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Wales Online
7 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
The best pictures as thousands take part in huge three-day fitness event in Cardiff
The Principality Stadium has been filled with fitness enthusiasts this weekend - May 30 to June 1 - as the Hyrox event comes to Wales for the first time. Thousands of people took part in the competition that sold out within minutes as Hyrox has become the latest fitness trend sweeping the internet. The event combines running and functional exercises and sees racers run 1km followed by a workout station repeated eight times, 8km in total, aiming to be the fastest. The workout stations include a 1000m SkiErg, a 50m sled push, a 50m sled pull, 80m burpee broad jumps, 1,000m row, 200m farmers carry and 100m sandbag lunges. Since it was first created in 2017 by Christian Toetzke and Olympian Moritz Fürste, the sport has as many as 200,000 competitors taking part worldwide. Events take place all throughout the year in Europe and the UK, but this weekend Wales had it's first ever Hyrox event. Welsh athlete, Afan Humphries was there and wakes up at 4am for training, we caught up with him, here. Also, our reporter, Taite Johnson had a go at Hyrox to tell us just what it's all about - read her account of the trending training regime, here. See the best pictures from this weekends event below.
Wales Online
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
I tried the fitness trend everyone's going mad for and it was 40 minutes of hell
I tried the fitness trend everyone's going mad for and it was 40 minutes of hell Whilst it was one of the most difficult training sessions I have endured, it also felt rewarding Hyrox has become a popular sport around the world with thousands of people heading to Cardiff to compete in it this weekend and tickets selling out in minutes. It seems that everyone and their nan (literally) has jumped on the latest fitness trend so I thought I'd see what all the fuss it about and try out a Hyrox training session myself. Since it was first created in 2017 by Christian Toetzke and Olympian Moritz Fürste, the sport has as many as 200,000 competitors taking part worldwide. The event combines running and functional exercises and sees participants run 1km followed by a workout station repeated eight times, 8km in total. The workout stations include a 1000m SkiErg, a 50m sled push, a 50m sled pull, 80m burpee broad jumps, 1,000m row, 200m farmers carry and 100m sandbag lunges. In preparation for the competition happening at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff from May 30 to June 1, gyms across Cardiff have increased the number of Hyrox training classes on offer. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here Videos of racers training and competing in Hyrox have been plastered all over my social media with many celebrities also joining the hype. While the sport looks difficult, I have heard so many people rave about it and the benefits it has had on their health and fitness so I thought I'd try it out myself to find out what it is actually like. I headed down to B42 gym in Cardiff Bay who have Hyrox training sessions perfectly designed to prepare you for the race as well as to build your strength and stamina. Lynda Harrington runs the Hyrox training sessions at B42 - as a competitor herself preparing for this weekend, she is an expert in the sport and her knowledge helps up to 20 people per session. I visited the gym on a bank holiday so the class was much smaller with only myself and three others, which I was grateful for as a beginner so not so many people had to watch me struggle. Usually in the gym I strength train but I tend to work out at my own pace so classes with a trainer are completely different from the way I train alone. I was nervous to join the session but I was excited to put myself through my paces and hopefully learn some new exercises. I knew that the class was going to be difficult but I did not expect it to be as hard as it was - I did have to tap out at one point. Lynda, the trainer, went through all of the exercises that we were going to do during the session (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) Each workout at B42 is 42 minutes long as the team behind the gym believe it is the "perfect slice of time to deliver a challenging, effective session without taking over your day." We started the session with a quick warm up before getting stuck in with the Hyrox training. Each class has a six-week training period where the level of intensity increases every week - joining at week 4 meant that it was one of the toughest classes of the series (which made me feel better that I found it so hard.) With four of us in the class we paired up to complete the exercises in duos and did three sets of exercises all being 10 minutes in duration. While one person was doing an exercise the other would be completing a different exercise, then we'd switch - so no time to rest when the clock started. I had to row for as long as partner took to complete the wall balls (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) For the first set I had to use the rowing machine to complete as much distance as possible whilst my partner completed 20-40 wall balls with a weighted medicine ball, then we had to switch. As a beginner I chose to do 20 wall balls for my set with a 4kg medicine ball which is the same weight used by females when they compete at an event. I do use a medicine ball during my normal workouts so I thought this exercise may be one of the easier ones for me. How wrong I was. Wall balls are an exercise designed to target the whole body and you can definitely feel it throughout your entire body. I felt as though my form was good and kept my squats relatively low to start but after completing numerous sets it was hard to keep a fast pace whilst accurately completing the exercise. It was very tempting to not complete all 20 and just move on, but I would only be cheating myself and reminded myself that if I was in a competition a judge would make sure I completed all