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Jakarta has a pattern when it comes to fitness.
There was CrossFit, then marathons, and then padel. Each wave came with its own uniforms, communities and unspoken bragging rights, proof that you were disciplined and committed enough.
Now, it’s Hyrox.
First launched in Germany in 2017, Hyrox has quickly grown into a global fitness race staged in more than 80 cities. Its first iteration had 650 participants, but last year it drew over half a million athletes, from London and Las Vegas to Tokyo and Singapore.
This June, it arrives in Jakarta. And true to form, Hyrox classes across the capital are already full. Gyms are racing to become certified training clubs; others are launching practice races. There’s even equipment and gear specifically designed for Hyrox.
But after padel and marathons, is Hyrox Jakarta’s next lasting fitness obsession, or just the latest thing to try before moving on?
Leveling the playing field
On your left at a Hyrox starting line stands a seasoned runner with a slim frame, holding a steady five-minute pace with ease. On your right is a muscular gym enthusiast who can likely lift double his body weight without blinking.
They don’t train alike, they don’t move alike, but they end up in the same race, grinding through the same sequence of runs and workout sets. That, more than anything else, is the essence of Hyrox.
Hyrox bills itself as a hybrid race: part endurance test, part functional workout. The format is fixed: eight kilometers of running, divided by eight workout stations. Participants run one kilometer, complete a strength-based task, then repeat until the finish line.
The movements are simple but cumulative: ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jump, rowing, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. The sequence stays the same in every city, from Berlin to Bangkok. The challenge is not in complexity, but in compounding fatigue.
“Honestly, you could say the individual workouts are easy. They’re basic movements anyone can do,” said Muhammad Aditya, head coach and cofounder of South Barn, a Hyrox affiliated gym in Kemang, South Jakarta.
“The challenge is the strain of doing all of them in a row, on top of the endurance you need to run for that long.”
Rizki Fauzan, head coach of The Commune, a Hyrox affiliated fitness center, agrees.
“All of the equipment used in a Hyrox race is for universal workouts. So you really can benefit from your general strength by training for this competition,” he said.
The universality is deliberate, as is the pain, making it a challenge that anyone looking to check off a fitness goal can sign up for.
“It’s high intensity for a prolonged period,” said Ivan, head coach of Hyrox affiliate Bodyfit Jakarta.
“On average, the heart rate of a Hyrox participant hovers in the range of zone 4 and zone 5. That's really high,” he added.
Scalable, shareable, social
To draw in an even wider base, Hyrox offers multiple race formats: solo, doubles and relay. Entry fees range from Rp 1,880,000 to Rp 2,480,000 (US$112 to $148), depending on the category.
Solo racers, split into male and female divisions, can choose between open and pro categories. The course is identical, only the weights change.
Doubles split the race between two people, relays among four. Both allow mixed gender teams and use the open category, which has lighter weights. These formats turn a punishing individual challenge into something communal, and that’s part of the appeal. It’s a team sport disguised as a personal test.
“The max capacity for our Hyrox training classes is 40, and we do eight classes weekly,” Ivan said.
“Recently, they’ve all been full to the point of needing a waiting list to join, so this month we had to add two more classes,” he added.
Aditya and Rizki have noticed the same pattern. Classes that once struggled to fill are now running at capacity, with simulations held several times a week.
“Demand is insanely high, so now the issue is the supply of properly trained Hyrox coaches,” Aditya said.
It’s a familiar problem that Jakarta also saw during the padel boom, especially with Indonesia’s first official Hyrox race just months away.
Training for pain
Hyrox might be open to all, but you can’t just wing it.
More than 98 percent of participants finish the race, largely because unlike marathons, there are no cutoff times. There are no qualifications either, but preparation is still nonnegotiable.
“Ninety minutes is considered a fast completion time for a single participant,” Ivan explained.
“So even at the highest caliber of performance, Hyrox is still quite a lengthy physical test.”
Two hours is considered normal; three hours is acceptable. What matters, coaches say, is consistency.
“What's important is that you do the race correctly. For prospective racers, you should train consistently every other day for at least two to three months, optimally four,” Ivan advised.
The hybrid format also throws off even some experienced athletes, while runners need to build strength and lifters need to build stamina.
“People usually do cardio and strength training separately,” Rizky said. “Even if you’re generally fit, your body still needs to get used to this mixed experience first.”
For some, that adjustment is the appeal.
Dini, 32, is a marketing manager at Fortis Calisthenics. She signed up for Hyrox Singapore in June 2025 as a personal challenge and trained for three months, running three times a week and lifting four days a week, or around seven total hours of training.
She finished in one hour and 33 minutes, short of her target, but she was satisfied nonetheless.
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to start running consistently and adapt quickly,” Dini said.
“Finishing the race gave me a strong sense of accomplishment.”
Will the hype last?
For gym rats, Hyrox offers a rare public stage, a strength-oriented mirror to Jakarta’s marathon culture. For runners, it disrupts routine. For first-timers, it offers a clear, finite checkpoint.
It helps that the race is actually designed as a spectacle.
“In the races I’ve participated in, there were live DJs, tons of spectators, photographers on standby,” Ivan said, recalling his experience racing in Bangkok.
“Aside from being an insane physical challenge, it's also packaged as a proper event, a stage for you to perform as athletes,” he said.
Perhaps Hyrox’s biggest draw is this paradox: It feels extreme, yet welcoming. This year, it’s even opening a four-day cruise in October from Spain’s Palma de Mallorca.
“You are encouraged to finish, no matter how long you take,” Aditya said.
“Unlike other competitions, anyone can join and anyone can do it. There just needs to be commitment and discipline for your own safety,” he said.
Still, not everyone plans to return year after year.
“I don’t see myself doing Hyrox every year. For me, it’s a goal-oriented challenge rather than a lifestyle,” Dini said.
“But I believe the hype can continue, especially as new participants try Hyrox for the first time.”
That may be precisely why it works. Hyrox doesn’t rely on lifelong loyalty; it thrives on turnover. It attracts the curious, the competitive and the people who want to prove something.
In a city that moves from one fitness obsession to the next, Hyrox fits neatly into the box.
Limited race slots, packed training classes and regional events in Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta make it feel like an occasion, not an obligation. It’s something to train for, complete and maybe move on from.
Either way, the goal gets checked off. And for now, that seems to be enough.
