Is Hyrox Just A Fad?

ST 240824

Hyrox is the newest brand of fitness trend currently sweeping Singapore and the world, it seems.

I do not have an Instagram account, but my wife and colleagues tell me that their IG feed had been flooded with friends dripping with sweat as they did lunges with 24kg sandbags, pushed 152kg sleds (pictured below), did burpee broad jumps etc interspersed with 1 km runs after Singapore hosted a race on 29/6/24. Our local paper, The Straits Times, also featured an article in today's (240824) paper on page A16 (pictured above).

Picture by Kenneth Lee from CNA

Hyrox cofounder and CEO Christian Toetzke wanted to create a sport with broader appeal that could bring mass participation to the gym and running space. He partnered Moritz Furste, previous Olympic gold medalist in field hockey to start their version of exercise. The special 'ingredient' is its mix of 8 movements requiring strength, power and endurance which requires you to push, pull, run, carry and throw. Exercises that could be assessed quickly by officials on the course were chosen since the idea was to hold events with large waves of competitors.

The exercises need to be relatively safe to do under fatigue and mustn't be more difficult for women than men. Hence, box jumps were taken out (for safety) and monkey bars too (more difficult for women). And so, Hyrox was 'born' in 2017 with 8 exercises and a total of 8 km of running.

The first ever Hyrox event was held in Germany with 650 participants in November 2017. Nearly 7 years later, Hyrox is on course to host 45 events for 425,000 participants in 5 continents this year (according to the company's statistics). Singapore's event on June 29th this year drew 6,500 participants, up from 3,500 last October. Singapore will be hosting another event next week on 1/9/24. More than 70 percent of the 6,500 participants in Singapore were millennials.

My wife who goes to UBX at Holland Village tells me that it helps that participants are doing the same exercises together. That strong community element definitely helps when the chips are down and helps with training adherence. The friendships made provide a sense of belonging especially for some people who have never participated in team sports before so this gives them a chance to experience camaraderie and accountability. For Hyrox, this sense of community is global since the race follows an identical format anywhere it is organized.

Gym owners and others in the fitness industry may feel all too familar with the hype around Hyrox after previous flavors of the month have come and gone. Perhaps some gym owners are wary after a recent spate of gym closures although the Hyrox Singapore organizer said that its standardized and accessible nature sets it apart.

I have not taken part in any Hyrox event, but I have done all the different exercises before, albeit not all at once. I will say that Hyrox will definitely help strength and endurance. Unlike the higher intensity CrossFit programmes which can be technically difficult for beginners and thus sets a higher bar for entry, Hyrox fits well in the group exercise spectrum. It also allows one to gauge your own progress.

Critics (not me) have mocked such fitness events/ trends and wondered why anyone would pay to do exercises that could be performed elsewhere for free. One of my patients said with humour that he paid almost $200 to 'torture' himself with friends. Some patients that I asked also said they started because of a 'mid-life' crisis.

One can call Hyrox a fad especially if they do not see the appeal. I am just happy people are getting off their couches and desks to start any form of physical activity to improve their health. Especially when Singapore's young adults' diets and physical activities in Singapore did not comply with international health guidelines (Leu et al, 2023).

81.8 percent of the surveyed participants did not meet World Health Organization requirements of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise and muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week. 

Most of those surveyed said their exercises were walking to public transport stations and while looking for food. One subject even said that the weekend is the only time to like just "collapse".

Hyrox is definitely trendy and seems glamorous now that people love to post about it on social media, which is also contributing to its popularity. I am just glad Singaporeans are more active in whatever form of exercise they choose. Plus, if they overdo it and get injured they can come see us in our clinics.

Reference

Leu J, Rebello SA, Sargent GM et al (2023). Hard Work, Long Hours, And Singaporean Young Adults' Health - A Qualitative Study. Frontiers Pub Health. Vol 11, 12th June. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1082581.