• Hyrox is a buzzy fitness event and Danny Rae, a physical trainer in the British Army, is the current UK champion.
• Hyrox and military fitness share movements, but the contest still humbled him, he said.
• His tips for succeeding at Hyrox include familiarizing yourself with the movements but not overthinking it.

As a soldier and physical trainer for the British Army, Danny Rae thought he'd find the buzzy fitness competition Hyrox a piece of cake.

Part of a growing trend of contests designed to be accessible to average gym-goers and elite athletes alike, competitors work in pairs or individually to do functional exercises, like wall balls, sled pushes, and rowing. These movements are sandwiched between eight one-kilometer runs. You win by finishing first.

In 2023, Rae watched his first Hyrox event, in Manchester, UK, and saw a lot of parallels with military fitness.

"It was probably very naive of me, but I saw people doing it and thought, 'I could be good at this,' and then I actually did it and I got humbled straight away," Rae, 29, told Business Insider.

Still, Rae got hooked on the fitness race. He used his first contest to work out what he needed to improve and changed his training accordingly.

17 months later in February 2025, Rae became the UK men's open Hyrox champion at an event in Vienna. He holds the record for Hyrox both as an individual and in the men's doubles, and has competed in over 25 of the events.

"It's given me something to focus on, it's measurable," Rae said. "I know where I can improve, I can periodize training, so I'm focusing on strength for one part and running on the next."

Rae shared what he's learned about succeeding at fitness contests like Hyrox, including how to train your body for unfamiliar movements quickly but safely.

1) Build a solid foundation of fitness

Rae is from a military family and was an active kid. When he joined the British Army at age 18 in 2013, he quickly became responsible for keeping the soldiers in his regiment fit. But that doesn't mean he has an unnecessarily hardcore mindset.

In general, Rae thinks it's a mistake to train hard every day because you will likely get injured or see progress plateau as your body won't have time to recover.

He recommends aiming to do low or moderate-intensity movements most days and then upping the intensity once a week to build your fitness while allowing yourself time to recover.

That sets the foundation for building toward competing in events like Hyrox.

2) Familiarize yourself with the movements

"They are functional, holistic movements which incorporate all muscle groups, so if you train regularly, you won't struggle to do them," Rae said.

But you need to learn the movement standards so you don't get penalized for, say, not squatting low enough for a rep to count, he added.

For example, one rep of wall balls involves squatting to 90 degrees as a minimum.

3) Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Rae said that his time in the military has made him more resilient and able to work through discomfort. That came in handy for running on tired legs during Hyrox or when he needed to work out despite not having the time or motivation.

Rae is deployed worldwide, from the jungles of Brunei to Poland, and his working hours are always changing. That can make it hard to commit to a regular workout schedule, but staying fit is part of his job.

"When we're busy, you've really got to find time," Rae said. "Whether that means setting your alarm a little bit earlier or getting someone to help you out to get the job done quicker."

He added: "When it's 5:30 a.m. and it's cold and windy outside, regardless, you have to find a way to get it done."

4) Don't overthink it

While you need to be familiar with the movements, you don't need to be an elite athlete to try a Hyrox. Just have a go and then you'll learn what you need to work on.

"I know some people think they're not ready to do one yet, but they most likely are," Rae said.

• Celia Duff, 70, started doing intense fitness competitions three years ago.
• She works out five to six days a week and does a combination of strength training and cardio.
• Duff's advice includes committing to being active three times a week.

Celia Duff has never exercised more or had more energy than she does now at the age of 70.

The retired doctor, who is based in the UK, had been a casual exerciser for most of her life. Then, at the age of 68, she found Hyrox, an indoor fitness competition that combines functional exercises such as pushing sleds and sandbag lunges with running eight kilometers.

Duff entered her first race at her daughter's suggestion in the summer of 2022 and started training for the gameday in October of that year.

"I started to look up what was really involved and realized that I'd have to take it quite seriously if I was going to survive and finish, let alone do any kind of time," Duff told Business Insider.

And finish she did, beating the world record for women in the age 65 to 69 category, before going on to break another world record in March 2024 for the 70 to 75 age group. Both records have since been broken, but Duff says she's pleased to see more older people competing in the sport.

Now, she works out five to six times a week to be able to compete in Hyrox competitions and "future-proof" her body. Each week Duff does a pilates class and a yoga class for flexibility and core strength, plus an Olympic weightlifting class and two strength and conditioning classes for building and maintaining muscle. She also runs three times a week, varying the length and intensity of the runs each time to build up her cardiovascular endurance.

She retired in 2017, but said her newfound love of fitness helped her gain more strength, resilience, and energy than ever.

Here are Duff's three tips for remaining healthy and active at 70 and beyond.

Do something active three times a week

Whether it's swimming, walking, cycling, or any other type of exercise, commit to doing something active that gets you a little out of breath three times a week, Duff said. "Don't leave it until it becomes really difficult to start exercising."

This will help build strength and fitness that will make daily tasks and activities easier. "Whether that's working in your garden, whether it's your housework, whether it's playing with your grandchildren, you'll have more energy," she said.

Spending just 3% of your day exercising — which is about 30 minutes out of a 16-hour day — can have huge longevity benefits, including preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer, Nathan K. LeBrasseur, the director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at the Mayo Clinic, previously told BI.

"I'm building my body, both my cardiovascular system and my muscles, so that I'm balanced, so that I don't fall over, and can live well for longer," Duff said.

Be part of a community

Through training for and competing in Hyrox races, Duff has made lots of new connections and feels she is part of a community. "My mental health is better because of the community and the friendship," she said.

Rose Anne Kenny, a professor of aging and the lead researcher on the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing at Trinity College Dublin, said having strong friendships is just as important for longevity as a healthy diet and getting enough exercise, BI previously reported.

Have something to work toward

Having a goal and a plan in place to reach it motivates Duff and fills her with energy.

She enjoys the structure and routine of her weekly workouts and likes to map out a game plan that she knows will help her achieve her goal. "It's about understanding what makes each of us individually tick. And for me it's about having a structure and a focus and a plan for that.

"Having something to work towards, it's fun. It's a challenge. Can I do this a little bit better? Can I do it a bit faster?" Duff said.

In Okinawa, Japan, where people have a 40% higher chance of reaching 100 than the rest of the country, it's common for centenarians to remind themselves of their ikigai, or life purpose, each morning.