Latest news with #CrossFit
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Getting tickets for fitness competitions like Hyrox is almost as hard as seeing Taylor Swift
Emily Harding had four screens poised and ready to try to get tickets when they were released. "I almost thought about roping in my housemate too," the 34-year-old yoga teacher from London told Business Insider. This wasn't a Taylor Swift or Burning Man ticket release. It was Hyrox, a fitness race that's taking the world by storm. "It was like Glastonbury," Harding said. In Hyrox, competitors work in pairs or individually to perform functional exercises, such as wall balls, sled pushes, and rowing. These movements are sandwiched between eight one-kilometer runs. You win by finishing first. Entry costs up to $185 and the winner of the pro division gets a prize of up to $7,500. Unlike CrossFit, which was the dominant fitness contest in the 2010s and features highly technical movements like Olympic lifts, Hyrox was designed to be accessible to anyone who works out regularly. However, as Hyrox grows more popular — even drawing away pro athletes from other sports, like CrossFit GOAT Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr — it is becoming harder to snag tickets, which are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The first race, in Germany in 2017, featured 650 people. In 2024, over 650,000 participants competed in Hyrox contests globally, making it one of the world's fastest-growing fitness events. The hype is prompting gyms to launch their own alternative fitness contests, to cater to members who can't get Hyrox tickets — mass fitness events that typically cost a little less to enter, and usually have a cash prize. Moritz Fürste, one of the cofounders of Hyrox, told BI the organization is aware of the demand and is pushing to keep expanding and optimizing their service. Still, some of the event's biggest fans are say change is overdue. Tickets like 'gold dust' Harding described a Hyrox ticket as "gold dust." She first entered three years ago and had no trouble getting in. In fact, when she had to pull out for medical reasons, she couldn't find anyone to take her ticket. Her second attempt was in June 2025. "I was really gobsmacked how different it was from now to then," Harding said. Tickets were released in two waves, at 12 p.m. and then 5 p.m. Harding was applying for women's doubles, so she and her friend each joined the queue on their phones and laptops. Harding was around 6,000th in the queue, and her friend was 10,000th, but then the queue glitched, and they jumped up to around 30,000th. Harding's phone kept pushing her to the back of the queue, she said. "If you were only doing this on your phone, I can imagine you'd be absolutely fuming," Harding said. Fürste said that server capacities are hard to control, but they are working hard to make the process fair, and it works very well 95% of the time. In 2024, Hyrox UK trialled a New York City Marathon -style ballot system to allocate race places, but the format was scrapped due to overwhelming demand and push-back from affiliates. Harding and her friend finally got through on a laptop, but the tickets they wanted were sold out. They considered finding two guys to do mixed doubles, but while they thought about it, those tickets sold out too. They finally got tickets when they tried again in the 5 p.m. release. "The queueing system was horrible," Harding said. Jamie Thorpe, a sales director from Leicestershire, has competed in two Hyrox games since 2022. He likes the event's accessibility and energy, "even if many of the competitors seem to forget their shirts." The first time he entered, "we got a place easily — no queues, no ticket drops, no random ballots," he told BI. In the years since, Thorpe, 34, has tried to get tickets more times than he can remember, often recruiting friends to assist, but it's got "significantly" harder, he said. "The organizers can hardly be blamed for the success of their event, and I am fortunate to have attended two already, but that doesn't stop it from being immensely frustrating to miss out so consistently," he said. Danny Rae, the UK men's open Hyrox champion, told BI he's competed in over 25 of the events and advises people struggling to get tickets to join an affiliate gym so they get early access. "They do still get sold out because it's in such high demand, but you get a better shot," he said. "Another thing to consider is: people will naturally sign up for the Open races. People are scared of the prospect of doing Pro because of the word 'Pro'. If you are active and you train most days, then just go for Pro and you'll be more likely to get a ticket." Clifford Saul, a personal trainer of 17 years and the owner of The 200 Strong gym in Leicestershire, UK, thinks the rise