You may have seen or heard of people taking part in the new fitness craze Hyrox which is sweeping the country.
It comes after a large national functional fitness race took place at the SEC Centre in Glasgow at the weekend.
Participants and teams from gyms across the country attended the popular two-day racing event which made its debut there last year.
But what is Hyrox, what does it involve and where can you do a Hyrox workout in Dundee, Perth and Fife?
Here is what we found out.
What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is a global fitness race and is described as a workout which is suitable for everyone, no matter what your fitness level is.
Participants compete in the exact same format.
The race starts with a 1 km run, followed by one functional movement, which repeats eight times, taking place in large indoor venues, creating a unique stadium like atmosphere for all participants.
The challenges cover your body’s full range of functional movements, while the running means you’re getting a cardio workout added in too.
Hyrox was initially launched in Germany in 2017 and has since gone on to quickly establish itself as one of the fastest growing fitness sports in the world with events already in 11 countries.
How is Hyrox different to CrossFit?
Hyrox exercises have been selected because they are safe and simple to perform.
This allows the race to be more accessible for the average gym goer.
While CrossFit workouts typically involve more complex and advanced movements that take lots of practice to master technique.
What’s involved in Hyrox?
Hyrox works your whole body, combining running and functional workout stations to push, pull and squat you to the limit.
The workout stations include:
SkiErg
Participants complete 1000m on the SkiErg.
The SkiErg is a is a ski machine that offers a full-body workout helping to improve endurance and strengthen your muscles.
It targets the arm, shoulder and core muscles and is a great full-body workout.
Sled push
Those taking part do a 50m sled push, it targets your lower body.
Sled pull
This is similar to a sled push, but backwards – so it involves lots of work for your back, biceps, glutes and core.
Burpee broad jumps
The Hyrox Burpee Broad Jump is a combo move: a traditional burpee followed by a forward leap. This is done repeatedly until you cover a distance of 80m.
Rowing
Hyrox participants row for 1000m and it marks the start of the second half of the race.
Farmer’s Carry
The Farmers Carry begins and ends with the removal/return of the kettlebells from the marked area next to the start/finish line. The athlete has to carry both kettlebells at all times while they move. Kettlebells must be carried with both arms extended. It targets the upper back, core, arms and grip, but will push every part of your body.
Sandbag lunges
Participants do lunges while carrying 10, 20 or 30 kilograms of sand their back. This one is good for strengthening the thighs and glutes.
Wall balls
The last exercise station is wall balls.
The Hyrox workout finishes off with the squatting and throwing of 100 wall balls.
What are the benefits of Hyrox?
One Performance Centre in Perth, which is owned by Adam Cameron and Stephen Brown, is the only Hyrox-affiliated gym in Tayside.
Adam explained why it has become so popular: “All ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels can do Hyrox – this is why it has really taken off,” he said.
“It is very accessible to the general public.
“My own mother actually did it and she is 62 years old!
“We had over 40 members from our gym going along to the Glasgow event at the weekend and this is our second time taking part.
“Hyrox has become huge very quickly and it’s only going to get bigger. This is why we became an affiliated gym because we could see the potential of it.”
Adam said they started offering Hyrox at the Inchcape Place facility in Perth six months ago and they now run six 45-minute classes a week.
He said taking part in the classes not only improves people’s fitness levels but everyone trains as a group together – making it a social activity and building friendships.
Adam added: “At the event in Glasgow we didn’t have one person who didn’t finish it. People who didn’t think they could do it trained hard and they got it done.
“There was such a buzz afterwards. I would recommend people come along and give one of classes a go.”
Where can you do Hyrox in Dundee, Perth and Fife?
There are a network of Hyrox Partner Gyms across the country.
There are currently no Hyrox partner gyms in Dundee, but there is one in Perth and two in Fife.
The only one in Tayside is at One Performance Centre in Perth.
In Fife there are three gyms offering Hyrox – one in Methil and two in Dunfermline.
They are: Fiona Livingstone Fitness, based at 162-164 Wellesley Road, Methil; SCX Fitness, Pitreavie Sport and Soccer Centre in Dunfermline and Pilmuir Fitness 10, Pilmuir Street, Dunfermline.
