4.9
+4.2K avisYou like pushing your limits, but you don't know which format to choose between crossfit and Hyrox? These two disciplines are skyrocketing in the world of fitness, each with its own approach to performance. To help you see more clearly, we offer you a complete breakdown, with, as always, additional info intended for runners.
What is Hyrox?
Popularized only in recent years, the Hyrox establishes itself as a hybrid format between running and strength training exercises. Created in Germany in 2017, this discipline combines running and functional workout in a codified sequence.
📈 A new trending discipline
Halfway between cross training and long-distance running, Hyrox is aimed both at high-level athletes and weekend sports enthusiasts. Its success is explained by its format, which is both accessible, standardized, and ultra dynamic.
The event is now organized in more than eleven countries around the world, with open competitions (Open), elite (Pro), or relay (Relay). Internationally renowned brands like Red Bull or Puma have sensed the potential by becoming the main sponsors of this global phenomenon.
🏆 What is a Hyrox race?
A Hyrox race combines 8 kilometers of running and 8 stations of functional exercises. The format is fixed, which allows everyone to compare their performances from one race to another. The sequence is always the same: 1 kilometer of running, followed by an exercise, and so on until the finish line.
The events are timed, and participants can aim for a personal record, a podium, or simply cross the finish line with pride.
🪧 What are the Hyrox exercises?
The course includes 8 accessible but demanding exercises, engaging the entire body:
🎯 How does a HYROX work?
| Cycles | Cycle workouts | Description |
|---|---|---|
Cycle 1 | 1 kilometer of running | Movement that simulates the motion of cross-country skiing and engages the arms, shoulders, torso, and back |
Cycle 2 | 1 kilometer of running | Push a weighted sled for 50 meters |
Cycle 3 | 1 kilometer of running | Pull a weighted sled for 50 meters using a rope |
Cycle 4 | 1 kilometer of running | Perform burpees while advancing, using the jump that finishes each movement |
Cycle 5 | 1 kilometer of running | The famous rowing machine star of the gyms! |
Cycle 6 | 1 kilometer of running 200 meters of Farmer Carry | Carry two kettlebells at arm's length (weights equipped with handles) |
Cycle 7 | 1 kilometer of running | Perform forward lunges while carrying a sandbag on your shoulders |
Cycle 8 | 1 kilometer of running | Throw a large ball at a high target while performing a squat between each throw |
It's a blend of strength, endurance, and coordination, designed to improve overall physical condition. Each exercise is repeated in all races, making it an ultra standardized format, appreciated by competitors.
What is the difference between Crossfit and Hyrox?
These two disciplines fall within the scope of functional fitness, but they are not based on the same principles. If you're hesitating between the two, here's what distinguishes them.
🔛 Two approaches to functional training
Through its famous WOD (Workout Of the Day), crossfit focuses on variety and surprise. Each workout changes from day to day, mixing weightlifting, gymnastics, cardio, even climbing or jump rope. All of this with often complex techniques that require real learning.
In contrast, Hyrox offers a fixed and reproducible format. The same order, the same distances, the same weights (adjusted according to level) in all cities around the world.
👉 Result: you can compare your time with that of an athlete in Spain, Canada, or Germany. It's this aspect of global and standardized competition that attracts more and more athletes, especially runners.
Download the Campus app
4.8
+3.2K avis🏃♂️➡️ Hyrox: a much more pronounced running approach
In Hyrox, you run a total of 8 kilometers, distributed among the stations. This represents a significant portion of the effort and requires a good base of endurance. In contrast, in the majority of Crossfit WODs, cardio is often interval-based, sometimes explosive, but rarely over long distances.
If you come from the running world, Hyrox should speak to you more naturally: you'll find your running benchmarks there, while adding real functional strength work.
Why choose Hyrox when you're a runner?
You already do 10 kilometers, half-marathons, even marathons, and you want to challenge yourself differently? Hyrox might be for you.
🏃 A competitive advantage in running…
This hybrid format allows runners to exploit their endurance while filling in their muscle gaps. The ability to chain intense stations without collapsing your running pace is a major asset and requires specific training (running with pre-fatigue).
Moreover, several Hyrox champions come directly from running, like Meg Jacoby, a former collegiate runner and 2024 world champion who was the first woman to break the 60-minute barrier in a Pro format, or Jake Dearden, a former ultramarathoner successfully transitioned. Their natural endurance gives them a real advantage in this hybrid format combining running and functional exercises.
🏋️♂️ … very complementary to weight training
In addition to improving your overall physical fitness, Hyrox helps prevent common injuries associated with running (tendinitis, knee pain, etc.). by strengthening the muscle chains often neglected in runners. You work the legs, back, shoulders, but also coordination and agility. It's therefore an excellent lever for progress, whether you're in a preparation phase or off-season.
And, we repeat, unlike a technical WOD in Crossfit, Hyrox stations are more intuitive, even for beginners. No excuses then to try it and, why not, adopt it?
Hyrox and CrossFit share the same love for physical challenge, but their philosophy and training style are quite different. CrossFit focuses on varied high intensity training, combining functional movements, strength and conditioning, and technical skills through constantly changing daily workouts and WODs (Workout of the Day). CrossFit workouts can include a wide range of movements performed at high intensity, making CrossFit training highly varied and adaptable to different fitness levels. Hyrox, on the other hand, follows a standardized race format built around running and functional strength exercises such as wall balls and the sled push. A Hyrox event is designed to be repeatable anywhere in the world, with a longer duration than many traditional high intensity workouts and a strong endurance component. These are some of the key similarities between Hyrox and CrossFit, but also what sets them apart. If you enjoy running and want to test yourself — and compete against others — in a clear, progressive and standardized format, Hyrox races might tick all the boxes. Now it’s up to you to choose your path in this new era of fitness!
Auteur de l’article
Lou
Publié le , mis à jour le
Lou is a free and curious spirit, passionate about natural health, writing, and of course, running. She runs on the paths of the South of France as much as she explores those of well-being, always in search of a balance between the right words, a healthy lifestyle, and always... running in the background.
partager
