BY Carla Basu

Over the past decade, CrossFit has taken the fitness world by storm, gathering a massive following and becoming a global phenomenon. But what is the secret behind its remarkable success? The Hyrox competition has been said to put CrossFit on the map. I caught up with some of this year’s participants in Birmingham to see how they were feeling about the race.

Since its first launch in Germany in 2017, up to 175,000 people from around the world will sign up to participate in the event every year. Current Hyrox champion, Hunter McIntyre, discussed how he has progressed as an athlete since joining the family in 2019. He stated, “In my first race ever, I beat the world champion, and from that point on I fell in love with it. It felt like such a great formula to form athleticism and fitness. I’ve never found anything like it before”. This event covers every level of fitness and welcomes beginners, first timers and returners. Hunter believes that  there will be many more new faces participating in Hyrox over the coming years.

Personal trainer, Aidin Higgins, discussed what impact CrossFit training has had on him, and how his gym have adapted to the rise in this type of fitness. He said, “Starting CrossFit training has definitely helped my mental health and it’s made me feel a lot better about myself and my body image. The gym has started to implement a lot more CrossFit infused classes as we’ve seen an up rise in CrossFit and a lot more people are starting to sign up for Hyrox in 2023”.

The atmosphere amongst the Hyrox participants at Birmingham was immense, with more participants signing up for Glasgow in early March and the championships, which are set to take place in Nice, France later in 2024. It clear that the rise of CrossFit will not be slowing down any time soon. By constantly varying the workouts and challenging individuals to push to their limits, CrossFit showcases the human desire for personal growth and continuous improvement.