Runningman is, first and foremost, a race. But 2026 showed us you don’t need to love running to have the best weekend ever!
The Community Gym ranked among the busiest spots on the grounds, with group workouts, strength circuits, and Hyrox workouts going from sunrise to sunset.
Here’s a quick recap of what went down in the gym, plus a Hyrox-style workout for you to try at home this week.
Everyone’s Welcome: Inside Our Community Gym
We built the Community Gym for people at every fitness level, whether it’s your first time picking up a kettlebell or you’ve got a few Hyrox races under your belt. Coaches ran gym sessions all weekend, creating a vibe closer to a training camp than an average class.
For many people, the gym and the race were a perfect match. Some squeezed in a strength session on Friday, then ran on Saturday. Some didn’t run at all, chose to focus on wellness and cross-training, lifted all weekend, and finished things off in the sauna. Runningman is for everyone.
Here’s What Hyrox Is All About
Hyrox is a fitness race that blends running with functional movements. The format is the same at every event: you run 1km eight times, and each run is followed by a workout station.
- 1,000m SkiErg
- 50m sled push
- 50m sled pull
- 80m burpee broad jumps
- 1,000m row
- 200m farmers carry
- 100m sandbag lunges
- 100 wall balls
Since it’s the same format each time, you can prep for it at any gym and track your times from one race to the next. It’s a major reason why Hyrox has blown up in popularity.
A Runner’s Secret Weapon: Why Hyrox Workouts Work
Running is great for building stamina, but won’t do much for upper body strength or power. That’s where Hyrox comes in. These workouts teach you to keep going long after your legs get tired, which pays off big time in the final miles of a long race.
It’s also very rewarding if you have a solid aerobic base. If you already log good mileage easily, check out our Zone 2 training for runners guide to see why that matters. The hard stations elevate your heart rate, which is where all that work on improving your VO2 max really shows.
A Hyrox-Style Session You Can Try at Home
You don’t need fancy gym equipment like a sled or SkiErg to get started. This version works with basic gear, or just your bodyweight.
Warm-up: An easy 5-minute jog, then a few leg swings and arm circles.
Main set: Complete 4 rounds of:
- 800m run at a pace you can hold
- 20 walking lunges (grab dumbbells if you’ve got them)
- 15 burpees
- 20 wall balls or goblet squats
- 200m farmers carry, using your heaviest dumbbells or kettlebells
Cool-down: Walk for 5 minutes, finishing with some light stretching.
The goal is to run every 800m at the same pace, round after round. Trust us, it’s tougher than it sounds.
4 Tips for Staying Strong in Your First Hyrox Workouts
- Pace your first run: Starting out too fast is the number one mistake we see in beginners.
- Practice your transitions: Jumping from a station straight back into running is a powerful skill.
- Build grip strength: Sled pulls and farmer’s carries wear out your forearms and hands fast.
- Lift twice a week: If you’re new, our strength training for runners guide makes it easy to start.
Hybrid Training Is Coming Back to Runningman 2027
Hybrid training isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the Community Gym. It’ll be back next year, and we can’t wait.
Want to mix a gym block into your running plan? Our running festival training guide shows you how. Then grab your Runningman 2027 pass and tell your training partner to do the same.