of Hyrox is in large part due to the proliferation of fitness culture on social media. "If social media were as prevalent as it is now, 10 years ago, I think that boom would've happened sooner," he said. "If you put on an event now, it's thrown in your face. All you need to do is look at one reel, and then the algorithms send you loads more." Gyms are putting on their own events for people who can't get tickets Saul is one of many coaches launching other fitness competitions to cater to members who can't get Hyrox tickets. He is part of a 30-person strong WhatsApp group of local fitness fans who all try to get tickets for each other. Some people never seem to have any luck, others have never had issues, Saul said. With so many of his members missing out on Hyrox tickets, Saul decided to partner with another local gym to host their own group fitness competition called The District Games. "The idea is that all the gyms in the area can enter teams," he said. "We want to get all the local community together, put food on, have a DJ, drinks, a bouncy castle for kids," he said. "And we're doing this because we can't get tickets for Hyrox. We can do it a bit differently, and it won't cost £100 each." Tickets cost £149 for a team of four. On the other hand, some gym owners are staging large-scale events to rival Hyrox. There's Athx, a functional fitness contest, launched in 2023, that focuses more on strength than Hyrox. Another is Metrix, launched in March 2025 — an immersive fitness competition that combines high-intensity workouts with club-level production and world-class DJs. Each pair does as much as they can in each of the five 10-minute stations, with four minutes of recovery in between each. Metrix founder Will McLaren, a personal trainer and former Royal Marine based in London, launched Metrix in March 2025, told BI the atmosphere is dark, so people don't feel like they're being watched, and the exercises are designed to be even more accessible than those in Hyrox. "50% of people can't do a wall ball because they haven't got the mechanics, the overhead extension of the spine, and the anchor mobility to be able to pull them off, so I didn't want to fall into that trap of being stuck in a set workout," McLaren told BI. Metrix also sells separate "social" tickets for those who just want to have fun and don't care about competing — there's a cash prize for whoever wins, though. "It's really important that everyone starts together and everyone finishes together. There's no winners and there's no losers unless you do want to compete for the money." The community aspect is important for McLaren too. Metrix has food vans, ice baths, saunas, and kids' games for people to enjoy afterward. "You're paying £120 for a ticket for Hyrox. It's a lot. People get the patch, they get half a banana, and they get told to go," McLaren said. "So we wanted to make sure people could stay all day, enjoy the music, enjoy the atmosphere, and meet other people." Metrix is priced the same, but McLaren said he wants to offer more for that price. He said he is also hoping to partner with a dating app, to build on the trend of run clubs and fitness events as a place to find love. Hyrox is rushing to keep up with its own success Saul believes the younger generations' love of fitness means group events won't be going away anytime soon. "17- to 24-year-olds, they're not going out, drinking, and partying as much anymore," he said. "They're meeting up and doing fitness events." In a 2023 survey from McKinsey, more than 50% of Gen Z respondents (generally 13 to 28 years old) said fitness was a very high priority for them, compared to 40% of people across all age groups. In the UK, 25- to 34-year-olds make up 42% of Hyrox's demographics, and while there are older people doing Hyrox, the brand is mostly driven by millennials and Gen Z. Fürste, the Hyrox cofounder mentioned earlier, said Hyrox's next goal is "to deliver the best possible race experience for more than 1 million people in the 2025/26 season." They are planning to keep up with demand by launching more races in more countries and cities, with the aim of "taking the sport to as many people as possible across the world," he said. But for long-term Hyrox fans, the competition's growth, both in the number of applicants and the fitness standard, has seen it evolve from the approachability that was part of its initial appeal. Thorpe has done the pairs event twice with a very fit friend, and although their times have improved in many areas, their rankings have dropped dramatically. "The increase in overall standard was extremely noticeable," Thorpe said. "This is, of course, not a problem, but part of what attracted me to the event in the first place was the accessibility, and I hope they don't lose this as the standard continues to rise."
