March 27, 2026, 9:42 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Hyrox fills exhibition halls, sells running shoes, and promises competition for everyone. Author Lisa Reck encountered the trend sport in 2025 at the FIBO fitness trade show. She was captivated by the fascination. But how accessible is the new fitness hype really? How expensive are equipment and training? She conducted a self-experiment: one week of Hyrox training on a low-budget setting. At FITBOOK, she reports on her Hyrox experience.
Colorful running shoes, luxurious functional clothing, and high-tech fitness trackers strapped to every possible body part. The exhibition hall in Cologne-Deutz was packed with optimally dressed, well-trained bodies. The walls are black, with bright lights shining from above. It smells of new plastic and energy drinks. Next to the word HYROX in capital letters, banners with “FOREVER. FASTER.” glow from the walls. Electro music blares from the speakers. Bass to heart rate. The music also sends the message: Move. Join in. This is how Hyrox presented itself in April 2025 at the trade show in Cologne. Almost a year later, the Hyrox hype has infected me too.
Hyrox – from the Trade Show to Everyday Life
Me, my worn-out sports shoes, and my functional but uncurated sportswear. A brightly lit gym, no filter, dripping sweat. The smell of cleaning agents, rubber flooring, and clothes that need washing. Instead of slogans like “FOREVER. FASTER.” there are instructions on the machines: “Stop training if you feel pain.” Instead of electronic music, groans and the treadmill grinding under my feet. For a week, I would test Hyrox in the low-budget version. According to experience, you can expect to pay about 150 euros per month for supervised group training. With my 10-euro membership and an AI training plan, I try the pre-season training of an athlete.
Day 1: “50 Minutes on the Treadmill, Moderate Heart Rate”
Between post-work fatigue and the resolutions of the new week, I snag a free machine. Fifty minutes feel like 90. Then ten minutes of rowing. The display malfunctions. Heart rate, distance, and pace must be estimated.
This is exactly what Hyrox was invented for: Fitness racing as a competition for gym members who train but, unlike tennis players or track and field athletes, don’t have their own standardized competition. Hyrox vaguely resembles the fitness trails of the ’90s or the CrossFit movement. Unlike CrossFit, however, the format avoids complex techniques. Instead, it focuses on natural movements: pushing, pulling, carrying.
Day 2: Squats, Lunges, Circuit Training
Day 2 is dedicated to these movements: squats, lunges, step-ups in lower-body circuit training. I move small dumbbells, large sandbags, and bulky boxes around the room. Unlike the day before, I’m at the gym at 7 a.m. today. More space and fewer stares. The thighs burn, it feels right. A feeling that probably appears in the name: Hyrox is often explained as a mix of “hybrid” and “rox”–inspired by rockstar.
Hyrox is a hybrid sport combining running and functional strength training. In competition, there are eight 1-kilometer rounds, interspersed with burpees, wall balls, and sled pulls. A constant switch between endurance and muscle strength. Muscle strength that I lack the following day.
Day 3: Rest Day with Pilates Instead of Strength Training
My gait is stiff, the stairs to the subway become a mountain stage. At the office, my movements cause amusement. On today’s so-called “rest day,” 30 minutes of Pilates are recommended. Initially, every stretch burns, but by the end, the body feels inhabitable again.
Day 4: Long Run and Fresh Air
Day 4 is just right: 50 minutes of long running. Running off the muscle soreness in the morning Berlin air. Asphalt instead of rubber flooring, fresh air instead of stuffy gym atmosphere. The founders of Hyrox also appreciated the fresh air. Moritz Fürste won his field hockey Olympic titles outdoors. After his career, he developed the Hyrox concept with event manager Christian Toetzke. After selling his own agency, Toetzke was responsible for key parts of the global Ironman brand as a board member–that extreme format that extends the triathlon. A competition also well-suited for a quarter- or mid-life crisis.
Day 5: Crisis Moment
On Day 5, I experience my own crisis moment: 7 a.m., gym, upper-body circuit with push-ups, burpees, shoulder pulls, and planks. Oh no! On-site, it turns out to be easier than expected. A mat, two dumbbells, and some space are enough. Between sets, a thought grows: Maybe I’ll actually sign up for the competition?
However, the vision of the two creators goes far beyond an occasional starting spot for about 100 euros: Hyrox aims to establish itself as a sustainable sport in everyday life. Moritz Fürste openly talks about Olympic ambitions–in a more compact format, stadium-ready, spectator-friendly.
Day 6: Mini-Hyrox
Similarly slimmed down, I simulate my mini-Hyrox on Day 6 at the gym: 800 meters running, 400 meters rowing, squats, and lunges–three times in a row.
In the gym, this mainly means: securing equipment, keeping paths clear, ignoring puzzled looks. No wonder some fitness chains offer official Hyrox courses. For a licensing fee, gyms can conduct standardized programs. Puma joined early as a global partner and developed special competition shoes. And with NITRO™ technology, it positioned itself in the growing fitness racing market. Training becomes a brand, and a brand becomes a business model.
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Day 7: Official Hyrox Group Workout
To conclude my self-experiment, I finally attend an official Hyrox group workout in northern Berlin. For 24 euros, I buy a “drop-in” card. What I see there: colorful running shoes, tight functional shirts, fitness watches on every body part, just like at Hyrox in Cologne. A participant tells me about her last competition in Poland and the next start in a few weeks. The trainer writes ten exercises on the board, rock music fills the hall. That’s the moment I doubt whether I’ll make it through the workout.
In groups of three, we work through strength intervals and 800-meter rounds around the hall. The dynamic carries us. During the final burpee broad jumps, I develop the ambition to be the first to reach the end of the track. My training partner probably has no idea about this race. In the end, there are high fives for everyone. A moment I missed during my solo week.
My Conclusion
After seven days, it’s clear to me: A Hyrox-branded workout isn’t strictly necessary. Those who consistently train running and strength units can prepare for the competition in almost any gym with a bit of logistical finesse. In the end, running shoes, functional clothing, and perhaps a fitness tracker are enough.