Cristina Galafate
Updated Tuesday, February 27, 2024-00:44
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There are already those who travel from marathon to marathon.
Or Spartan Race in Spartan Race, the famous obstacle course where everyone looks like a Spartan.
But now, the latest competition that moves masses with the excuse of exercise is called
Hyrox
.
And although a large part of its
success lies in the CrossFit community
, as it has machines and cardio and strength tests similar to this discipline, the truth is that
everyone can do it
, according to the organizers.
That is why it is growing at a dizzying pace and in 2024 it will add 200,000 participants, 20% of them in Spain.
WHEN IS CELEBRATED?
This
March 2 is celebrated in Madrid , with a
sold out
sign
for months, and there are already scheduled dates for Malaga (April 13), Madrid with a double day (October 26 and 27), confirming itself as the city with the most participants , and Valencia (November 23).
By 2025, it is planned that there will be events in Bilbao and Barcelona, as well.
"It is a very innovative concept that combines eight kilometers of
running
and eight
workouts
to compete both individually
and in pairs or groups
of four. You can participate regardless of age or the sport you do and without prior classification," explains Álvaro. Taracena, General Manager of Hyrox.
WHAT DO THE TESTS CONSIST OF?
One of the particularities of the event is that it is not determined by inclement weather, as it is held 'indoor' regardless of the country.EM
These are the eight tests, which include
a kilometer of running
between each of them:
1,000 meters skierg (ski machine)
50 meters
sled
push
50 meters
sled
pull
80 meter
burpee broad jumps
('El Soldadito' are jump)
1,000
meters
rowing
200 meters
farmers carry
(walk with added weight)
100 meter
sandbag
lunges
75 or 100
wall balls
(medicine ball throws to a point on the wall)
A GLOBAL FORMAT
There are four categories: Open individual, Pro, Doubles and Relays.
These categories are divided according to sex and into different age ranges.em
The most basic explanation of Hyrox is
fitness racing
that mixes endurance and strength.
"The format is global, it is carried out in an
indoor
pavilion , and
the tests are the same
no matter where they are done. Like a marathon, you already know what you are going to find," Taracena slips.
In this way, it is not subject to inclement weather and is scheduled in the middle of winter, a time when there is usually less competition calendar.
"It is very
inclusive
, and each one competes with their age group. It emerged in Germany in 2017 and is already studying its jump to Africa and South America."
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM CROSSFIT?
More than 1,000 sports centers already include specific Hyrox classes, many of them CrossFit boxes.
But how do they differ?
"It is a popular event, where
you always know what you are going to face
and you have a lot of information to improve from one race to the next. At Hyrox there is no bar with plates or weightlifting and no gymnastic exercises, which represent a barrier to entry for many people because of its complexity," says Taracena.
"I don't have a
crossfit
body , but I like to train strength and in general I run long distances, which is where I get my advantage and earn minutes. Since Hyrox arrived in Spain I have always signed up and it is an event that I enjoy with my brother as a couple. We set goals like
reducing the time to 50 minutes
, but if you do it in two hours it is also phenomenal and fun," says Sergio Turull, a young ultra-distance runner, known on social networks as
@pitufollow
.
This is the opposite case for actress Lucía Ramos, who claims to excel more in strength tests than in
running.
"The first time
I signed up like crazy
, now I'm really training with a trainer and my goal is to get under an hour and twenty for this edition. I've been really hooked," she says.
HOW TO PREPARE THE EVENT
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It depends on the category in which you participate and how motivated you want to go, you have to train conscientiously.
María Jesús de Rivera, trainer and programmer of Hyrox classes at CrossFit Coraje, advises: "If your intention is to have a good time with friends, you can sign up for
Doubles
(race as a couple and split tests)
or Relay
(the competition is divided into four) and do the
workouts
dividing them between couples or teams, this way it will be much less intense and you will hardly need prior preparation.
On the other hand, if it is to compete in
Open
(standard) or
Pro
(experienced) it is more demanding.
"There I do recommend having a good level of prior
fitness
. And if you want to have good time, prepare at least six months in advance with specialized training."
According to De Rivera, a good preliminary would be to practice CrossFit regularly and increase more running in weekly training.
"They are functional exercises that everyone, under normal conditions, can perform. Throughout Spain there are many
training centers specialized
in Hyrox that you can find on their website for more specific preparation for the competition."
In the case of training on our own, De Rivera remembers that it is very important
to dedicate time to the race
.
"Also with fatigue, since it will be done combined with other exercises."
Each test is followed by one kilometer, "so if you don't want to have a bad time you should train for it beforehand," he says.
A good way to improve race times would be, according to the coach, "to start training in series, combined with good strength work, pushing and pulling exercises."
Finally, De Rivera advocates working on
pacing
: "It is the strategy that an athlete chooses to
control his energy expenditure
during training to finish in the shortest time possible and it is very important for a long test, where it will be very different from a training session. short and explosive."
A good strategy for the coach is to manage yourself so as not to start at full speed and end up without gas.
"It is preferable to go little by little and, if we feel good, push at the end."