With HYROX-affiliated gyms all around Singapore, from Upper Jurong Road (Anytime Fitness D’Arena Jurong) all the way to Loyang (BFT Loyang), it is clear that Singaporeans are loving HYDROX. Today, I will discuss what I think of HYROX from a chiropractor’s perspective.
What is HYROX?
Honestly, I feel like HYROX is a simplified, standardised CrossFit. Like CrossFit, HYROX has both cardio and functional training components. When pushed, there is a massive strength and power component as well.
HYROX is fitness race consisting of 8x1km runs as well as 8 functional workout stations. The eight stations are:
- 1000m SkiErg
- 50m sled push
- 50m sled pull
- Burpee broad jumps
- 1000m rowing
- 200m farmers carry
- 100m sandbag lunges
- 100 wall balls
I call it a simplified and standardised CrossFit because all the components in HYROX can be found in CrossFit. There are also a lot more exercises in CrossFit that are not found in HYROX. Examples include muscle ups, olympic lifts (e.g., snatches), double unders, etc. Several of the exercises found in CrossFit are also technical in nature and will take both time and fitness to learn.
The CrossFit Games is also different from HYROX in that it is not a standardised competition. The stations are different every year and they are usually announced days before the competition itself. In other words, you can’t really prepare a select group of exercises just for the competition. HYROX, on the other hand, is always the same 8km run + 8 stations.
Why is hyrox so successful?
Good marketing. I think there is no way other way to put it. I don’t think HYROX is a bad sport by the way. But I don’t think its popularity, in any shape or form, is indicative of the physical health benefits it brings to the table.
On HYROX Singapore’s website, their partners include Puma, Myprotein, AIA, Grab, and even Sport Singapore. That’s a lot of reach and street cred right there.
Their collaboration with AIA, one of the biggest insurers in Singapore, included free personal accident insurance for both racers and spectators!
Sounds good right? But actually the AIA Protect 360 is free for all Singapore residents below 65 years old. In fact, if you sign up directly from their website and meet with their agents, you get an additional $20 eCapitaVouchers.
Collaborations with existing gyms
HYROX is also aggressive at partnering with local gyms. With 26 HYROX training gyms in Singapore, thousands of Singaporeans are getting exposed to the HYROX brand. Not only that, some gym goers do regularly post their training and progress update on social media. Suffice to say, it is hard to be on social media in Singapore and not have come across HYROX-related content.
Gyms that promote the HYROX brand include big brands such as Fitness First and PURE. GymPod also has two facilities (NOVA Training at Bishan and EON Shenton) that are HYROX-approved.
While some small gyms may not be keen to pay the $100+ per month HYROX affiliate fee to use the brand, they have started to offer auxiliary services.
Jack Lian, the founder of Metamorfitus, an outdoor gym at Henderson Road, not only offers HYROX training plan for his gym members. He also bought HYROX-specific equipment to for his members.
Fury and frustration at HYROX World Championship 2025
All good things must come to an end, right? I mean, they don’t necessary need to bust but the hype has to die down at some point. The recent world championship has participants and fans annoyed at HYROX for the sled events.
Some racers reported that their sled lanes were dodgy and that it took more effort than other sleds of the same weight. Ray Shah demonstrated this by switching to a different lane to show the difference in difficulty between lanes. As it is a competition and a world championship, no less, participants were furious at the lack of standardisation.
Disappointedly, while HYROX did formally acknowledged the problem on Instagram, they did not apologised. They did mention of wanting to apologise though.
Why are dodgy sleds a problem?
It’s no easy feat to get to the world champions of virtually any events in the world. This could be any sports or even performing arts competitions. At a world championship level, you are effectively competing with the best of the best. These competitors have won and are here to win. Failure to provide good equipment for a fair and safe event is far from acceptable.
To qualify for the championship, racers have to be in the top placings for other HYROX races that are held around the world.
We need a sense of scale to appreciate better. In the 24/25 season, there are over half a million racers who have participated in a HYROX race. Approximately 5,000 places are available at the 2025 World Championship.
Even if you don’t buy into the exclusivity, the ticket fee for the HYROX world championship has been said to be around 252 USD per racer. With 5,000 places available, that works out to be a revenue of over 1.5 mil SGD!
Needless to say, people who pay good money to race would be pissed.
Inadequate equipment is not safe!
As a chiropractor, I must talk about safety right? The unique advantage of competing in HYROX is that it’s a standardised race. That means everyone knows what is going to be on and how to prepare and train for it. When the equipment you use that day is different from what you have been training and (previously) racing with, there is always an inherent risk of injury.
Imagine a powerlifting or olympic lifting competition where the weight plates used were not calibrated. It would be totally unfair! Those who got the lighter plates would definitely perform better than those who got the heavier plates. Hypothetically, if the true weight is way heavier than the indicated weight, it is very likely the athlete will get injured.
