The fitness craze taking over Cardiff that everybody seems to be doing

Wales Online

3 days ago

The fitness craze taking over Cardiff that everybody seems to be doing
'We've got people in their 60s, single mums, young and old people, literally every type of person you can think of doing it.'
The B42 gym in Cardiff Bay, one of the first gyms in Wales to offer Hyrox training
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne )
Hyrox is a sporting test which has taken over social media and this weekend it's Cardiff's turn. Ben Noel, 28, and Ffion McGowan, 26, own the B42 gym in Cardiff Bay, one of the first gyms in Wales to offer Hyrox training.
This weekend, they and 60 others from their gym will compete in the functional fitness event inside the hallowed walls of Cardiff's Principality Stadium: for many of them it will be their first time. Hyrox is a fitness race consisting of eight 1km runs interspersed with eight functional workout stations.
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The couple have each raced in four events before and have well and truly succumbed to the Hyrox bug. Speaking to Ben and Ffion, their passion for the sport and the community it fosters is clear.
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Despite both coming from sporty backgrounds - Ben was a national-level sprinter and Ffion competed nationally in dance - they are keen to stress that Hyrox is for everyone. Don't miss a rugby story, sign up for our newsletter .
Ben explained: "We've got people in their 60s, single mums, young and old people, literally every type of person you can think of doing it. It's nice to have people of different ages and abilities jumping in. That creates the community."
"Even people who haven't done a parkrun are now doing Hyrox. That feeling of nervousness before the race in the start tunnel, they're feelings you may not have experienced before and it becomes a bug."
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Ffion explained it's not about your time, but just doing it. "You go on social media you see big influencers doing super quick times that are crazy and then that's that's all you see but it's a very small portion. That's the top 10% or even less and that's not the ethos."
Ffion explained it wasn't until the sport boomed on social media that everyone wanted to get involved. She said: "When we first started we had a Hyrox class and it was our least popular class and now it's our most popular."
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Ben added: "The sport and the brand has grown and people have realised it's accessible. We get 30 people at six, 30 people at seven and 30 people at half nine so it's just grown rapidly."
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When Ben and Ffion first raced last October, only they and one other woman at the gym had completed a Hyrox before. Ffion said as soon as she finished she knew she wanted to do it again.
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This January in Manchester 20 members competed, last month 30 went up to London and in Cardiff they have around 60 competing. They say it's been a knock-on effect with everyone their gym keen to support each other.
Ben explained the training has being a mix of running and endurance and strength elements like pushing and pulling.
With Hyrox events all over the world, the gym owners couldn't hide their excitement about it coming to Cardiff. Ffion said: "For people who can't necessarily travel to other events because of children or financial reasons, it's great for it to be on their doorstep. It just opened up a whole new gateway to new people. And people are like, yeah, I'll give it a go."
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The pair shared their tips for people competing in the Welsh capital this weekend. Ben said: "Enjoy every minute of it and don't worry about how you feel in a race because you will get it done through determination and willpower so keep your headstrong."
Ffion added: "Make sure you fuel up and soak up every single moment of it, don't beat yourself up over a time or a station just enjoy being there and enjoy every second of it."
B42 run Hyrox classes multiple times a week. You can find out more on their website.
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