Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz around Hyrox, with some calling it “the new CrossFit.” The rise in popularity of this fitness race has led to comparisons between the two. While both involve functional fitness and high-intensity effort, they serve very different purposes.
CrossFit is a training methodology designed to build general physical preparedness (GPP)—a level of fitness that prepares you for whatever life throws your way. Hyrox, on the other hand, is a fitness race, where the goal is to excel in a very specific set of movements and events.
Both are valuable in their own ways, but they are not interchangeable. CrossFit is a long-term approach to developing all-around fitness, whereas Hyrox is a test of a particular kind of fitness. Understanding this distinction is key to appreciating both for what they are.
CrossFit: Training for anything and everything
CrossFit is built on the idea of broad, inclusive fitness. It’s not about being the best at one thing—it’s about being capable in all areas. Whether it’s strength, endurance, speed, mobility, coordination, or power, the goal is to be well-rounded.
The methodology incorporates a constantly varied mix of weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardio—because life doesn’t specialize. In real life, you don’t only run, lift, or squat. You do everything in different combinations and intensities.
Scalable for Everyone
One of the biggest strengths of CrossFit is that it’s designed for all ages, fitness levels, and abilities. A 65-year-old and a professional athlete can do the same workout—just scaled to their level. This adaptability is why CrossFit is something people stick with for years. It’s training for life, not just a competition.
More Than Just Workouts
CrossFit is also about building a healthy lifestyle. It promotes good nutrition, recovery, and mental resilience. The community aspect of CrossFit keeps people accountable and motivated—something you don’t always get when training for a race alone.
Hyrox: A fitness Race, not a training system
Hyrox, on the other hand, is a structured event. It follows a fixed format: eight 1-kilometer runs, each followed by a functional movement such as sled pushes, rowing, or wall balls. The goal is simple—complete it as fast as possible.
Hyrox has done a fantastic job in creating an exciting, well-organized competition. The standardized format means you can compare times, set goals, and see how you rank against others worldwide. It’s an incredible fitness challenge, but it’s still a race—not a training program.
The goal of Hyrox training
If you want to be great at Hyrox, you need to train specifically for it. That means focusing on running efficiency, sled pushing and pulling, wall ball endurance, and muscular stamina. But this type of specialization comes at a cost—it doesn’t necessarily make you well-rounded.
If you only train for Hyrox, you might improve your running and endurance, but you could be neglecting absolute strength, explosive power, and movement variability—key components of functional fitness that CrossFit develops.
Funny enough… Hyrox training looks a lot like CrossFit
Here’s where it gets interesting. Even though Hyrox and CrossFit are different, if you look at how people train for Hyrox, it starts to resemble CrossFit workouts.
Why? Because no one trains for Hyrox by just repeating the race format over and over again.
Think about it: The Hyrox race itself consists of an hour (or more) of long grinding effort—running, sled pushes, lunges, burpees. If someone tried to train for Hyrox by just doing the race every training session, they’d break down fast.
It would be like training for the famous CrossFit workout Murph by repeating Murph every single day.
For those unfamiliar, Murph is a legendary CrossFit workout named after Lt. Michael P. Murphy. It consists of:
- 1-mile run
- 100 pull-ups
- 200 push-ups
- 300 air squats
- 1-mile run
- All while wearing a 20lb weighted vest (for those doing the workout as prescribed).
Murph is an absolute grind—a test of endurance, strength, and mental toughness. But no one trains for Murph by just doing Murph daily. Instead, they break it down into pull-up strength sessions, running intervals, push-up endurance work, and squat mobility drills.
The same applies to Hyrox. Athletes don’t just do full Hyrox races in training. Instead, they incorporate strength training, endurance workouts, high-intensity intervals, and functional movements—which ends up looking a lot like a CrossFit-style program.
The key differences
To truly understand why Hyrox is not the new CrossFit, let’s compare them side by side:
| CrossFit | Hyrox |
|---|---|
| A training methodology | A fitness race |
| Focuses on general physical preparedness (GPP) | Focuses on race performance |
| Includes strength, gymnastics, endurance, and skill work | Primarily running and functional endurance |
| Scalable for all ages and fitness levels | Best suited for endurance-focused athletes |
| Long-term fitness for health, longevity, and performance | Short-term specialization for competition |
| Encourages a holistic approach to nutrition, mobility, and recovery | Training focuses on race-specific demands |
Why the comparison doesn’t make sense
The idea that Hyrox could replace CrossFit is like saying a 10K race could replace strength training—they are completely different concepts.
CrossFit is designed for long-term adaptability, meaning it prepares you for any challenge, whether that’s running, lifting heavy objects, or handling daily life with ease.
Hyrox, on the other hand, is a structured event where success depends on mastering a specific set of tasks. While training for Hyrox can improve your work capacity and endurance, it doesn’t necessarily develop full-spectrum fitness.
If your only goal is to compete in Hyrox, then training specifically for it makes sense. But if you want to be strong, mobile, and well-rounded, CrossFit is the more complete approach.
The bottom line
Hyrox is a fantastic competition. It’s well-organized, engaging, and provides an exciting challenge. But it’s not the new CrossFit—because it was never meant to be.
CrossFit is about more than competition. It’s about building a strong, capable body that’s ready for anything—not just race day.
If you love racing and structured challenges, Hyrox is an amazing event. But if you want a lifetime of fitness, strength, and adaptability, CrossFit remains the best approach.
At the end of the day, you don’t need to choose one over the other—just understand that they are not the same.
If you want to be fit for life, CrossFit is the way forward. If you want to test yourself in a race setting, Hyrox is a great challenge. Just don’t confuse the two.