Responses to HYROX’s “apology”
On HYROX’s sled turf statement on Instagram, people have commented about getting injured. One such comments spoke of a torn meniscus and ACL sprain. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like they were giving out free personal accidents insurance at the world championships.
There are also participants asking for refunds and compensation. This is something that HYROX has remained silent on. Perhaps they are waiting for this saga to tide over on its own?
In very curated words, HYROX spoke of checking on the sleds and switching those which fell out of the acceptable range of resistance at every event. Yet, it seems they completely fall short at their own world championships!
They spoke of realising it way too late. But if they did check before every event as they claimed, how could it be too late?
When will HYROX fad fade?
At some point, the HYROX hype is going to die down and something else is going to take its place. We may not know when exactly, but it’s bound to happen.
They are safe for the next few years at least. With HYROX projected revenue for 2025 at US $140 million, it is likely they will still have a few years more to grow. If they listen to their racers, that is.
Hypes don’t last for long. We saw it with F45. At some point, the Mark Wahlberg-endorsed functional training gym had 2,247 franchises. In 2021, it had a valuation of US $1.4 billion but its current valuation is just over US $8 million.
Business for F45 studios in Singapore are also affected. In 2021, members of two F45 studios complained of being charged without their agreement as well as having difficulty with getting refunds processed. Both studios, F45 Training Yio Chu Kang and Geylang Bahru seemed to have closed though it is unclear if F45 Geylang Bahru even opened in the first place.
Poor support for Singapore HYROX racers
There was a Singapore contingent at the HYROX World Championship in Chicago but I didn’t hear anything about them! For the amount of traction HYROX is getting, it seems strange that there is little to no chatter on these racers. The cynical me will ask if it’s because there is nothing to be gained from supporting these athletes?
If that is the case, then it is a clear position on supporting revenue over their own racers. Don’t forget, these athletes paid good money to compete in Chicago!
I found out about the Singapore contingent through REVL Training Singapore’s Instagram post. According to their post, they had eight athletes from their gym heading to the world championship. But it is unclear how many of them are Singaporeans.
On HYROX Singapore own Instagram page, there were was one post I can find about the world championships. They featured Ayumi Gawasawa & Marie Constantino, who represented Japan and Singapore. But where are the rest of the local racers? This is the Singapore HYROX page we are talking about.
Majority of the post were promoting the AIA HYROX Open Asian Championships held next week. Cynical me asks again, is it cos there is money to be made?
Where to find a HYROX training gym in Singapore?
While fads are definitely not here to stay for long, they are not always inherently bad. Their success in making exercise cool and getting people training for their events definitely does contribute not only to physical but also mental and social well-being.
Despite my reservations towards HYROX as a business, getting people to run, jump, carry and throw some weights is good exercise for sure. Here is where you can get your HYROX fix in Singapore:
CrossFit Kampung
Not a HYROX-affiliated training gym but their founder Tan Yiren does participate in HYROX races. CrossFit Kampung had previously held a HYROX PFT (aka Physical Fitness Test) so they are definitely plugged into the HYROX space.
The plus side about training at a CrossFit gym is the overlap in functional training between HYROX events and CrossFit. While there are indeed a lot more technique work with CrossFit, the upside is that you will be a more well-rounded athlete. Contrary to what others believe, this is not more dangerous but helps reduce risk of injuries. Think cross training!
One of the big plus of CrossFit Kampong, besides their Singapore founder, is that they are extremely pro-community. They are probably one of the few gyms that intentionally prioritise on the exercise safety and performance, as well as community building, over how Instagrammable their space is.
If you go through their old posts on IG, you would be able to see their previous space. It was dark, cramped, and even had shutter gates for their door. It’s not because of their lack of effort but more that they are set on the right things. What I love about all of it is that they manage to find a community of like minded people, and make it work.
REVL Training Singapore
REVL is also not a HYROX-affiliated gym. Like F45 and BFT, REVL is another Australia franchise export. They are also focused on functional training and their members seem to be active in the HYROX scene.
They have nine locations in Singapore. The central gyms are located at Capitol (City Hall), Singapore Land Tower (Raffles Place), and Tiong Bahru. Other locations are at Bukit Timah, Katong, Lower Pierce, Potong Pasir, Rochester, and Tampines.
From what I see from their social media, they cater mostly to the professional crowd. You probably can get pretty Instagrammable content from their space!
Fitness First
I am not sure how HYROX works at Fitness First but only three of their clubs are HYROX-affiliated. They are at Paragon (Orchard), Metropolis (Buona Vista) and Ang Mo Kio.
It seems like Fitness First has changed their revenue model a little. Previously, they were membership based only but it seems like they have also included pay-per-class options now. To sign up for their classes, prices start from as low as $25.
Besides HYROX, they also offer other classes such as Les Mills, HIIT, yoga, pilates, cycling. If you are looking at trying different type of classes without committing to a specialised gym, Fitness First can be a good option.
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