Gym owner makes over $500/hour with HYROX events

Buenos días Gym World,

Done right, events can add thousands to your gym’s bottom line.

• Sarah and Chris Amenta bring in nearly $20K every time they host a weightlifting competition.

• Brian Sanders adds $14K a month running daily events.

• Brendan Kalijundic makes an extra $200K a year from fight nights.

Now, there’s Conor Oakley from Forged Fitness. Five months ago, he started hosting HYROX-style competitions between local gyms. He’s already done four, and each one generates over $2,000 in revenue.

With HYROX gaining traction, we thought it was a strategy worth sharing. That’s why we brought Conor on the pod to show you exactly how he does it.

But first:

What’s the deal with HYROX?

HYROX is a fitness race where participants run 1km (about 0.62 miles), complete one functional workout station, and repeat that eight times. It’s exploding in popularity, with events happening in major cities worldwide and more gyms affiliating every month.

Conor believes there are a few reasons HYROX is blowing up—and I agree.

• It’s less intimidating than CrossFit. There are no barbells or complicated lifts, which makes it more approachable for everyday people.

• It’s easier to coach. You don’t need to spend weeks teaching someone proper technique.

• It’s clear and predictable. Participants know exactly what they’re getting into.

• It’s easy to modify. You can quickly scale workouts for different fitness levels without changing the race format.

• It’s engaging. There’s a lot happening in every race, so it stays fun and doesn’t feel repetitive.

After competing in three HYROX races himself, Conor realized most people didn’t understand how simple and accessible it really is. That gave him the idea to rebrand his gym and become Ottawa’s first HYROX affiliate.

Is HYROX worth it?

Conor says the CrossFit name intimidated a lot of people. But after affiliating with HYROX and rebranding as Forged Fitness, more people were interested in the gym and actually walked through the door.

He attracts prospects through paid ads with high-quality videos that show what a HYROX class feels like.

His offer is simple:

• One-week free trial

• 25% off the first membership if they sign up after the trial

The ads bring in 15 to 20 people each week, and he converts around 85% of them.

Forged Fitness has around 280 members today, and about 120 of them have a HYROX membership.

Classes run every day and usually have 25 to 30 people, although the gym can accommodate up to 40 if needed.

The training follows the race format as closely as possible, giving members an authentic experience and helping them know exactly what to expect if they decide to compete.

And while 30 or more people sounds like a lot for one class, you don’t need as much space as you’d think. HYROX doesn’t use barbells like CrossFit, so the setup is a lot simpler and more space-efficient.

For instance, Forged Fitness is 2,600 sq ft indoors with another 2,500 sq ft outside.

Meanwhile, Empyre Fitness is 5,100 sq ft and also added HYROX classes to a space that wasn’t built for it. It still works—and it’s helped them bring in a ton of new members.

What’s the best way to monetize HYROX?

After competing in a few HYROX races, Conor noticed three things:

1. The hype and demand were growing fast

2. There was no local race (the only one in Canada was in Toronto)

3. These events make money

He figured he could try to bring the same energy to Ottawa. It was a chance to build community, get people excited about competition, and generate extra cash for the gym.

So he launched the Ottawa Fitness League—a monthly HYROX-inspired competition between local gyms.

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Since January, Conor’s run four of these events. Each one takes just four hours and brings in over $2,000 CAD in extra revenue.

Here’s how it works: 👇

• Each gym submits teams of six athletes (three male-female pairs)

• Each team pays $180 CAD ($130 USD) to enter

• Teams have 45 minutes to complete the race-style circuit

Each pair starts on a machine:

• 1 km (0.62 miles) on the Rower

• 1 km (0.62 miles) on the SkiErg

• 1 km (0.62 miles) on the AirRunner

Then the team moves to the floor for:

• 2 lengths of dumbbell walking lunges per athlete

• 2 sled pushes per athlete

• 2 lengths of burpee broad jumps per athlete

And to finish, they run a 3 km (1.86 miles) sprint—switching as needed—and complete 120 wall balls together.

When Conor first launched the league, Forged Fitness hosted the event and competed against one other gym.

People started posting about it on social, word spread fast, and more gyms wanted to join.

Today, any gym can submit a team to compete—or apply to host a future event.

Could HYROX events work at your gym?

Conor thinks so. His version is simple, low-cost, and easy for almost any gym owner to run—and you don’t need a ton of space to pull it off.

Even better, it can add thousands to your monthly revenue.

Here’s what you need:

• 2 sleds

• 2 runners or treadmills

• 2 rowers

• 2 SkiErgs

• Wall ball targets

That said, Conor brings real HYROX experience to the table—he’s competed, trained for it, and understands the athlete’s perspective. That’s what allows him to deliver a more authentic training and competition experience.

So if you want to run HYROX programming or host HYROX-style events at your gym, he says you need to do it right:

• Know the format inside and out

• Offer HYROX classes consistently (ideally, every day)

• Coach it well and deliver a great training experience

For more insights, watch or listen to Conor’s full interview on Gym World.

adios,

j

📣 P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with another gym owner who could use it too.