of them. The second exercise of the set was the rowing machine, on which we had to row as many metres as possible whilst our partner completed their wall balls. The rowing machine was one of the easier stations of the training session and I was quite happy to be able to be sat down, honestly. It didn't even take the whole ten minutes for me to be sweaty, red-faced and needing water. After ten long minutes we got a quick 90 second break before moving onto the next set of exercises. Lynda was great in explaining each exercise, giving a demonstration and making sure I was doing it right. Her constant encouragement really helped me push on and every 'you're doing great' motivated me even more. Now the next set of exercises were where it got gruelling for me, and if you know anything about fitness then you'll know why by just one word - burpees. The second set had me doing 200m on the SkiErg straight into 15 box jump burpees. I had never used a SkiErg before and was unsure how to use it until Lynda showed me. I did 800m on the SkiErg and just over 30 box jump burpees (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) The SkiErg was a fun machine to use and I was happy to be learning how to use new machines during the training session. It has really helped me feel more confident in using it on my own in my regular gym. I have seen many people do burpees and it has always been an exercise that is labelled as difficult to complete so I was not looking forward to doing not only my first one but also completing at least 30 of them in ten minutes. The box jump burpees were extremely difficult for me and I'm still not sure I was even doing them correctly but I don't plan on attempting them again anytime soon anyway. On the third rep of the second set, I had to stop. I jumped back up from my 31st burpee and couldn't continue. I needed a breather. After splashing my face with water and taking a couple minutes to breathe, I returned to my station and completed a final 200m on the SkiErg before starting the third and final set of exercises. I found some relief in the fact that I could tell that everyone in the class was finding it difficult and sweat poured from not only my face but everybody else's. If you thought maybe the last set would be easier than the rest, you'd be wrong. Instead of completing two exercises we had to complete three - 30 weighted goblet squats, 20 sandbag lunges and 10 jump squats. My legs felt like jelly during the last set of exercises (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) I started with the weighted goblet squats which I chose to use a 6kg kettlebell for, followed by 15kg sandbag lunges and bodyweight squat jumps. With the goblet squats, they began to feel difficult halfway through and I felt like I could feel my legs turning to jelly as I continued. I had never used the sandbags for walking lunges before so it was hard adjusting to the equipment and I did find these hard to complete. I completed the squat jumps with my partner which was helpful so I could match their pace and complete them together. By the end of the 42 minutes I was relieved that it was finally over, on the other hand I had a overwhelming sense of pride in myself for completing it - even if I did have to tap out at one point, and take long drink breaks. I knew it was difficult and I always questioned the people who do it consistently but now a part of me sees why they do. It was a real test of my strength and agility, showing me the things I need to improve on (burpees, wall balls and sandbag lunges) and the few that I was actually good at (SkiErg and rowing). Article continues below I always took my hat off to people who take part in Hyrox but now I have a newfound respect for them after putting myself through a training session, but I still could not imagine doing it once or multiple times a week.
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
As a 50-year-old mother of three, I had no idea what I was in for when I did Hyrox
'No offence, but I've never seen anyone your age do Hyrox,' said my 10-year-old when I announced that I was going to take part in my first race. It's a good point. Hyrox is the fastest growing indoor fitness event in the world, popular with gym-loving Gen Zs and millennials. The average age for females taking part is 33 so what hope did I, a middle-aged mother of three, have for finishing the notoriously challenging race? I turned 50 last November and while I know that age is just a number, there's no getting away from the fact that half a century is a particularly significant milestone. So, I decided to mark it with a new challenge and when my younger brother, Nick, suggested that we take part in a Hyrox mixed doubles race, I immediately said yes. A mix of 2-8km runs and heavy duty workouts, Hyrox has taken the global sports world by storm. While there were just 650 people competing in the first Hyrox event in 2017, now Hyrox races take place in 85 cities around the world with 650,000 people taking part this year. 'It's tough, it's hard, it's exhausting,' says Moritz Fürste, Hyrox's founder, when I speak to him by phone at his home in Germany. 'But it is accessible. We didn't want to make it so hard that people who are not professional athletes might not experience the beauty of finishing the race; 99 per cent of the people that step up to the start line, finish.' It was only after paying for the tickets, however, that I learnt that women taking part in the mixed doubles must use the men's weights. For someone who keeps active but who has never been an avid gym-goer, this was going to require some serious training. Except, I didn't really have time. I eagerly turn to a handful of Hyrox-focussed Instagram accounts that I like, including Lizzie May, a Thailand-based British personal trainer and coach for inspiration. She posts daily with training ideas as well as best practice tips and advice on avoiding penalties on race day. Lizzie also offers a 12-week Hyrox training programme. Having only five weeks to spare, I ask her for advice. 