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Forget CrossFit, this $140 million fitness event is taking over
At first, it was the shirtless men. Ripped, sweaty, and moving in a brutal dance of sprinting, sled pushing, and collapsing in dramatic heaps. My Instagram and TikTok feeds were suddenly full of them. I raised an eyebrow. What was this? Then I started seeing women doing it, too. This wasn't your average gym reel or fit-fluencer thirst trap. These people looked like they were in the middle of a full-blown endurance event. Related: Apple Watch, Fitbit rival stuns with bold message They were sprinting across concrete, dragging sleds, doing wall balls and burpee broad jumps in front of crowds. There were timers, announcers, people in branded gear. Some were even wearing cute matching outfits. Whatever this was, it clearly wasn't just a workout. It looked miserable. It looked competitive. It also looked…strangely hot? At first, I thought maybe it was just a CrossFit thing. But this felt different - more structured, more polished. It was showing up in London, Miami, Berlin. Everywhere. So I started digging. Enter: Hyrox. So what is Hyrox? Founded in Germany in 2017, this race is designed to test both endurance and strength. It always follows the same format: participants run eight 1-kilometer laps, and after each lap, they stop to complete a challenging workout. Think dragging heavy sleds, rowing machines, burpees, and throwing medicine balls at a target - all done back to back. The race is open to anyone, with divisions for individuals, doubles, and relays. And because the format doesn't change, athletes can compare times globally, climb the leaderboards, and even qualify for world championships. Related: Nike fumbles its biggest launch of the year It's what co-founder Moritz Fürste calls "the marathon of fitness," and the numbers are proving it's catching on. In 2025, Hyrox will host 83 events and see over 650,000 athletes compete. It operates in 11 countries globally and does approximately $140 million in revenue, according to this interview with Fürste. In another interview with CNBC, Fürste said, "We will be a global sport," and it's hard to argue otherwise. What started as a niche competition is quickly becoming the next big thing in functional fitness, with mass-market appeal. The rise of Hyrox is more than just a viral trend: it's a clear signal that the fitness landscape is shifting. According to Precedence Research, the global health and wellness market is valued at $6.87 trillion in 2025 and is projected to reach $11 trillion by 2034. That kind of explosive growth creates room for new players, and Hyrox is sprinting straight into the spotlight. Unlike CrossFit, which varies daily and leans heavily on community boxes, Hyrox events are polished, repeatable, and scalable. They're hosted in massive arenas, backed by big sponsors, and designed to feel like legitimate sporting events. That structure has major business implications. It opens the door to media rights, merchandise, brand partnerships, and global licensing. Think Spartan Race meets Formula 1. It also gives gym owners something tangible to plug into. Hyrox has launched affiliated training programs and certifications, creating a full ecosystem that lets studios capitalize on the hype. And people are paying to suffer. Entry fees can range from $90 to over $200. Some events draw thousands of competitors in a single weekend. For a generation that's grown tired of boutique cycling classes and globo gyms, this might be the next evolution: suffering together, scoring it, and chasing personal records on a global stage. Whether it's the shirtless men or the fact it somehow makes physical torture look fun, Hyrox is the real deal. Related: The diet mistake 71% of Americans are trying to fix The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
With 15 months of sobriety, aspiring S.F. firefighter was building a new life — until a fatal relapse
For 15 months, Kyle Emerson dedicated every day to creating the life he wanted. The 29-year-old worked two jobs, participated in daily cold plunges and CrossFit, went to school to become an emergency medical responder and routinely attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It was a major feat for the Petaluma man, who had struggled with addiction for half his life before reaching a point in early 2024 where he considered driving out to the ocean and overdosing on fentanyl. Day by day, Kyle strung together his longest consecutive stretch without using drugs while working toward becoming a San Francisco firefighter. He hoped to help others suffering with addiction. 