Hyrox’s path to global domination
Greg Williams is the creator of RoxLyfe, a UK-based media outlet dedicated to the rapidly growing sport of Hyrox. RoxLyfe offers podcast interviews with athletes and experts, training tips, race coverage, programming, and more.
The Hybrid Letter spoke with Greg about how he improved his own Hyrox time by 20 minutes, common nutrition mistakes, and the potential of Hyrox as a global sport.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: What got you into hybrid training, and why did you fall in love with it?
Greg Williams: In terms of hybrid training, I think it was the possibility of competition. It gave a purpose to going down to the gym. I was coming to the end of my football career — soccer, I should say. I was probably losing a little bit of love for that as well. And I got an injury. I tore my ligaments at one point in my ankle. Coming back from that, tackling was a bit half-hearted and I just didn’t want to continue to get injured.
I’ve always trained at a gym, but then I discovered hybrid competitions. There's a couple over here in the UK. The first one I saw was Turf Games. That had quite a large strength element to it. Then I went and competed in something called the National Fitness Games. That was very similar. It had a strength workout and an endurance workout. And more speed and power-based workouts. So that’s what I competed in for a while. That’s what motivated me. And that’s what I trained for. The competitive element gave a purpose to my training.
But you never know if you are truly getting better. You had a rough idea. But those competitions always depended on what workouts they put up on the day. If the endurance section had more running, I would probably be alright. But if there was more rowing, then I would not do as well. So you never truly knew if you were getting better.
So then, when Hyrox came along, it was so much more appealing to me. You got a time. Then you had a time to beat, and it was a set workout. You knew what you were training for. And while there is obviously a competitive element to it, you have your time and you are competing against yourself as well.
THL: At this point, you’ve done a number of Hyrox races and have improved your time by more than 20 minutes, which is a massive improvement. What do you think were the most important factors that allowed you to do that?
GW: I am quite proud of that time improvement. I just ticked away at it. I wasn’t 15 minutes from one race to the next. It was just a steady improvement.
A lot of it has come from consistent training. Almost every day, I’m working towards being better at Hyrox. And that’s been over two years now. So I think consistency is a big under-appreciated component. A lot of people want to get better as quickly as possible. But it is a journey, and it takes time. When you do try and rush things too much — running too much — that can lead to injuries. To be consistent in your training, you have to avoid injuries.
Working on my running has been a big factor for me. It is such a huge part of the race. Consistently working on running at a range of speeds is very important — the slow steady work, speed intervals, and threshold work. And compromised running as well.
It’s important to look at a whole year as different training phases. In the off-season, you aren’t necessarily doing as much Hyrox-specific work. But as you get closer to the race, you fine-tune things and really dial in the movements. But what you do the month before a race, I don’t think you can do year-round. You will end up fatigued and lose motivation. Taking a proper off-season where it’s more Zone 2 work and more strength work is important.
THL: You have a background in nutrition. What do you think is an effective nutritional approach as you prepare for a Hyrox?
GW: I do consultations with people who are competing in Hyrox races. I see a lot of people come with different issues, but many of them are fatigued. They come from a general gym background where they’ve been training for body composition. And then they are trying to train for performance and training for Hyrox. But they are eating the same way that they’ve always eaten. They end up not improving and are really tired.
When you are training for Hyrox, it’s critical that you are eating enough calories ad eating enough carbs. It can be a very different diet than what you need if you’re purely looking to improve body composition by building muscle and losing fat. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily appreciate when they first come into the sport.
You might be able to get through a session with willpower. But what happens when you are getting the right food and getting enough macronutrients is your performance can steadily improve. You can push yourself a little more, a little harder, which leads to adaptations. Fueling properly can lead to very subtle changes that can make a big difference to happiness and to performance.
THL: Where do you see Hyrox going as a sport? How big do you think it can get?
