How are they similar and what are the differences between the two modern sports?

Perhaps, before long, the comparison between CrossFit and Hyrox in the media will become outdated, because the second, much newer, is in full growth. As we told you recently, CrossFit is currently the largest sports community in the fitness world – on the same level as racket tennis and track and field, in sports in general – and Hyrox is still very small next to it. This, the current dimension of both sports, is the first difference between the two. But, even though that is true They have clear similarities Therefore, they more or less appeal to the same profile of people, and there are more differences.

The first is the origin: CrossFit was born at the beginning of this century in the United States by Greg Glassman and Lauren Genai – then a married couple – where it became a sport with a distinguished following not only at the amateur level, but also at the professional level. Proof of this is the CrossFit Games, which bring together competitors from all over the world and a loyal audience across the screen.

HeroX is much newer. It was born in 2017, less than a decade ago, in Germany, and its founders are Christian Towitzki and Moritz Fürst. This means that it is not an evolution or branch of CrossFit, which is an idea on the minds of many people who are now starting to learn about the new system. Although, as we told you in the report we delved into Herox Keys, there are many people who practice it at an amateur level who come to it from CrossFit.

This is because their “ingredients” are similar, even though they are mixed or combined in a vastly different way.

Differences in Hyrox and CrossFit dynamics

Hyrox dynamics are very different from CrossFit. First, because its training and competition structure is fixed: always You have to complete 8 kilometers of running divided into 8 rounds kilometers, with functional training interspersed between them. They are exercises that you will know if you have done functional training or HIIT-type training at any gym event, although they may not seem familiar to you due to the English vocabulary in which they are baptized. They are the following:

– 1000m Ski Erg: It is a machine that simulates the sport of snowboarding in the Nordic countries.

– Sled push: the modern exercise in functional training.

– Pulling the sled: The more weight you carry, the harder it becomes.

– Burpee exercises with long jump (broad burpee jumps). It’s a full burpee but with a forward jump with your feet together instead of jumping vertically.

– 1000 meters rowing. On a machine you’ve seen and probably tried many times in the gym.

– Farmers load. It consists of holding two weights and walking straight with arms outstretched.

– Sand steps.

– Throwing the ball at the wall (wall ball). You have to throw a medicine ball high and catch it in a squat position, all in a dynamic way.

All these exercises combined with running This should be done in pairs (male, female or mixed) in the shortest possible time. In preparatory or heroic-inspired races, the weights and distances of each exercise can vary.

CrossFit, on the other hand, is a An individual sport where functional work has more weight than cardiovascular workAlthough it also includes exercises of this type such as running. Their training programs are characterized by constant variety and high intensity, but they are not the same: when you train, the work table is different, the so-called WODs (Workout of the Day) as well as the structure, which combines typical exercises for powerlifting (powerlifting), functional training and metabolic resistance.

The rules are different too

In CrossFit, time is not the final variable as it is in Hyrox, where the key is to complete training as quickly as possible – doing each exercise well, with the jury watching – but it is also important Weight load and number of repetitions are important. Depending on your CrossFIT competition, you can compete or train for rounds, reps, or time. On the other hand, in HeroX, the order of exercises and the distance to be completed are always the same. Whoever finishes it faster wins.

This is an important difference, especially when competing, because it greatly affects preparation. In HeroX, the athlete knows the distance and exercises he must prepare for daily as the formula is no different, but in CrossFit the details are given a few minutes before the start, so it cannot be planned based on a specific competition structure.

next to, The qualifications of athletes are also different Because in HeroX, good repetitions and the time in which they are completed are counted. In CrossFit, technical ability or weight are also factors that play a role.

Because the mathematical dynamics are different, although there are similarities between them, the material is also different. In gymnastics, specific machines such as a rowing machine, sled, or roller skate are heavier, while in CrossFit a variety of materials are used. Which in most cases coincides with functional training: bars, discs, bells, cajuns, ropes (battle ropes), etc.

From everything described it can be said that both specialties They have different sporting goals. The goal is competitive in both Hyrox and CrossFit, but the former seeks to measure and compare an athlete’s overall performance in an identical structure around the world, while CrossFit is distinguished by its desire to develop the overall athlete: the most complete in strength, agility, power, resistance, technique, speed and flexibility.

However, they are similar in target audience, as both disciplines share the profile of those who practice and follow them. And we’re not just talking about super athletes, like Hyrox and CrossFit They are disciplines compatible with all types of physical levels. You can start without being in good shape as long as your training expectations and requirements are adjusted.

This is easier if you work in rounds – no matter how long, getting the clock down will be your challenge – in CrossFit. In Hyrox, stopwatch rules so that you have an objective reference to fight against yourself. Of course, it is advisable to start with shorter distances than the official ones until you find the necessary fitness to meet the real and overall demands of a Heroics competition.