Being the competitive fitness lover that I am, when I first heard about Metrix, I absolutely had to compete in the first ever event. Held at Magazine London, an event space in Greenwich, the concept blends music with competitive workouts in order to bag a £15K prize pot.
It’s essentially fitness meets clubbing and it took no persuasion to recruit my equally competitive, fitness-loving friend Ryan, to compete with me – Metrix can be a partnered competition, which adds to the social element.
So, off we went on Saturday morning along with waves of other activewear-clad people to Magazine London. We checked in, dropped off our bags and geared up for our 10.42am wave start, which we were given prior to the event. Over the course of the day, around 1000 people competed – either as an individual or in pairs.
So what happens at Metrix? And what is the workout exactly?
What is the Metrix fitness competition?
Essentially, Metrix involves five workouts, each 10 minutes long, with a four-minute recovery between each. Within each 10 minute block, the idea is to hit your maximum distance or number of reps, depending on the exercise.
The workouts are maximum distance on the ski erg, maximum burpees over line, maximum distance on the rower and then the exercise bike finished off with maximum laps of the 60 kg sled push and shuttle runs on dedicated 20 m tracks. Each workout station is clearly marked in the venue itself and competitors move in a clockwise direction before hitting up their final workout, which is placed in the centre of the room.
If you know much about Hyrox, which has pretty much dominated the fitness scene for the last few years, you’ll probably be wondering – isn’t Metrix the same thing?
I was skeptical at first too. As someone who has been competing in Hyrox competitions pretty much since they launched, I did feel like I was cheating on a long-time love by entering into Metrix.
The two events are very different. Metrix involves short(ish) blasts of intense work, with recovery. Hyrox does not have recovery; instead, you need to find a pace you can maintain throughout the entire competition. Metrix only has five minutes of shuttle runs, whereas the bulk of a Hyrox workout is running.
Metrix is much more cardio-based, but Hyrox involves more weighted movements. Then there’s the fact that Metrix is basically in a nightclub, whereas Hyrox is not and for good reason. I for one would not want to be running around a packed Hyrox race track in darkness.
Personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs Will McLaren and Toby Spooner founded Metrix, with a mission to create the ultimate fitness experience”.
When I asked McLaren why they’d chosen the specific workouts for the course, he told me: “The workout, which combines elements of strength and endurance, is programmed to be accessible to all levels – be it a casual gym goer or elite athlete that loves to compete. Because of the production and music that's going on, we had to ensure the actual workout was safe to do in that environment. We also wanted to create a partner workout because it builds on that sense of community.”
Here’s what I learned when I took part in the first ever Metrix competition.
Tech keeps things running smoothly
Metrix say they’re a new era of fitness. And in terms of technology, I'd say that’s probably true. Before you compete, you’re given a Team ID, which is also written on your entry wristband.
This ID number lets you log into an iPad at each station and then log out when you leave. The iPad sits on your machine, such as the bike or the rower, and tracks your distance or reps on said machine. So yes, there are a lot of iPads in the room.
The advanced tracking technology across all stations and the sensors that captured performance metrics such as distance, reps and time, were really impressive and it felt very accurate. I had my beady eye on the screen as Ryan and I were smashing through our burpees and it really did count every one.
Plus, the technology used meant that there was real-time tracking and live leaderboards so spectators could follow the action on large screens and online.
Burpees will never be fun but strong legs help
Slamming your body against a floor face down and then jumping back up again, for 10 minutes, is just brutal. Luckily, by working in a pair, I only really had to do half of this time as Ryan and I completed about 20 burpees each before swapping over.
At Metrix, you’re required to do “burpees over line”. These involve doing a burpee, jumping sideways over a line on the floor, doing another burpee and then jumping back over the line to then go into another burpee. We did about 140 in total. Ouch.
A lot of this event was leg-based and despite my meticulous three-times-a-week weighted leg sessions at the gym, the row, bike, sled push and shuttle runs left my legs in tatters.
So, if you are thinking of doing a Metrix competition in the future, make sure your legs are well trained. It was the sled that really made my legs burn. Although I was alternating laps with Ryan, my legs were still throbbing as I jogged down the track pushing the 60 kg sled.
“To improve your sled time, do multi-joint compound moves such as squats and lunges,” advises McLaren. “These build leg strength which helps with explosive power needed to push a sled. Plus, training the legs helps with endurance so you can keep pushing the sled for longer.
The recovery and music really helps
I loved the four-minute break between each workout block. It meant I could get my heart rate right back down to a normal rate after 10 minutes of high heart rate work. In turn, this meant I felt ready to go hard again in the next workout.
But, as is always the case when you’re putting your body through hell in a workout, the recovery time speeds by whilst the workout time goes at a snail’s pace. This four minute break was also the time in which everyone moved across to the next station and logged into their iPad ready for the next workout.
At Metrix, there were DJ sets playing all day from Glasgow Underground Recordings, which along with the lights, made you feel like you were in some sort of workout rave.
The music definitely kept me smiling, even when I was in so much pain on the rowing machine that I wanted to cry. In fact, research has confirmed that music does indeed boost motivation.
Training will 100 per cent help you
As with any fitness event, training helps. I train about five to six times a week, so without sounding braggy, I knew I could complete the workouts. For me, it was more a case of how well I would be able to complete the workouts.
Spooner explained to me that, “Metrix is designed to be super accessible, so that you can train for it in any commercial gym.”
He’s not wrong – pretty much all gyms these days have a ski erg, rowing machine and a bike so it’s simply a case of getting comfortable with these machines. See how far you can go in 10 minutes to find your base line, then work to improve this.
McLaren says that practising strength elements also helps with your Metrix training. “To improve your row time, work on pull exercises such as chin ups and bent over rows. These build up strength in your arms and back,” he says.
“For the bike, work on lower body exercises such as deadlifts, squats and lunges. Try going for high reps on these moves to build up your leg endurance.”
If you want to team up with someone to compete but are lacking an equally fitness-loving friend, there is a Matchmaking option, which is a nice touch. A matchmaking ticket pairs you with another competitor based on your fitness level and competition preferences.
Ryan and I sadly didn’t take home a share of the prize money, but we walked away with some great memories and enough feel-good endorphins to last an entire weekend.
Keen to compete? There are several other upcoming dates on the Metrix calendar including the next London event, on September 27th.
