'I Quit Every Gym I Joined, Then I Did Hyrox'

Rikin Dewey went from unused gym memberships and late-night partying to training six days a week, losing nine kilos and completing his first HYROX.

At 27, I had done almost everything except stay consistent.

Boxing. Gyms. Fitness programmes. You name it, I had probably signed up for it. And then, usually within a month, I would stop going.

I collected gym memberships the way some people collect loyalty points. I would get excited, start eating healthy, train for a few weeks and then somehow find my way back to my earlier, lazier routine.

And my routine wasn't exactly what you would call fitness-friendly.

The Life Of The Party

I have always been the life of the party. I am the guy convincing everyone to take another shot, the guy ordering another round and the guy saying, 'Come on, one more drink,' when everyone else is ready to leave. I could keep a party going until four or five in the morning.

Then, at 27, I moved out of my parents' house.

Having your own home is exciting. You have independence, you have your own space and you suddenly realise nobody is going to tell you when to eat, when to sleep or when to come home.

Unfortunately, I took that freedom a little too seriously.

I was eating at odd hours, drinking whenever I wanted, having friends over whenever I wanted and sleeping whenever I could. There was no routine. No accountability. No real reason to stop.

Eventually, I looked at myself in the mirror and realised I didn’t like what I was seeing. That was the moment I thought, 'Enough.'

Signing Up For HYROX

I had always told myself I would get serious about my health 'some day'. But then, I thought that if I could get my life in place in my twenties, it would be much easier to maintain it through my thirties and forties.

I didn't want to wait until 30 to suddenly panic about my health. So I did something that, in hindsight, was either extremely motivating or completely stupid.

In May, I signed up for HYROX Mumbai.

HYROX is a fitness race that takes place in multiple cities across the globe. A HYROX participant has to run 1 km, complete a workout, run another 1 km, complete another workout; they do this eight times.

Basically, the 8 km of running is broken up by 1 km of SkiErg, 50 m of 152 kg sled push, 50 m of 103 kg sled pull, 80 m of burpee broad jumps, 1 km on the rowing machine, 200 m farmers carry with a 24 kg kettlebell in each hand, 100 m of 20 kg sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls to finish with.

In other words, you are running 8 km while repeatedly stopping to push, pull, carry, jump, row and lunge with heavy weights. It is designed to test both endurance and strength and preparing for it requires months of consistent training.

I paid Rs 8,000 for the ticket. I had no gym membership. I had no HYROX training. I had never done anything remotely like it. But I had paid for it and I had told people I was doing it. That was motivation enough.

When I told people I had signed up for the solo category, the reactions were almost unanimous:
'Why solo? People usually do their first HYROX in doubles.'
'Why are you making it so difficult?'
'Are you sure you can do this?'

I wasn't sure either. But suddenly I had Rs 8,000 riding on this decision and, more importantly, a lot of people who knew I had signed up so there was no hiding.

Six Days A Week

Soon after, I joined a gym with my partner. This time, I couldn't disappear after a month. For four months, I trained six days a week with three days of strength training and three days of running.

And slowly, something changed. I went from running 2 km to 5 km and eventually to 10 km. I love anime so I started listening to inspiring anime dialogues while running. On other days, I would put on techno and run to the beat.

There is a strange point that happens with running where your body suddenly stops fighting you. Initially, every kilometre feels like an argument. Then your body gets used to it and suddenly you're flying. It genuinely feels like a different kind of high.

I also watched A LOT of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. I needed every bit of motivation I could get.

Giving Up The Old Routine

The bigger challenge was everything outside the gym. I had to give up alcohol, I had to give up partying and my sweet tooth had to take a backseat.

Most days, I was eating almost the same things while friends were out drinking and partying. I would go to events and drink Diet Coke while everyone else had alcohol. Some people I hung out with were disappointed that I wasn't drinking. They were used to the version of me who would be the first person to order another round.

I understood why but I had started thinking about it differently.

I used to be the life of the party; now I was adding days to my life.

Slowly, I started seeing the results. I went from 85 kg to 76 kg in about three months. But the biggest change wasn't the number on the weighing scale. It was that I was finally doing something I had spent years failing to do -- staying consistent.

Race Day

Then came HYROX day.

I walked into NESCO (north west Mumbai) feeling nervous. Very nervous. But before the race even started, I saw people who completely changed my perspective.

There were participants on wheelchairs, a man who had just one hand, a pregnant woman, a 72-year-old man and so many other people who had their own reasons for being there.

I remember thinking, 'I have no excuse.'

What HYROX Really Feels Like

HYROX is described as eight workout stations combined with eight kilometres of running.

But what people don't always realise is that you end up running more than 10 km because of the distances you cover between the stations and through the Roxzone. And you're not doing those kilometres fresh.

You're doing them after sled pushes, burpees, rowing, farmer carries, sandbag lunges and wall balls.

I finished my first HYROX in two hours and 32 seconds.

The last station, the wall balls, was probably the hardest for me. You have to do 100 of them but by the time you get there, you're exhausted.

The sled push and sled pull also felt much harder than they do in the gym. The HYROX floor has less friction so the sled feels completely different.

If I could go back, I would definitely work more on my running.

The Finish Line High

But crossing that finish line and getting that badge did something to me. I finally understood why people get addicted to these events. The adrenaline is insane.

As soon as I finished, my first thought wasn't 'Thank God that's over.' It was 'When can I do the next one?'

Your body hurts. You're exhausted. But for some reason, you don't care. It's a completely different kind of high.

I have spent a lot of my life partying. I have had enough nights out to know what a hangover feels like. And honestly, I have never experienced that level of adrenaline from a night of drinking.

No more FOMO

People still don't understand why someone would pay Rs 8,000 to torture themselves. I see it differently. For me, it was an investment.

I'd rather spend Rs 8,000 on something that makes me fitter than spend Rs 8,000 on one night of clubbing and drinking.

The biggest change is that I no longer feel like I'm missing out. A friend recently asked me to go to a concert next month. I can't as I have a 10K race the next morning.

And surprisingly, saying no gave me zero FOMO. That's when I realised my priorities had actually changed.

I used to wake up on Sunday morning with a hangover. Now I wake up with muscle soreness and I'll take the soreness any day.

Same Place. Completely Different Person

There was also something strangely full-circle about doing HYROX at NESCO. I've spent plenty of nights partying there. This time, I was there pushing a sled.

Same place. Completely different person.

I'm not trying to become a bodybuilder. I don't want to spend my life counting every calorie or living in the gym.

I just want to be fit enough that my kids don't have to spend their prime years waiting in hospital lines because their dad didn't take care of himself. That's the goal.

Getting Others To Run

I want to keep running. I want to do more races. I want to do more HYROX events. And I have already started dragging other people into it.

I've convinced my partner, family members and friends to sign up for 5K races and start running. I look at it as my way of making up for all the extra shots I made them take at parties.

I made them drink an extra shot; now it's my turn to make them run an extra kilometre.

The Power Of A Deadline

Maybe that's why people get hooked on these events. You don't just sign up for a race. You give yourself a deadline. You tell everyone you're doing it. And suddenly, you have no choice but to follow through.

I've spent years starting things and quitting.

This time, I paid Rs 8,000, told everyone I was doing it and put myself on the starting line.

It turns out sometimes the easiest way to finally become consistent is to give yourself something you absolutely cannot run away from.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff