HYROX x Les Mills: Empowering clubs to build bigger communities

Can you explain the CEREMONY HYROX™ and CEREMONY HYROX MAX™ workouts and how they differ?

ROB LEE (Creative Team Coach & NZ Research Manager, RL): CEREMONY HYROX and CEREMONY HYROX MAX share the same essence. We’ve created two 45-minute functional training circuit programs, moving through eight stations. It’s an accessible, achievable and sustainable mix of cardio, strength and power exercises for everyone, whether members are training for everyday life and functional fitness or levelling up to prepare for a HYROX race: both classes work.

The key difference between the workouts is that CEREMONY HYROX MAX is specifically tailored to preparing someone for a HYROX race. Not exclusively – clubs can still activate it with non-race athletes, but if they did want to prepare for a HYROX race, the elements of the CEREMONY HYROX MAX class will prepare them for that and build their capacity towards a HYROX event. One class, two purposes, one common training environment for everyone.

What went into the process of designing the workouts and optimizing them to suit the needs of the HYROX athlete?

ERIN MAW (Les Mills Creative, EM): We start by mapping out what a collection of workouts would look like so we don't have two workouts that are similar to each other. We want variation, and distinct structures. We look at the workouts, and we strategically pair exercises within the structure to maximize the workout and the purposes of achieving those thresholds and targets.

RL: Like all our workouts, the CEREMONY HYROX programs are scientifically-designed to be balanced and avoid overload, and then we test all our workouts with participants. That includes heart rate testing and feel, so we know that the training outcome is achieved. We took the elements and the demands of a HYROX race and threaded those through into CEREMONY HYROX MAX, and we’ve incorporated things like targets. When athletes train or move towards targets, that increases intensity and a sense of achievement – and that unlocks people's potential.

We have partner-based workouts, which again increase the intensity and also the CEREMONY HYROX MAX workouts progress in terms of working time. That's a simple way of introducing progression or overload so someone can take their capacity and fitness to a whole new level through just following these workouts over time.

EM: We've also introduced a few new exercises in the CEREMONY HYROX MAX Workouts as well. We've incorporated wall balls, sled pulls and farmer's carries: the exercises in CEREMONY HYROX MAX workouts always contain some element of the race.

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What opportunities does this partnership present for clubs to power growth?

RL: The opportunities in combining these two powerhouses of fitness are huge. For clubs, it gives members a class where they can really push themselves. It gives them variability within their schedule, and that's just within the CEREMONY workouts themselves. They can alternate or offer both CEREMONY HYROX and CEREMONY HYROX MAX on the schedule together, so there's variability within the circuit class format, which is red-hot right now. The opportunities are limitless with this style of training and this event. It’s exciting to see where it goes in the long term.

EM: HYROX is all about community, and so is Les Mills. The workouts are accessible and now we've come together the power of these two communities is unstoppable!

How can the partnership be harnessed to attract the next generation of Instructor coaches?

RL: This class is Instructor-driven: we call them coaches in CEREMONY HYROX because that gives them the opportunity to drive a workout from a different perspective than traditional group training. Coaches aren’t performing the workout with members, they're driving the workout, demonstrating the exercises, coaching and correcting.

Coaches underpin the whole class by driving intensity and that community vibe through their coaching. We think that energy and training style is appealing to a new generation of Instructors. And if you're coming from another coaching or instructing environment, this is a bridge to get into the group training environment. We're taking the best elements of instructor training and being a group fitness Instructor and bringing the magic to a circuit class, which is a pretty special thing.

EM: We've seen a lot of personal trainers crossover into the CEREMONY HYROX space because we're taking away the pressure of having to learn and teach things on the beat of the music and traditional iconic choreography. Coaching in this way sits closely to what they do every day: functional fitness and strength training. It’s exciting to know we’ve got a workout that can appeal to traditional Instructors and now personal trainers, too.

RL: It's win-win! Another cool thing is there's certain autonomy within this workout. Selecting members’ options, level and intensity all come down to the relationship between the member and the coach driving that intensity – that's a huge draw card for Instructors.

Does it open the door for current HYROX athletes to come into the training environment?

RL: 100%. All the movements are built off the fundamental patterns seen within a HYROX race, so this class specifically prepares athletes for those movements in a way that avoids overloading and burnout. It's a sustainable training tool to prepare them for the HYROX race and we both personally use this class for our own preparation. It’s the magic of group training, combined with purposeful training.

EM: Yeah, and what I love about this is the community vibe – that’s what group training brings. It's not just me grinding in the studio by myself, having to motivate myself. I've got the Instructor, I've got the team around me, so the experience is elevated and I'm more motivated to train with this workout.

What can clubs and athletes expect from the music?

EM: The music is the engine of the workout! It reflects the energy, intensity, and hype to elevate the whole experience. We’re not doing traditional group training, where we're moving and teaching to the beat of the music, but it's still really important that the music takes athletes on a journey, to help motivate and keep them in the workout. And that's exactly what the music does.

What does the partnership say about the future of group training?

RL: It shows that group training will continually evolve and keep pace to match the changing demands of the fitness industry. It’s always going to stay relevant to what's going on, and the core principles of group training are adaptable. Group training is here to stay, and this partnership shows that.

EM: This is what Les Mills does. We are continually innovating and reinventing group training to reflect what clubs and athletes need. This is us evolving – doing something that we're already really good at. This partnership means we’re even stronger, and we're reinventing what we are already good at to become even better.

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