Performance, not just training

What HYROX has to do with it - and why hybrid training is the future.

Performance, not just training

What HYROX has to do with it - and why hybrid training is the future.

HYROX has transformed fitness into a competitive sport. As the official partner and exclusive distributor of CENTR x HYROX in 14 European countries, Perform Better was involved from an early stage. We support the movement not only with equipment, but also with complete training concepts.

Perform Better CEO Marco Schubert explains why hybrid training is more than just a trend, how gyms and coaches need to rethink their approach, and why he firmly believes that fitness racing will soon become an Olympic sport.

Marco, HYROX and hybrid training are being discussed everywhere right now. Why is functional training experiencing such a boom at this particular moment?

Marco Schubert: HYROX has achieved something that is rare in the fitness industry: it has turned society’s growing desire to be more active into a genuine competition format that is accessible to the wider public. Today, people no longer train simply to stay fit. They are looking for challenges, measurable performance and a sense of community. HYROX delivers exactly that. A completion rate of 90 percent shows that the format works. The combination of running and functional exercises makes it a sport for everyone, not just elite athletes.

From a training perspective, what sets HYROX apart from other fitness formats?

The key difference is standardisation. A HYROX competition follows the same format, exercises and rules all over the world. This creates genuine comparability across age groups, countries and performance levels. As a result, an entirely new training culture has emerged. Many athletes are no longer training simply for general fitness, but with a specific competition goal in mind. That changes how people come to the gym, how long they stay and what they expect from their training.

HYROX has a clear goal: to become an Olympic sport. How realistic do you think that is, and when could it happen?

I am convinced that it will happen. For a long time, functional training was mainly used to support other sports, such as football or elite-level athletics. Now, it is increasingly developing into a competitive sport in its own right, with clear rules, dedicated events, a growing athlete community and HYROX R.A.M.P. as a standardised warm-up. HYROX is creating all the necessary conditions to achieve this goal. That is why I believe it could become an Olympic sport within the next 10 to 15 years.

What does this mean for coaches and gyms today - not ten years from now?

Coaches need to think in hybrid terms. It is no longer enough to train only strength or only endurance. What matters is the combination: strength endurance, running performance, movement economy and mental resilience under fatigue. This represents a different approach to training from what many coaches learned during their education. At the same time, it creates a genuine business opportunity for gyms. Demand is growing for training spaces that meet these requirements. HYROX acts as a magnet for attracting new members and as a powerful retention tool for keeping them engaged. Gyms that already have a well-designed functional training area and offer a structured HYROX preparation programme have a clear competitive advantage.

Perform Better works closely with gyms and athletes. What developments are you seeing?

We are seeing functional training areas play an increasingly important role in many gyms. These spaces are extremely versatile and can be used for athletic training, personal training and competition preparation. However, it is not just about the equipment or the training space - it is also about the atmosphere and the overall concept. That is exactly what we provide at Perform Better, as we also design and build the official HYROX Training Zones. At the same time, we support individual athletes such as reigning German HYROX world champion Linda Meier, for whom we built a dedicated training facility, and Simon Gronau, who is aiming to set a world record by completing 100 HYROX races in 100 days. What we are seeing is that the sport is becoming increasingly professional and performance-driven.

How do you expect functional training to develop over the next few years?

I believe we are only at the beginning. Fitness is evolving towards performance sport. People do not just want to improve their performance - they want to understand, measure and document it. Functional training provides the ideal foundation because it develops several abilities at the same time: strength, endurance, stability and athleticism. The next step will be to combine it with performance diagnostics and performance monitoring. We are already working on this and will integrate it into our concepts in the future. Gyms will become ecosystems that support people in a more personalised way while also building a strong community. People no longer go to the gym simply to work out. They want to perform.

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