{"id":10210,"date":"2025-09-09T15:59:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T15:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/10210\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T15:59:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T15:59:09","slug":"over-60s-take-on-the-brutal-workout-that-scares-even-super-fit-20-somethings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/10210\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 60s take on the brutal workout that scares even super-fit 20-somethings"},"content":{"rendered":"

After bonding as an over 60s relay team competing in fitness phenomenon Hyrox, four women tell us how exercise has transformed their lives.<\/p>\n

What is Hyrox?\u00a0<\/p>\n

First launched in Germany<\/a> in 2017, Hyrox is a competitive event in which participants race 8km between eight workout stations as follows:<\/p>\n

1000m SkiErg: Simulated skiing using arms and core.50m Sled Push: Pushing a weighted sled using full-body strength.50m Sled Pull: Pulling a weighted sled, working back and grip.80m Burpee Broad Jump: Burpees with forward jumps.1000m Row: A full-body cardio workout using a rowing machine.200m Farmers Carry: Carrying heavy weights in each hand100m Sandbag Lunges: Forward lunges while carrying a sandbag on your back.100 Wall Balls: Throwing a medicine ball to a target on the wall after a squat. \"Karen <\/p>\n

Karen Ince; Carol Norris; Celia Duff; Christine O’Sullivan<\/p>\n

Christine O\u2019Sullivan, 62, South Wales<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get fit until my late 40s.\u00a0All of a sudden my teenage sons didn\u2019t want to hang out any more, so I had time to train! I couldn\u2019t even run for one minute when I first started doing Couch to 5k, and it took me twice as long to complete it as it\u2019s meant to. But I got the bug and eventually was running marathons. From there I moved to power lifting and then Hyrox.<\/p>\n

Exercise is a good physical outlet for tension.\u00a0I work 12-hour shifts as an accommodation officer in a building for people with drug and alcohol<\/a> issues. It can be stressful and sad \u2013 even quite frightening \u2013 but Hyrox training helps me manage that.<\/p>\n

A great coach can help you achieve what seems impossible.\u00a0My gym is like a Blue Zone [regions known for their residents\u2019 longevity]. People with heart stents and double hip replacements are training for Hyrox. We have an amazing coach who makes individual training plans and monitors people so they can compete safely.<\/p>\n

I love the progress you can see with Hyrox.\u00a0My mobility was so bad I couldn\u2019t even sit down cross-legged when I started, and I certainly couldn\u2019t get deep enough for the wall balls. My coach programmed loads of exercises to help me improve, such as front squats, and it\u2019s made a huge difference. Exercise makes you more independent too; those farmer carries mean I don\u2019t need any help getting my shopping to the car boot when I go to IKEA!<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Hyrox makes you feel relevant. As you get older, you can feel invisible. If you\u2019re retired and your children have grown up, you feel less needed. But with Hyrox, you\u2019ve got your whole gym rooting for you, and a sense of purpose.<\/p>\n

My generation grew up being told you could never be too thin. Nobody told women about strength, being a healthy weight or cardiovascular fitness. We\u2019ve discovered it along the way, and now there are fantastic women in their sixties running faster times than many of the younger women.<\/p>\n

Karen Ince, 65, Kent<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve competed in Hyrox 12 times now. Initially, I watched my son do one and thought \u2018I could do that\u2019. We did doubles together [where you split the workout with a partner]. I\u2019ve competed solo but I like doubles because you don\u2019t overthink it and can have a bit of a chat! It was really good fun racing in the relay team too.<\/p>\n

I might be the oldest at my gym, but I want to keep up. I don\u2019t like to focus on age, but sometimes I will look round the gym and think \u2018okay, I\u2019m the only one with white hair, it\u2019s a bit of a giveaway.\u2019 I like to hold my own though. The other day someone said they\u2019d decrease the weight on a sled so I could push it. And I said \u2018No, put it back on.\u2019<\/p>\n

The social side of Hyrox is a big appeal. I\u2019m at the gym five or six times a week with other people, who are all very encouraging and supportive. I don\u2019t feel intimidated walking up to a squat rack to start loading on the weights \u2013 I\u2019d never have done that before I joined a Hyrox gym.<\/p>\n

