The Cultural Logic of Recreational Suffering

HYROX and industrialized burnout: the latest version of the same old lie

Damn it! Another fitness trend called HYROX is here. Haven’t we just been here with CrossFit?

Yes, I know it’s “different” (a little). The format is standardized. The branding is sleeker. But strip away the veneer and you are looking at the exact same phenomenon: ordinary people paying good money to wear and tear themselves down recreationally... while calling it wellness.

I read Wilson Wong’s piece in The Guardian on HYROX. He seemed simultaneously seduced by it and suspicious of it and I think I know why. I see it too. As an anthropologist, I can’t look away from the cultural logic behind these systems. And what strikes me as (historically) unusual is not the hardship itself, but who is embracing it and why.

Ordinary Civilian’s Search for Meaning

In the ancient world, the athlete accepted damage in pursuit of glory. The soldier accepted it in pursuit of the survival of his community. The suffering had purpose. The pursuit was for something bigger than the self. And it was external.

Today, the “civilian” accepts this damage in pursuit of... what exactly? A number on a screen? A feeling of “I did it”? Instagram likes? By the way, I use the word “accepts” here in the loosest sense here, because most people are not aware of the health price they will have to pay later.

The fitness industry has taken the logic of the battlefield and the stadium and somehow repackaged it as a health pursuit.

“Push harder.” “Give it your all.” “Embrace the suck.” All lies.

Suffering, contrary to the industry’s subtle propaganda, is not a proxy for meaning.

When you train for a war that doesn’t exist, or a race with no stakes, you are only causing yourself pain that serves no purpose.

The Industrialization of Burnout

What HYROX and CrossFit have perfected is the industrialization of burnout.

They take the human desire for structure, community, and measurable progress, and they funnel it into a system that extracts maximum effort for minimum functional return or worse, outright damage. The structure is great because you don’t have to think, the workout is prescribed. The community works because you are surrounded by people doing the same thing, giving you the social proof. And the progress is measurable because you get a time, a rank, and a dopamine hit.

It works. Until it doesn’t. The body, treated as an obstacle to overcome, finally sends a signal that cannot be ignored: the joints are shot, tendons are torn and the heart develops the dreaded A-Fib.

The DSY Alternative

My philosophy is almost the reverse of HYROX. Though I am not anti-effort and anti-performance, I always ask the simple question: “Fit for what?”

If the goal is to run a race, then fine. Train for the race. But please, don’t say it’s for health.

If the goal, on the other hand, is to live a long, capable life where you get to play with your grandkids and tie your shoes without a stool, then the “push harder” mantra is counterproductive.

My core principle is DSY: Don’t Shit Yourself. It may not be polite, but it is clear. It means leaving yourself enough capacity to get through your day, today and the day after that. It means sustainable routine that powers your days and recognizing that less is often more.

The Older (and Smarter) Adult Advantage

Older adults seem to get it faster than the young athletes. When you are 25, you have a recovery buffer. You can do the HIIT, Tabata, power lifts, and bounce back. You feel invincible.

When you are 40, 50, 60, that buffer is gone. The body stops just taking it quietly.

The one who chooses to walk, to stretch, to move gently, is not “lazy.” They are prioritizing longevity over the temporary high of a leaderboard and likes on social media. They are playing the long game.

So, here is the choice we all hold, “sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake”: You can continue to pay for the privilege of breaking yourself in a game with no stakes, or you can admit that the “hardship” you’ve been sold is just a very expensive way to get injured and frail.

Red pill, anyone?

Who, what and why?

I am an anthropologist turned fitness YouTuber, and my work focuses on something most of the fitness world gets wrong: how to build strength and flexibility without surrendering your life to the gym, and without breaking yourself in the process.

The course I have built is shaped by long-term thinking about our bodies, minds, and habit formation. It is designed for people who want to stay capable for decades.

Supporters on Buy Me a Coffee get access to the beta version. This is early access to the system while it is still being refined, before it is packaged and priced and released to the world at large. If my way of thinking resonates with you, this is the moment to step inside.

To those who already support my work, thank you. You are backing a model of fitness that refuses to accept frailty as the default. It’s an alternative to the Fitness Dark Ages we’re currently living through.