A city trip to Hamburg: A bit of sport, a bit of sightseeing, a bit of partying. Two out of three statements are even correct. However, “a little sport” is more than an understatement. In addition to a relaxed run on Friday, the “Hyrox” fitness event was on the agenda. And the term “a little bit” really doesn’t fit here.
You probably know that I now train regularly with a running group (click here for more information) – intervals and a finisher workout are always on the schedule on Mondays. It doesn’t matter what the weather (well, almost doesn’t matter 😉 ) it’s full speed through Munich on Monday evening. The Running Society now also exists in cities like Cologne and Hamburg and of course there was a shake-out run, pasta party and last insider tips the day before the competition in Hamburg.
Well rested and full of anticipation, we (the best, most sports-crazy crew of 10 people) made our way to the event site around noon on Saturday. The first rounds of the women have already taken place and the euphoria and energy could be felt throughout the Hamburg trade fair. There were over 3,000 registrations for the event in Hamburg. 3,000 sports enthusiasts who wanted to test their limits!
What is Hyrox? The organizer himself calls it “A fitness competition for everybody” – and that’s true! No matter what level you are, you can take on the challenge! No matter where you have your strengths, you can use them! The more strengths the better of course 😉
Altogether there are walk 8 kilometerspaired with 8 more workouts. Means: 1km run, 1000m SkiErg, 1km run, 2x25m sled push (75 – 175kg), 1km run, 2x25m sled pull (50 – 125kg), 1km run, 80m burpee broad jump, 1km run, 1000m rowing, 1km run, 200m Kettle Bells Farmers Carry (16-32kg), 1km Run, 100m Sandbag Lunges (10-30kg), 1km Run, 75-100 Wallballs (4-9kg).
Does it sound tiring? It is!
Depending on which division you start in, you have different weights and number of repetitions. If you start in a team (like me, for example), you can split up the exercises (not the runs! They always have to be done together) and thus ensure a “more relaxed” competition.
I started with a friend in the “Double Mixed” category and if I told you that we distributed the workouts fairly, I would be lying to a large extent. Thomas did both the sled pull and the push all by himself (even when he’s completely dead, he pushes the sled even faster than me at 125kg…) and practically sprinted the 200m with the kettlebells weighing a total of 48kg.
My job here: cheer! (And pose for the photographer 😉 ) No, I have to be honest, even if I only ran after three of eight workouts, the running routes alone were extremely challenging. Thomas is of course also a gifted runner and a pace under 4:30 min/km was not in the bag – cursing I fought my way through here and at least tried to keep up with the other workouts.
Incidentally, we practiced the individual exercises and processes a few times in our studio beforehand, tried to get the transitions (which, for example, is not that easy with rowing) smoothly and tried out different techniques in order to perform as best as possible.
In the end we missed our (personal) goal of staying under an hour by a little over three minutes. But we still finished third in our age group and fourth overall. I’d say it’s definitely worth seeing!
Now I’m toying with the idea of competing individually in the spring when Hyrox stops in Munich. At the moment I can’t imagine shooting through all eight exercises and runs without a break, but I still have almost three months to train – who knows?
