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You’ve heard about them. You may have even asked about them or done a workout. Now we’re going to break them down. I’ve been a CrossFit trainer for about 6 years, but I’ve also been coaching F45 for about 3.5 years. I’ve done a Hyrox workout or two, and have been coaching them for the past couple months. Here we go!
F45
F45 stands for Functional 45. It started in Australia in 2011 with their first franchise officially opening in 2012 in Paddington, Sydney. They have roughly 1,600 studios worldwide in over 60 countries across Australia/Oceania, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. There’s roughly 1,000 in North America and in 2021 they were ranked as the fastest growing fitness franchise in theUS. Mark Wahlberg has been involved with the brand since 2019 and as of 2023 is the Chief Brand Officer.
F45 classes are 45 minutes long and include an introduction, workout brief, demo of all movements, a warm up, and the workout all done through large TV’s and coaches. Every 4 weeks all the studios get a new set of 7 workout formats. Every studio is doing the same workout during those 4 weeks but some studios may switch which days are cardio days and which are strength days. Some of these formats repeat throughout the year, some only show up once a year.
Some formats are cardio centric and use lightweights, bodyweight, and erg machines (row, ski, and/or bike). Some are strength centric using dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, Revo bars (bars of various weights and diameters), slam balls (sand filled balls), and medicine balls (weighted balls of various sizes, no sand). Some workouts combine the 2 but may be bias towards strength or cardio. Weekend workouts are longer with classes being an hour instead of 45 minutes.
The formats themselves can be tricky if you’re new. An easy format would be:
- 1 big circuit of 9-12 stations going around theroom (“racetrack” as we call it)
- 2 laps of the room
- 2 sets at each station per lap, :40 of work and:20 of rest for each set
- A 45 second hydration break between laps
The ones where new folks tend to get lost is when we have “snake” layouts (stations zig zagging from one side of the room to the other) or pods (multiple smaller circuits of 3-4stations).
We may have a strength day where each pod has a specific emphasis e.g. Pod 1 is slow, timed reps, Pod 2 has pause reps, and Pod 3 has reps performed at regular pace. We may also have a major lift like a deadlift or an overhead press where athletes are encouraged to go heavy for around 8 reps while the other movements in the pod are more like accessory work to aid in improving the lift.
Weekend workout formats will occasionally have a pod with an AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible) of less than 10 minutes where athletes are given several movements to perform at their own pace and given a progressive rep scheme (2 reps of every movement, then 4 each, 6, and so on). Cardio days are either sprints of about 20-30 seconds at a time with 10-15 seconds rest or longer days where athletes may spend several minutes at a time for a set. The latter is on the rarer side. As of May, 2024 F45 has partnered with Hyrox, and offers Hyrox workouts on certain days.
As a F45 coach, I spend more time correcting form or finding a suitable scaling option or modification than I do teaching, such as I do as a CrossFit coach. I’m coaching 9-36 athletes at a time and I am CONSTANTLY on the move dishing out corrections, encouragement, and a joke or two.
Pro’s: air conditioning, beginner friendly, no high skill level gymnastic movements, not as intimidating as CrossFit appears to be, designated frequent rest periods.
Con’s: May not be a good fit for competitive single sport athletes or super heavy lifters, workouts are primarily performed in the Phosphagenic (all out sprint or high power) and Glycolytic (high intensity up to 3 minutes) metabolic pathways and seldom in the Oxidative (think long distance run) pathway, less focus on heavy weight training.
Hyrox
Hyrox started in Germany in 2017 and has been called the fastest growing sport in the world. It is defined as:
“a global fitness race that combines strength, endurance, and agility.”
Hyrox, allegedly, is aportmanteau (yeah, I know that word) of “hybrid” and “rockstar”.
From the Hyrox website:
“Over 98% of our athletes complete their HYROX race. With no finishing time restriction, and no qualification required to enter, HYROX welcomes every participant with open arms.”
It is a race to run at your own pace, with the continuous support of friends, family and fellow participants.
Not only that, but the structure of HYROX eliminates the generic fear of ‘coming last’. Every HYROX race has start waves of all ages happening every 10 minutes throughout the entire day, working through each division. Put simply, this means that a 3-hour athlete can cross the finish line at the very same time as a sub-60 athlete!”
