a yearly fee to register as one of three available tiers: Hyrox Performance Centers, Hyrox Training Clubs or Hyrox Performance Academy.

What does a Hyrox competition or workout entail?

While Hyrox-style workouts at your gym may vary, their format is consistent across competitions. Weights and repetitions vary by division, but the structure stays the same at events worldwide. Competitive Hyrox events adhere to the following format globally, according to the sport's website.

• 1 kilometer of SkiErg, a specialized machine meant to mimic the strength and endurance of Nordic skiing. This strongly engages the triceps, chest, abdominal muscles and back. 
• 50 meters of sled push, a classic exercise in which participants push a weighted piece of equipment, or "sled," a certain distance.
• 50 meters of sled pull. This exercise entails pulling a "sled," not pushing it.
• 80 meters of burpee broad jump, a familiar exercise dreaded by many. This type of burpee includes the jumping and squatting of the original, with a jump forward that covers a certain distance.
• 1 kilometer of rowing, another exercise that may be more familiar to gymgoers. Participants use a machine meant to simulate the motion and effort of rowing in a boat.
• 200 meters of kettlebell farmer carry, during which participants carry a weighted cast-iron or cast-steel ball in each hand and walk a set distance or time while keeping an upright posture, sometimes with lunges added between steps.
• 100 meters of sandbag walking lunge. While holding a heavy sandbag on their back, participants do moving or walking lunges to complete this exercise.
• 100 wall balls: Always the final event of a Hyrox competition, wall balls entail squatting and throwing a weighted ball against a target suspended off the ground.

And don't forget: competitors also have to complete a 1-kilometer run between each station.

How is Hyrox different from CrossFit?

CrossFit and Hyrox are often linked in the fitness world thanks to their shared focus on cross-fitness. Instead of targeting just cardio or just strength, they both include a variety of high-intensity movements meant to work many parts of the body.

One of the largest differences is standardization. While CrossFit doesn't have a singular format, Hyrox has one: a consistent set of exercises.

In a competitive setting, CrossFit athletes don't know what they will be asked to do, meaning they have to train across a very broad spectrum, according to the official CrossFit website. Hyrox athletes, on the other hand, know exactly what they're working toward.

Notably, Hyrox is described as a race by its founders and participants. Its nature as a longer-form event focusing on distance means it targets aerobic endurance, longevity and sustainability. CrossFit, on the other hand, is defined by its short, high-intensity bursts of going "all out" during anaerobic exercises, according to Men's Health Magazine.

You may see the workout styles sharing spaces, despite their differences. CrossFit gyms are often fairly well-equipped to host Hyrox classes, leading existing gym owners to expand into both disciplines.