Hyrox Gyms in Chicago: Where to Train for Your Next Race (2026)

Short answer: the clearest officially affiliated options in Chicago are Chicago Athletic Clubs, which runs an accredited HYROX Training Club across seven locations, and GND Strength Society in the West Loop. For a downtown box with a dedicated Hyrox class, South Loop Strength & Conditioning. On the North Side, Cheetah Gym in Andersonville runs all four HYROX class formats. In West Town, BluPrint Fitness. For studio small group work, TRAIN Moment across three neighborhoods. North Shore athletes should look at Quest Performance Training in Lake Forest.

Chicago is one of the better American cities for this sport, and it has a race to prove it. HYROX lists HYROX Chicago for February 11 to 15, 2027 at Navy Pier. That date matters more than it looks. A February race means your entire build happens in a Chicago winter, which should change how you pick a gym.

Equipment is the other filter. Most commercial gyms own two of the six things this race tests.

Official affiliate versus Hyrox-style training

Most directories blur this. An accredited HYROX Training Club pays for affiliation, gets the official programming library, and can market under the HYROX name. A gym running Hyrox-style conditioning is not necessarily worse, but it is a different thing. Below I state only what each gym claims on its own site.

Hyrox gyms in Chicago

Chicago Athletic Clubs

Area: Seven clubs, including Bucktown, Wicker Park, West Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, and Evanston.
Status: Its own HYROX page states, "Accredited HYROX Training Clubs are affiliated facilities that offer HYROX Training. That's us."

CAC is the widest official net in the city. Each club staffs certified HYROX Performance Coaches, and the program runs on three levels: one on one training at standard rates, small group training capped at four people, and group classes built on race modalities. Self-guided daily Hyrox workouts are posted in-club, and small group training is published at $200 per month for eight sessions. Best if you want a full-service club with treadmills rather than a bare box. chicagoathleticclubs.com

GND Strength Society

Area: West Loop, on West Jackson Boulevard.
Status: Its own site carries a HYROX Training Club badge described as an official HYROX affiliate gym in Chicago's West Loop.

GND is a strength-first gym that also programs powerlifting, strongman, and USA Weightlifting. Strongman equipment means real sleds and real carries, not a token prowler. Open 24 hours a day, year round, with staffed hours for coaching and physical therapy on site. Best for self-programmed athletes who want heavy strength work and equipment access at odd hours, which is what a February build demands. gndstrength.com

South Loop Strength & Conditioning

Area: South Loop, on South Clark Street.
Status: Runs Hyrox-focused training. Its Hyrox page markets a full program but makes no affiliate claim, so I am not calling it one.

One of the more thoughtful Hyrox programs in the city. Classes are an hour, mixing interval days with longer race-style pieces, and coaches work pacing, transitions, and efficiency rather than just hammering conditioning. Founder Todd Nief names the most common mistake in the sport: training every session either too hard or too easy. Best for downtown athletes who want structure over intensity theater. southloopsc.com

Cheetah Gym

Area: Andersonville, on North Clark Street.
Status: Runs Hyrox-focused training. Its site does not state affiliate status, though it runs the four HYROX class formats by name.

Cheetah programs Foundational, Engine, Complete, and Power, the same four-track split used inside the official HYROX curriculum. Engine builds aerobic capacity, Complete sequences strength and endurance zones for compromised performance, and Power is the heavy day. Pricing is published and cheap: $10 per class for members with classes, $25 for non-members. Best for far North Side athletes who want four different stimuli in a week. cheetahgym.com

BluPrint Fitness

Area: West Town, on West Walnut Street.
Status: Describes itself on its own site as a HYROX certified gym in Chicago. It displays no affiliate badge, so confirm current status when you call.

BPFIT runs Hyrox in six week cycles with skill sessions and in-house simulations, and members can stack it with CrossFit. The bow truss facility lists Concept2 rowers and SkiErgs, Echo and Assault bikes, rigs, medicine balls, and both push and pull sleds, which covers the station list. Free street parking, and a three-session trial published at $50. Best for West Town athletes who want a cycle with a start and a finish. bluprintfit.com

TRAIN Moment

Area: West Loop, River North, and Lincoln Park.
Status: Runs Hyrox-focused training. It markets itself as a Hyrox training gym but states no affiliation.

A small-group strength and conditioning studio with three Chicago locations on one membership. Programming runs in four week blocks, and coaches place sled work immediately after running intervals to rehearse the transition that breaks people on race day. Conditioning happens on VersaClimbers rather than treadmills, so treat this as a supplement to your own running. Two week unlimited trial instead of a free class. Best for downtown professionals who move between neighborhoods. trainmoment.com

Quest Performance Training

Area: Lake Forest, in the north suburbs.
Status: Its Hyrox page is headed "Official HYROX Affiliate Gym" and states, "Quest Performance Training is a proud HYROX affiliate gym."