'Instead of being afraid all the time of losing him, I had a little over a year to just be so proud of him and enjoy watching him succeed,' said his mom, Tracy Emerson. But just days after completing his EMT training program, Kyle failed to show up for work at the Petaluma eatery Lunchette, where many community members knew and loved him. And within a matter of hours, officials confirmed the outcome that Tracy had long feared. Kyle was found dead in the bathroom of a hotel in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, with a pipe and lighter in his hands, according to his mother. An official cause of death is not yet available, but Kyle's mom believes he fatally overdosed after booking a two-night hotel stay and going to the city to purchase drugs. Kyle's main drug of choice was crack cocaine, but he had also overdosed on the powerful opioid fentanyl several times in the past, Tracy said. Kyle's death — among the latest in an ongoing overdose crisis that claimed 637 lives in San Francisco last year — devastated his family and friends and left many questioning why someone who had such a strong support system around him and was on his way to achieving his dreams would return to using dangerous drugs. It also occurred amid a sustained debate about how best to address San Francisco's open-air drug markets and whether the city's policies toward drug consumption are too lenient. An estimated 1 in 10 Americans, or more than 22 million adults in the U.S., have recovered from an addiction, according to the Massachusetts-based organization Recovery Research Institute. But reaching long-term addiction recovery is notoriously difficult and it's not unusual for someone to relapse — even after achieving major accomplishments, said Keith Humphreys, an addiction researcher and professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. 'Addiction really is a chronic disease,' Humphreys said. 'A person's brain adapts to the repeated administration of these drugs, and when someone stops using, the amount of effort they have to expend not to think about or use that drug is much greater. Their ability to enjoy other kinds of rewards that are not associated with drugs are also weaker.' The tragedy with fentanyl, he added, is that a person could die after returning to use one time. About three weeks before Kyle's death, his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, Jonathan Parkhurst, said Kyle stopped calling and checking in. Based on Parkhurst's own experience, he grew concerned. 'There's a phrase we use in AA: 'Don't let the life AA gives you get in the way of your AA life,'' Parkhurst said. 'I think that's what happened to Kyle. He got his EMT license, got everything that he wanted, and he still relapsed.' Parkhurst, who has been in recovery for more than 20 years, was a former drug user on the streets of San Francisco. He said a handful of times he quit using drugs and got a job, only to relapse and wind up on the streets or in jail again. When Parkhurst heard about Kyle's death, he was heartbroken. 'I saw a lot of myself in him,' Parkhurst said. 'I'm sure he thought he could use that day and come home and he'd deal with the consequences later. But that's not the case. These drugs are deadly.' Addiction ran in Kyle's family. Tracy is in recovery from alcoholism and Kyle's father has long struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Kyle became dependent on marijuana in high school, and in the years that followed, he experimented with a variety of other drugs, including ecstasy, heroin, crack and fentanyl. Tracy said her son's struggles with addiction took a turn for the worse about eight years ago, when a man who she sponsored through Alcoholics Anonymous took Kyle to downtown San Francisco and showed him how to buy drugs on the streets. As Tracy has worked to process her grief over the past month and a half, she said she's grown angry with San Francisco and the way it has handled its drug and homelessness crises. 'Just knowing that someone like Kyle could get on a bus and go get any drugs that they want is terrifying,' she said. 'I just don't feel like there are enough penalties for drug dealers. I feel like they should face attempted homicide or something.' A few prosecutors in California have begun to charge fentanyl dealers with homicides. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has warned that her office would pursue homicide charges against dealers whose sales result in a death, but to date no such charges have been filed. Still, since Jenkins took office in 2022, felony drug convictions have dramatically increased. Jenkins said in a statement that she remains committed to 'doing everything possible to hold drug dealers accountable, including filing murder charges… if presented with a provable case.' At a memorial for Kyle last weekend, community members from across Petaluma came out to pay their respects. Most remembered Kyle not for the way he died but for the bright smile he offered to customers at Lunchette and the Griffo Distillery, the other place he worked. They recalled the compassion and empathy he showed friends and strangers alike. 'I don't want to reduce all this work he'd done and the person that he was to the word 'overdose,'' said Kat Prescott, the manager at Griffo. 'He was so much more than that.' Holding back tears as she spoke in front of the group, Tracy implored everyone in attendance to have less judgement against people experiencing addiction and to 'turn their grief into purpose.' 'Unfortunately most of us will never know of our impact until our life review on the other side,' Tracy said. 'But I want to encourage everyone to pick up where Kyle left off and to share our goodness, our compassion, our love, our hearts with one another in whatever capacity we are able.'
