Cover Matthew Chong, founder, District 13
Matthew Chong, founder, District 13
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With its simple format and inclusive spirit, Hyrox is making functional fitness feel more accessible than ever. We speak to two experts about its rising popularity
When Matthew Chong first heard about Hyrox, he wasn’t sold. “To be really honest, it didn’t attract me when someone first told me about it,” says the founder of District 13, the biggest Hyrox gym in Malaysia. “I thought, ‘What the hell is this?!’ The movements looked repetitive and boring.”
But something shifted. His perspective changed through conversations with coach Jamie Barnett and exposure to the format’s potential. “I realised it was a good gateway for people to get into functional fitness.”
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Above Jaime Barnett, coach at District 13 doing the sled push, one of movements in Hyrox
Jaime Barnett, coach at District 13 doing the sled push, one of movements in Hyrox
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For the uninitiated, Hyrox is a fitness racing concept that combines running with functional workouts. Participants complete eight one-kilometre runs, each followed by a different functional movement station—including sled pushes, sled pulls, burpees, rowing, and weighted lunges. That standardisation has helped Hyrox scale globally while remaining surprisingly accessible.
“I liked it for my own training,” says Barnett, who recently got first place at Hyrox Bangkok in the Men’s Open Category. “The movement standards aren’t scary, and it’s more inclusive. That was something I missed in my own experience—community.”
Above Barnett and Chong
Barnett and Chong
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Introducing a new training model didn’t come without its logistical challenges. “Space is a big one,” Chong notes. “Running, walking lunges, burpees—they all require 10 to 20 meters. That’s fine for one person but for a class of 20? We had to move things around.”
More than that, there was the challenge of shifting expectations. In a market used to ClassPass-style sampling and hour-long HIIT sessions, committing to the Hyrox approach—a longer, more structured effort—required a mindset change.
“It’s a demanding sport,” Barnett explains. “Not many people run for 60 minutes or do 90-minute workouts. So we had to spend time educating people that it’s not just for elite athletes.”
That inclusivity is central to Hyrox’s ethos, even if the gym environment might initially suggest otherwise. “People think the sport and the gym are intimidating,” says Barnett. “They imagine it’s just music blaring and grunting and shouting. But we’ve seen 60-year-old men and women at Hyrox races achieving their own personal goals. You can walk a Hyrox. You don’t have to be a runner. And we’re trying to promote back to the people that it is a lifestyle, not just a serious-looking sport.”
That message seems to be landing. Since introducing Hyrox at District 13, the gym has seen steady growth in participation—and a healthy crossover with other training disciplines. “The Hyroxers are trying CrossFit, and vice versa,” Chong observes. “I think people do crave that human connection and the community aspect of things. Doing it together, suffering together, achieving things together. You support each other,” he notes.
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Above Chong believes that people crave the human connection and the community aspect of the sport
Chong believes that people crave the human connection and the community aspect of the sport
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Hyrox’s simplicity helps, too. “It’s running, lunges, pushes, pulls,” says Barnett. “Far less complex than barbell work. And because the format is the same wherever you race, people use it as a way to measure progress—or even travel.”
Still, Hyrox isn’t a sport you can bluff your way through. Serious preparation is required, especially in the lead-up to a race. “When we look at training for Hyrox, we program it where the furthest time away from a race or an event you’re going to go, move the body, go for your runs, do your compound lifts, your strength work,” he explains.
Above Chong doing a rope pull
Chong doing a rope pull
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As the competition approaches, specificity becomes essential: “You want to start practising the movement standards; you want to try and get workouts that will replicate a race as we get closer to the time of the race.”
Rushing that process, however, often leads to injury. “The biggest mistake we see is people going from zero to ten kilometres a week out of nowhere,” he warns. “The body isn’t ready. You get tight calves, sore Achilles, hamstring pulls—especially with the sled work.”
Chong adds a balanced perspective: “I should add that there’s a risk of injury with any activity you do. So maybe they’re not training too smartly, or maybe it’s because they don’t know, and that’s on us to educate and guide them.”
But it’s not just stronger bodies that emerge from Hyrox. It’s stronger minds, too. “Transformation starts mentally,” says Barnett. “People walk in thinking they can’t do something. They leave feeling confident and resilient. The physical changes come later. But that mental shift—that’s what really sticks.”
Chong has seen it firsthand. “Jamie’s methods have helped people push beyond their comfort zones. Not past their limits, but far enough to realise they’re capable of more than they thought.”
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Above Barnett thinks that the simplicity of Hyrox helps its appeal to a wider community
Barnett thinks that the simplicity of Hyrox helps its appeal to a wider community
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To keep the sport fresh, Hyrox has introduced categories from Open to Pro to Elite and Adaptive (an inclusive division designed for those with physical or neurological impairments). “I think the format of Hyrox will stay the same for the foreseeable future in terms of the race format,” predicts Barnett. “Ideally, it would be great for gyms to build a bigger community and more gyms to leverage the popularity and the demand for this type of training.”
“I think for Malaysia, the ultimate would be to get a race here. It would be so cool if a race could come into KL or Johor,” Barnett adds.
Chong takes a more measured view of the sport’s longevity: “I give Hyrox maybe another five years before they probably should evolve. You’ve got other event organisers who look at Hyrox as somewhat of a top dog right now, and they want to get to that level, but they’re going to try doing it in different ways and mixing things up.”
Credits
Photography: Fady Younis
Sim Wie Boon is the general manager of Tatler Malaysia. Previously the print and digital editor, Sim hails from the land of the hornbills, Sarawak. Sim is now based in Kuala Lumpur and brings more than a decade of experience in the media industry as a journalist and broadcast producer.
As a self-proclaimed geriatric millennial, he appreciates the finer things in life, from savouring a sip of single malt whisky to relishing in the deliciousness of char siew. While reminiscing about the indie-sleaze era, Sim now finds solace in the soothing tunes of ambient music, staying active through running and occasionally succumbing to the addictive world of doom scrolling.
Follow him on Instagram or Threads at @simwb