Hyrox holds races around the world thus far in 11 countries and 30 cities. Each race consist of 8 x 1 kilometer runs with exercise rounds performed between each run interval. These exercises include, in order:
- 1,000 meter (m) Ski erg
- 50m weighted sled push
- 50m weighted sled pull
- 80m burpees broad jumps
- 1,000m row erg
- 200m farmer carries
- 100m sandbag lunges
- 100 wall balls (you perform a deep squat andthen explosively stand up, throwing a weighted ball at a target, usually on a wall)
A Hyrox workout consist of these movements or some variation. On Hyrox days studios/affiliates have been using formats that have longer working periods of 4-7.5 minute AMRAPs with a partner, or “waterfall” AMRAPs in which an athlete is given a target goal (X amount of reps or a distance) and once the goal is reached, they will initiate the station rotation in their pod.
I once did a Hyrox partner workout of a 20:00 E2MOM (Every 2 Minutes On The Minute) of 5 x 50m shuttle runs (out and back, total) straight into a heavy sandbag carry for distance. Every 2:00 my partner and I would trade off, do the shuttle runs, and pick up the sand bag where the other left off. With Hyrox workouts, just like in CrossFit, there is a certain degree of strategy involved. Knowing when to push, and when to ease off the ga,s can be the difference between running across the finish line and crawling across. Hyrox specific workouts can be found at F45’s and CrossFit/functional fitness gyms all over.
From my perspective, Hyrox is the middle ground between F45 and CrossFit. Since it’s a race, it has more of a focus on cardio and muscle endurance with higher rep volume and longer cardio distances. However, there are no barbells or gymnastic movements like toes to bar or pull-ups.
Pro’s: accessible and challenging to athletes of all fitness levels, races are the same for all events, longer work and cardio intervals for better overall performance and health.
Con’s: lacks variety, most of the focus is on the Glycolytic and Oxidative metabolic pathways (no high power or all out sprints), no heavy barbells or gymnastic movements to prevent muscle loss or increase bone density.
CrossFit
The CrossFit methodology was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000. CrossFit has been described as the biggest fitness chain in the world, with around 10,000 affiliated gyms in over 150 countries as of 2025, about 40% of which are located in the United States. For more information on CrossFit's origins, you can also see my blog “GPP: Not Just For The Military”. (https://x7crossfit.com/blog/general-physical-preparedness-not-just-for-the-military
The Cliffs Notes are as follows:
-CrossFit is defined as constantly varied, functional movements, executed at high intensity.
-CrossFit defines fitness as work capacity across a wide range of durations (time) and types of movements (modal domains) to prepare for life’s unpredictable physical demands. You’re always working hard and fast, or longer and steady, or somewhere in between with relatively high intensity.
-It incorporates elements from High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, kettlebell lifting, calisthenics, strongman, and other exercises.
-It is all scalable and modifiable for athletes of all fitness levels to reach the intended stimulus of the workout.
-CrossFit’s methodology improves quality of life, boosts confidence, and increases longevity. (Look great, feel amazing, and live longer too!)
Since CrossFit is constantly varied, not to be confused with random, you’re always doing something different. One day you could be learning how to row and then do a row sprint workout of a 250m rows and 100m farmer carries, multiple times, in 7:00 or less. The next day you might do “Cindy” which is a 20:00 AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats, and you could wrap up the week with one of my favorite longer workouts, “Filthy 50” (50 reps of 10 lightweight/bodyweight movements).
As a CrossFit coach most of what I do is teaching new athletes how to execute movements safely, scale as necessary, and help more experienced athletes continue to grow. My class size is smaller, 1-7 athletes but sometimes more. My knowledge is as varied as the movements we do because I’ve got to know a little bit about everything, as a CrossFit athlete strives to be proficient at everything. It never gets old.
Pro’s: CrossFit is a proven methodology with over 20 years of data and results, constantly varied means you’re always learning and doing something new, workouts are in all 3 metabolic pathways, workouts are scalable and modifiable for athletes of all skill levels and abilities, incorporates cardio movements that improve cardiovascular health as well as heavy resistance training which increases bone density and preserves muscle, creates a buffer against chronic disease and aging.
Con’s: Most CrossFit gyms don’t have AC (we have AC and heat here at X7 CrossFit), it can seem intimidating to newer athletes, complex movements can be scaled but take time and effort to learn.
The Verdict
Which is one best for you? As you can see, they all have their pro’s and con’s. What it really comes down to is: what’s your goal and what’s your vibe? If you’re looking for a class that will help you look good, get a bit healthier, and not kill you right out the gate, F45 is a good starter class. If you’re more into competing, running and high reps, Hyrox is for you.
If you want to improve your longevity and overall health markers, and you like:
-lifting heavy weights,
-being hard to kill,
-and legally wearing the least amount of clothes…
Come do CrossFit. I’ll be the one wearing toe shoes and Ranger panties.
Whatever you do, whichever you pick, I just want you to get out there and work up a sweat for a little bit. Smiling is optional.
See you in the gym!
Travis Hahn
CFL-2
X7 CrossFit
