Fitness As a Sport: It’s More Than CrossFit
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The Trend: The idea of “fitness as a sport” is having a resurgence. CrossFit helped popularize it decades ago with the CrossFit Games, where people competed across varied workouts. You could argue it goes back even further — bodybuilding, powerlifting, and running are all ways of testing specific aspects of fitness. Today, though, the phrase mostly refers to hybrid training events like Hyrox and REVL, both rapidly growing.
What People Are Saying: The big difference between traditional sports and fitness as a sport, some say, is that for the latter, fitness is the entire point. In team sports, fitness is a means to an end. In a Hyrox race, fitness is the means and the end. That can “create purpose, progression, and belonging” for gym-goers. Proponents say fitness as sport motivates and provides a space for the “everyday athlete,” while critics argue it makes sport accessible only to those who have disposable income.
What to Know: All sports demand fitness and basic skills: endurance in running, strength in powerlifting. Hybrid competitions merge both, rewarding well-rounded athletes. CrossFit layers in gymnastics and maximal strength. Ultimately, fitness becomes a sport if you want it to be: pursue it for fun or competition — whatever gets you moving.