What's On
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- What's On
Beat the Heat: 24/7 gyms open all summer in Dubai
With temperatures getting ready to soar in Dubai, running outside or hitting the beach for a workout just won't be an option for a few months. Luckily, Dubai has you covered with 24/7 gyms that let you train indoors around the clock. Whether you're a night owl or an early riser, here are three top fitness centers where you can work out anytime, all summer long. GymNation GymNation is one of Dubai's most affordable and accessible gym chains, with state of the art Matrix equipment, a free weights section up to 60kg, and over 400 free group classes every month. It's ideal for everyone from beginners to serious athletes. Location: Al Quoz, Mirdif, Bur Dubai, Motor City, Silicon Oasis, and Downtown Dubai Cost: monthly packages starting from Dhs199 Contact: PureGym Known for its no frills, high value setup, PureGym offers the basics done well. You'll get 24/7 access to cardio and weight training machines, a clean and modern space, and optional personal training Location: Al Barsha and Nad Al Sheba Cost: monthly packages starting from Dhs199 + joining fee Contact: AB Fitness This massive 120,000 square foot gym boasts more than 500 pieces of equipment, an indoor running track, and a view of the marina. If you're after luxury and space, this is the place. Location: Dubai Maritime City Cost: monthly packages starting from Dhs472.50 + joining fee Contact: Warehouse Gym Warehouse Gym is a bold, high-energy fitness destination known for its graffiti-covered walls, nightclub lighting, and a strong community vibe. Designed to motivate, this gym offers specialised training zones including CrossFit, Olympic lifting, cardio, and boxing, plus group classes like cycle, HIIT, and yoga. Whether you're after aesthetic goals or performance gains, WH Gym aims to deliver serious results in a seriously cool space. Location: 12 locations across Dubai Cost: Monthly packages from Dhs315 Contact: Don't miss a thing, follow What's On on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for the latest news, events and everything in between… Images: Instagram > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
New York Post
4 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Toxic ‘muscle mommy' versus ‘Pilates princess' trend can have lasting negative effects, experts say
'Thin is in' — again — and social media is to blame, critics say. The rise of trendy weight-loss drugs like Ozempic has turbocharged a new wave of toxic body standards. But it's not just the shots fueling the shift. In digital wellness circles, a not-so-subtle transformation is playing out. People are ditching the 'muscle mommy' aesthetic and opting for the pilates look instead. Kalim – Once celebrated for strength and powerlifting prowess, the 'muscle mommy' movement — a term used to describe strong, muscular women who strength train — is being replaced by a wave of Pilates-obsessed influencers pushing a leaner, daintier aesthetic, which was originally reported on by PureWow. After years of hyping up CrossFit and lifting heavy in the name of being 'strong, not skinny,' gym-goers on TikTok and Instagram are now sharing why they've ditched heavy deadlifts for leg circles, blaming weights for making them look too beefy. And sadly, these people pushing their pilates obsession are creating a bigger problem. Pilates-obsessed people are creating a bigger problem without even realizing it. Vasyl – Body types shouldn't be a trend, critics argue, warning that this narrow image of what a 'fit' body should look like may actually discourage people from working out altogether — or worse, spiral them into obsessive, unhealthy routines. Case in point: TikTok is filled with videos of women analyzing their bodies, torn between the 'muscle mommy' look or the 'Pilates princess' aesthetic. Social media videos captioned 'Pilates hourglass' and 'pilates body > gym body' are just adding to a body insecurity epidemic among women. 'It's important to remember that exercise is about feeling strong and healthy, not fitting a certain look. Enjoying Pilates or any workout doesn't mean you have to look like the people you see online,' Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist based in New York City, told PureWow. 'Seeing the same body type repeatedly on social media can make people feel like they have to look that way to be accepted,' she told the outlet. Hafeez said that comparing your body to others online leads to low self-esteem. 'It can also make people feel like their worth depends on how they look, instead of who they are. This pressure can lead to harmful habits.' The 'muscle mommy' versus 'Pilates princess' debate even made its way to Reddit, where an entire thread exists of women sharing their thoughts about the toxicity of all of it. 'Yes! Do both, do it ALL. I lift heavy, do yoga and pilates, work on Hiit and cardio, dance my heart out. Life is meant for movement, and different ways of moving bring different joys,' shared on user. ''Muscle Mommy' always has and forever will make me want to f—ing vomit. I hate it so much,' quipped someone else. 'It's such a dumb thing to pit pilates and lifting against each other, as they both support and enhance one another. Pilates alone is great, as is lifting, but I've found pilates and yoga have both supported my range of motion, breathing, flexibility, and endurance to assist in progressing with lifting, esp after lengthy breaks…' a logical person pointed out. At the end of the day, people should move their bodies whichever way they want to — not how social media is telling them to.