Movement is key as you get older. It doesn\u2019t have to be as full on as Hyrox; just walking in the fresh air and lifting some light dumbbells is a good start.<\/p>\n

You need to fuel yourself for this type of training. I either drink a protein shake or add protein powder to my overnight oats. I take creatine supplements which have massively helped with my strength. And with this level of training, I certainly don\u2019t feel bad about the odd bit of chocolate.<\/p>\n

My proudest Hyrox moment was my first race. I came second in my age group, When I got to the end, my son was there and told me I\u2019d qualified for the next level up. For him to be the one to tell me that meant a lot.<\/p>\n

I am the strongest and fittest I\u2019ve ever been. That\u2019s an amazing thing to be able to say at 65. I\u2019ll never give up Hyrox training, even if I race less. I love the physicality of it.<\/p>\n

\"\" Carol Norris, 62, Cambridgeshire<\/p>\n

I qualified as a fitness instructor aged 57. Until then I\u2019d had a long career in agriculture, but during the pandemic I decided to retrain. I\u2019d always been obsessed with exercise, including things like step aerobics and body pump back when they were popular. I first got involved in Hyrox two years ago \u2013 I was already doing functional fitness training, but this was a whole different level. At my first Hyrox event, I got the world record for my age group. I knocked 50 seconds off the record and got invited to the World Championships three weeks later.<\/p>\n

We made a good relay team because we all have our own strengths. Now we keep in touch via our WhatsApp group, keeping each other up-to-date on which races we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a very close community around Hyrox. Until now, you\u2019d go to an event and you\u2019d see lots of familiar faces. Now it\u2019s become very competitive to get tickets, and I think that will change the dynamic. I was in a queue of 10,000 to get tickets for the Birmingham event recently.<\/p>\n

Lack of movement is an epidemic. I teach Pilates to older people, and I see so many people who can hardly get from the floor to standing. People have sedentary jobs, they don\u2019t move around much and they see exercise as a chore. But it doesn\u2019t need to be hard: walking is an underrated form of exercise.<\/p>\n

Moving your body in every direction helps with mobility. People tend to just go forwards and backwards, but instead you should move sideways, twist, bend, roll forwards and roll upwards.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been working hard on my strength this year. So I\u2019ll do a weights circuit at the gym, and then alternate four minutes on the ski erg and four minutes rowing, four times. I run three times a week as well, and teach Pilates.<\/p>\n

People shouldn\u2019t be scared to push their bodies just because they\u2019re in their 60s or 70s. The old advice for people with arthritis for example, was just to stay still \u2013 now they\u2019re saying the more you move, the better. If you\u2019ve got a bad back don\u2019t just lie on the floor, keep moving.<\/p>\n

Celia Duff, 71, Cambridgeshire<\/p>\n

I first got into Hyrox through my daughter I babysat her kids while she competed. I started in 2022 and after I competed in the 2023 World Championships, my image was scattered all over Instagram. I didn\u2019t know anything about it, but I got an account and now I have 5.5k followers as @badass_gran1<\/a>. I don\u2019t take myself too seriously on there \u2013 I prefer to poke fun at myself than proffer inexpert advice!<\/p>\n

Functional fitness and strength training are vital for longevity. To climb stairs you need flexible hips and strong hamstrings. You need strong quads to get up out of a chair. I train because I know it\u2019s giving me the best chance of living a healthy, happy life.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

You can make great new friends through a shared interest. In 2023 Carol and I put out an advert on an over-60s functional fitness forum for two people to join us in a relay team, and Karen and Christine came forward. We met for the first time in Birmingham on the day of the competition, and have since been a great sense of support for each other. All of us have got better, which is amazing, because we\u2019re all over 60.<\/p>\n

I love training – so I do a lot of it. I run three or four times a week, do three strength and conditioning classes a week, then do weight lifting and personal training once a week each, plus Pilates and yoga.<\/p>\n

Keeping your mind focused on clear goals helps as you get older. Having a competition lined up helps me train with focus. Working out how to improve is an intellectual challenge as well as a physical one – that’s great for longevity.<\/p>\n