'For the average person who has a full-time job, maybe kids as well, I would say preferably five sessions a week,' says May, whose clients are predominantly female. 'Two to three of those should be running and the others can be a mix of strength and conditioning.' I'm a reluctant runner but Hyrox is predominantly a running race, so I add two 5km morning runs to my mid-week schedule and gradually build up to an 8km run at the weekend. During the week, I head to my no-frills £24.99-a-month gym and follow workout sessions that I find online, practising the key stations. With three weeks to go, I visit my brother's gym where they are hosting a simulated Hyrox training event that we complete together. I'm surprised to discover that the whole experience, dare I say it, is almost enjoyable. With two weeks to go I speak to Stephanie Ridley, a registered performance nutritionist at Arsenal FC about how as a woman in midlife, it's best to prepare for the race. 'You need to have enough fuel coming in to make sure you have enough energy and avoid injury,' says Ridley. 'Especially at this age, women need to look after their bone health and one of the things that can really suffer from low energy is our bones. Because Hyrox is such high intensity, carbohydrates are your absolute number one friend. Protein is not going to power you through the session and fats aren't going to power you through the session. So, it's really carbs, carbs, carbs.' Finally, an excuse to carb-load, particularly in the week leading up to the race. Out goes my berries and yogurt for breakfast and in comes bowls of porridge with banana and honey. Dinners become largely pasta-based and bagels become my snack of choice. I initially enjoy the freedom that comes with indulging in foods that I typically eat in moderation, but the meals quickly feel repetitive. When race day rolls around, I feel nervous but ready. I also feel stronger. The five weeks of running and strength work have made a noticeable difference to my physique, particularly my legs that look and feel more toned. As a 50-year-old woman, I've long been aware that weight training should form part of my weekly routine and, thanks to Hyrox, I've discovered that I enjoy it. I meet my brother at the entrance to London Olympia and together we register, check out the course and then go through to the warm-up area. I worry that my 10-year-old was right and that I really will be the oldest – not to mention the least ripped – competitor but instead I find myself surrounded by people of all shapes, sizes and ages and breathe a massive sigh of relief. Now the only thing I have to worry about is whether my lack of training is going to catch up with me. There are flashing lights, a DJ plays thumping music and suddenly there are only 10 seconds to go. Our group whoops, spectators cheer and we're off, running the first of what will eventually feel like many laps around the exhibition centre. My first Hyrox race was finally happening. The first half of the race goes well, we take the first kilometre relatively easy running twice around the track, followed by the SkiErg. And then came the burpees. I had been warned that the broad jump burpees were a killer, and they did not disappoint. Things pick up as we start running again, then breeze through the farmer's carry. The final lap is hard work, and the final station is even harder. The wall balls are brutal, but taking it in turns, the counter eventually hits 100 and we run to the finish line. A big screen at the end reveals our time of 1hr 26min and I'm thrilled, especially considering the average time for mixed doubles is just one minute faster. 'I think it's really cool that you did this,' says my 15-year-old daughter as she envelops me in a big hug at the finish line. Even the 10-year-old is impressed. Just as well because Nick and I are already talking about our next Hyrox race. I just need to work on those burpees. What I ate In the first three weeks of training my diet remained relatively the same as always but in the final week it was all about carb-loading. Breakfast Fage 5% yogurt with a banana and fresh berries or scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with half an avocado. In the final week, I had porridge with banana and honey Lunch Poached eggs with spinach on sourdough bread, tuna mayonnaise salad or a Greek salad. In the final week, I had baked potato with cottage cheese or quinoa and chicken salad. Dinner Grilled salmon or chicken with green vegetables. I had pasta with tomato sauce, chicken rice bowls and spaghetti bolognese in the final week. Snacks Fresh fruit and half a bagel with banana and honey.
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Cardiff's Principality Stadium to host Hyrox event
Cardiff's Principality Stadium will host the first ever Hyrox event held in Wales, organisers have increasingly popular 'fitness racing' event will take place across three days between 30 May and 1 June, 2025 in the Welsh capital's 74,000-seater run 1km before completing one fitness exercise, including 1km on a standing ski machine, 50m of sled push and 80m burpee - either professional or everyday fitness enthusiasts - repeat the process until they have performed eight 1km runs and the eight workouts, which also include a 50m sled pull, 1km indoor rowing, carrying a kettlebell 200m, 100m lunges carrying a sandbag, and 100 throws and catches of a medicine ball off a can take part as a personal challenge or as a professional. They can also compete as a pair in the doubles category or as part of a quartet in the team relay race format is consistent globally; Glasgow hosts an event from 12 to 16 March, with Malaga, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Cologne, Miami and Bangkok among the other cities to host an event over the coming months. Christian Toetzke, alongside Olympic champion hockey player Moritz Fürste, set up the first race in their home country of Germany in inaugural event saw 650 participants - but Hyrox now say almost 200,000 competitors are dotted around the London, the first race in 2021 saw 522 participants. Jump to 2023 and more than 24,000 people took part across two races.