Worth the drive if you are north of the city. Hyrox classes run Sunday mornings at 7am on a dedicated membership booked through Mindbody, with rehab specialists in house. Their results wall includes two third-place finishers at HYROX Chicago 2024 and a 2026 world qualifier, which is a hard receipt to fake. Best for North Shore athletes who would rather skip the Kennedy on a Sunday. questperformancetraining.com

What the race actually demands from a gym

Ignore the branding and walk the floor. These are the six things the race tests.

• SkiErg. Station one, 1,000 meters, and the machine most commonly missing from American gyms. No SkiErg, no way to train the opening station.
• Sled push and pull. Not just a sled, but a turf lane long enough to use it. The race runs 50 meters of push and 50 of pull. A prowler on rubber mats in a 15 meter lane will not prepare you for the friction or the pacing.
• Rower. Easy. Nearly every functional gym has Concept2 rowers.
• Wall balls. Check target height. Men throw to 10 feet, women to 9. One height for everyone is a problem.
• Sandbags. A bag at race weight, and a lane for 100 meters of lunges.
• Farmers carry. Kettlebells or handles, plus open floor.

The SkiErg and the sled lane eliminate most gyms. Everything else is common. Ask about those two on your tour, and ask whether members can use them outside class time, because one class a week is not enough volume.

Then add the Chicago variable. Navy Pier is a February race, so the heaviest weeks of your build land in December and January. Half of Hyrox is 8km of running, and you are not logging that on the Lakefront Trail in a January wind off the lake. A club with treadmills, or a gym close enough that a 5am session in single digits is plausible, matters more than a slightly better sled.

Training for Hyrox without a Hyrox gym

You do not need an affiliate to get race ready. You need a plan and a set of honest substitutes.

The runs: treadmill work is fine, and in a Chicago winter it is often the only realistic option. Do not skip compromised running, meaning running immediately after a station.

Sled push and pull: the best home substitute is a heavy sandbag drag on grass or turf using a strap, or a tire sled. Bear hug carries and short heavy walking intervals build the same quad and calf tolerance. You are training sustained horizontal force at an uncontrolled heart rate.

SkiErg: no perfect substitute exists. Banded straight-arm pulldowns, heavy rope work, and rowing intervals get you close on aerobic cost. Get on a real SkiErg a few times before race day so the movement is not brand new.

Sandbag lunges: train these exactly as written, because you can. One bag at race weight covers this station and the farmers carry pattern, which makes it the highest return piece of equipment you can own for this sport and why we built our training sandbags the way we did.

Wall balls: a medicine ball and tape on a wall at 9 or 10 feet.

Pair the substitutes with structure. Our Hyrox training plan lays out a beginner build week by week.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hyrox coming to Chicago?

Yes. HYROX lists Chicago on its official event page for February 11 to 15, 2027 at Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, with the race schedule and lap count still to be announced. Chicago has hosted before, so expect the gyms above to fill their Hyrox classes well ahead of race weekend.

Do you need an affiliate gym to train for Hyrox?

No. Affiliation gives a gym official programming and marketing rights, not a monopoly on results. Plenty of athletes qualify for the World Championships out of ordinary gyms and garages. You need access to a SkiErg and a sled at some point, a plan that progresses compromised running, and consistency. An affiliate buys convenience and a group doing the same work, which is worth real money in adherence terms.

How much does Hyrox training cost in Chicago?

Published rates vary widely. Chicago Athletic Clubs lists $200 per month for eight small group sessions. Cheetah Gym lists $10 per Hyrox class for members with classes and $25 for non-members. BluPrint Fitness publishes a three-session trial at $50, and TRAIN Moment sells a two week unlimited trial. Full memberships mostly are not published, so call for current rates rather than trusting any directory, including this one.

How far out should I start training?

Twelve to sixteen weeks is the sweet spot for a first race if you have a base of fitness. Eight works if you are running consistently. Under six, shift from a time target to finishing well and spend your sessions on the sled and sandbag lunges, where undertrained athletes lose the most time. For a February race, start in October or November.

Related reading

• Hyrox gyms by city
• Hyrox gyms in San Diego
• Hyrox gyms in NYC
• Sled Training: Push, Drag, and Pull Workouts That Build a Bigger Engine
• Farmers Carry: Benefits, Form, and Workouts

Class times, pricing, and affiliate status change. Everything above was verified against each gym's own site or the official HYROX event page at the time of writing. Confirm before you show up.