GW: I think it can become very, very big. I started RoxLyfe because as soon as I saw it, I thought this is going to grow significantly. And it has, especially in the UK. There are new race announcements, new venues, and more athletes competing. You can see the trajectory it is on.
The team especially — Christian [Toetzke] and Mo [Fürste] — they’re the guys that I would bet on to grow a business. I feel like they’re thinking big for it.
It is such an accessible sport that anyone can do. We talk about the elite side a lot on RoxLyfe. The reality is that 99% of the people aren’t elite. And anyone can come into it and compete. I've seen it at my local gym, which is not a high-performance gym.There are a lot of people who competed in London Hyrox that would never have competed in Turf Games or National Fitness Games. But they are doing it because it is so accessible.
Everyone who races posts about it on social media. As soon as you do it, normally you want to do another. And then you tell your friends about it and they want to do it. Word spreads quickly.
Hyrox seems to be trying to get to all countries everywhere in the world before other competitors start up. You see them going into Mexico, Korea, and Taiwan. They’ve been to Australia, Poland, and Dubai. They have a footprint all over the globe now.
The US is probably critical to growth. The success of Hyrox in the UK has been so much greater than in other countries. It is easier for me to travel to Manchester, even though that is the other end of the country than it is for you to travel to California. I think the New York event in [in June] is important because it’s in Manhattan in an impressive venue [Pier 76], and there will be a lot of eyes on it.
The other thing that will drive growth is the elite side of the sport. Not because everyone wants to become elite but because people watch them compete, and it is a source of motivation. Getting proper live streams for major races is another factor that will drive the sport forward. CrossFit is ten years ahead of Hyrox. They’ve got eyes on the elite side. I think it could become bigger than CrossFit because it is much more accessible.
You can follow RoxLyfe on Instagram, check out their YouTube channel, and subscribe to the RoxLyfe podcast.
Hybrid athlete of the week: Ben Colbert
Name: Ben Colbert
Age: 36
Hometown: Sulphur, Oklahoma
Why did you start hybrid racing? I stumbled upon the sport about two years ago after winning a free ticket to enter the 2022 New York Hyrox via David Magida’s Instagram. I am so happy that I did also because it was just what I needed to shake off the residual “Covid Funk” I was still experiencing. Covid left me in a bad spot both mentally and physically.
I received a message from David: “Good news, you won!!!” But the "bad news" was I had to join Magida’s “Hybrid Athlete” program at his gym in DC. “It’s going to absolutely wreck you. Are you in or out?” David asked.
I love setting big goals. I responded immediately to David’s message, “I’m In!”
At my first class, there was a 50-minute block of continuous strength and endurance sets. I felt like quitting multiple times. But the positive energy, motivation, and excitement in the room from both David and the other hybrid athletes kept me going to the buzzer. I was truly wrecked after the first workout, but I was hooked. I kept going back to class, week after week, all the way up to Hyrox, New York.
Fast forward almost two years, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself without hybrid training and Hyrox. I recently finished my third Hyrox race, and I plan to continue hybrid fitness training until my legs completely give out.
Do you have a race goal?: 1:28
Favorite station?: Burpee broad jumps. It’s my favorite because I feel like it’s the most technical out of all of the stations. I’ve been able to cut my time down by 30%.
Least favorite station?: The most badass station is the sled push, but it also happens to be my least favorite because it is so freaking hard.
Things you wish you knew when you started racing? Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. The competition is truly between you and yourself.
Video of the week: Bubbles the Clowne wins the Deka Strong World Championship
Kevin Gregory, aka @bubblestheclowne, won the Deka Stong World Championship last weekend in Dallas. An underdog facing an elite field of competitors, Gregory entered Station 7 — the assault bike — well behind the leaders. Gregory calmly stepped up to the bike, adjusted the seat, and blasted through 25 calories in 20 seconds. The crowd erupted, and Gregory hung on for the win. It was an iconic moment in hybrid sports.
