On social media, Hyrox is everywhere: gritty race footage, exhausted competitors collapsing at finish lines, and bold captions calling it “the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and grit.”
With Hyrox events expanding across Canada and set to arrive in Calgary on April 24, 2026. Many gym-goers are being told this hybrid race is not just challenging — but it is framed as superior to traditional workouts.
That promise matters. Hyrox races are expensive, physically demanding, and increasingly marketed to everyday exercisers, not just elite athletes.
The Calgary Journal set out to fact-check if Hyrox truly delivers superior fitness benefits.
What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is an indoor fitness race that combines endurance running with functional strength stations.
Participants complete eight one-kilometre runs, each followed by exercises such as sled pushes and pulls, rowing, burpee broad jumps, farmer’s carries, sandbag lunges, and wall balls.
Christina Heinrich, owner of F45 Training Bridgeland Calgary, describes Hyrox as “a very, very intense workout,” noting that “everything is back to back and in between each session is a one-kilometre run.”
She calls it “one of the hardest fitness competitions that we have seen in the fitness industry in a very long time.”
Hyrox offers divisions for professionals, beginners, doubles, and relays, making it accessible — at least in theory — to a wide range of participants.
The claim under scrutiny
Promotional content and fitness influencers frequently suggest that training for Hyrox transforms fitness and that it is the “world’s best fitness test.”
To examine that claim, the Calgary Journal reviewed promotional messaging, interviewed a Calgary-based fitness professional, and analyzed peer-reviewed fitness research.
What the expert says
On calling Hyrox “the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and grit,” Heinrich said the phrase reflects the event’s intensity rather than a claim of superiority.
She said F45 promotes Hyrox because goal-based training can motivate consistency.
“Training for something gives us a goal, and then we’re able to achieve that,” she said.
Heinrich said that the benefits come from the preparation, not the race itself, pointing to improvements in cardiovascular health, endurance, and functional strength.
However, she cautioned that the event is physically and mentally demanding.
“If they don’t train for it… lots of throwing up in the races,” she said, describing what can happen when participants underestimate the intensity.
“It really is for anybody, but you have to be willing to do it,” she said, calling Hyrox a personal challenge rather than a shortcut to health.
What the scientific evidence shows
Scientific research on Hyrox itself is limited, but a 2025 peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Physiology analyzed the competition’s physiological demands.
The study tracked heart rate, blood lactate levels, perceived exertion, and performance during a simulated Hyrox race among 11 recreational athletes.
Researchers found that the race is highly demanding on the cardiovascular system, with participants spending most of their time at “very hard” intensity levels.
Running accounted for more than half of the total race time.
Faster finish times were linked to higher aerobic capacity, greater endurance training volume, and lower body fat, suggesting that endurance is more important than maximal strength for Hyrox performance.
The researchers classified Hyrox as high-intensity functional training with a strong endurance focus and moderate-to-low strength demands.
While training can improve aerobic fitness and muscular endurance, the study does not support claims that Hyrox provides uniquely superior or transformative benefits.
The Hyrox half-truth
Hyrox training can improve fitness.
But just walking can improve fitness, too.
Hyrox’s claims that it is objectively superior to traditional workouts or uniquely transformative for beginners are not supported by scientific evidence.
As Hyrox continues to grow in popularity, accurate information matters.
If you’re considering the race, the takeaway is simple: Hyrox can be challenging, motivating, and effective — but it isn’t fitness magic.
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