Celebrities and fitness junkies are all pumped up to test their strength, will, and endurance in the newest booming activity of hybrid fitness races.
It is not surprising that during the one-year anniversary celebration of the SM Active Hub held at the scenic MOA Sky area of the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City last April 11, a physical hybrid fitness test was held.
In fact, some contestants of the 2026 Mister Pilipinas Worldwide were there to participate in the fitness test event, which made it a lot more special and entertaining.
And managing the fitness racing simulation was coach, influencer and former Sparks Camp contestant Karl Bautista. Karl recently competed in the Hyrox race held in Bangkok, Thailand in March. In his quick chat with GMANetwork.com, he talked about why so many people get hooked on challenging themselves in hybrid fitness races.
He explained, “It’s really interesting how it boomed this hybrid fitness racing, actually, it’s around for a long time. But I think now that it is more accessible and the barrier of entry is quite low. Yes, high intensity siya, but the skills that you need aren’t really like too special.”
“Hindi kailangan ng handstand, hindi kailangan ng fancy movement. It’s all basic movement, but it’s gonna be very hard and this is for people who want an extra challenge in their lives.” Coach Karl noted.
The fitness influencer also stressed that participating in hybrid fitness races really gives a “different dopamine hit” the moment you cross that finish line. Coach Karl said, “It’s very rewarding to finish something that you’ve trained hard to do. And you to finish that and to cross that finish line, sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam!”
“Marathons are one thing, half marathons are also amazing. A lot of races are very awesome but with this fitness race kasi it’s a mix of both aerobics, anaerobic. It’s not just running, it is also calisthenics, weighted workouts all of this combined. It gives a different dopamine hit.”
Source: karlbauuu (IG)
Karl Bautista also pointed out that as an athlete he was ecstatic to see a lot of public spaces and private owned facilities being transformed into dedicated spaces for fitness to encourage Filipinos to focus on their health.
“I’m really very happy as an athlete and as a citizen that LGU’s and private owned areas are opening up their roads and their areas for working out, for public use,” Karl told GMANetwork.com. “We can see a lack of public open space here in the Philippines, but there is a demand for more workout spaces- we can see it happening in Makati, it started in Ortigas, and we are seeing it in QC now and also here in Pasay. There is a demand for more accessible spaces to work out and be more healthy.”
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Here are some highlights of the exhilarating and fun anniversary celebration.
