Kaj is a hyroxtrainer: ‘I think it is great to see that someone’s condition improves quickly’

Kaj Fillekes (21) runs every Thursday evening with a group of athletes through the Dorpsstraat. He is a trainer of the wildly popular fitness sport Hyrox where you do eight exercises and run a kilometer in between. “Everyone sometimes throws a ball or pushes something ahead. You also come across that kind of exercises in the training sessions.”

Kaj used to play football, started to do strength sport at a later age and discovered Hyrox. “Sport gives me so much satisfaction that I want to make people just as enthusiastic as I am. He is almost graduating as a physiotherapist and as an assistant physiotherapist, he gives Hyroxtrainingen at Eleven Movement Therapy in the Zoetermeersse Dorpsstraat together with colleague Bink Bakker.

Suitable for everyone

Hyrox is a collective name for a fitness race. “It is the ultimate all -round fitness test in the fitness world,” says Kaj. The trendy sport consists of eight fixed parts where you put your strength and endurance to the test. “Many people think that you have to be super fit to do Hyrox. But, just like with all other sports, you are slowly building better condition at your own level. Hyrox is very accessible and suitable for everyone.”

Push, pull and run

Kaj explains the exercises in the gym and performs them. Once the exercise is ready, he and the group run outside for a round along the Wilhelminapark. In the meantime, he motivates and controls everyone and he adjusts the program if necessary. “All kinds of people participate,” says Kaj. “I recently trained a group of girlfriends who wanted to work on the condition. I think it’s great to see how their condition increases every week.”

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Cool to see how the condition of someone increases every week

Killer exercise

During his lesson, it is on uplifting music and Kaj watches when the athletes do their exercises. “Get it off” and “Come on, continue,” are terms he uses to motivate people. “I hate myself burpeesit’s really one killer-excercise. But the exercise is part of Hyrox. What is nice is that in my lesson there was a woman who does this exercise after six weeks in a row. She shouted completely, I like that so much to see. “

The people in his lesson regularly let them know that they are happy with his motivating words. “They are grateful that I am standing every week and she helps them to pull the line. If someone says that the love for sport has recovered, that’s what I do it for.”

Share your pride

Kaj has never participated in a Hyrox match, but next year he might want to participate in a competition in the Netherlands. He watches YouTube videos in advance and trains hard. “The elite guests do an hour about the competition, but I hope to get out of 1.5 hours.”

If you look at Instagram or Tiktok, you will see the most muscular and formed upper bodies of Hyrox athletes pass by. According to Kaj, the sport is no appearance. “I have a lot of respect for people who go all the way for the sport. They train hard, eat well, sleep enough and take the time for recovery. I think you can be proud of yourself and that may share that.”

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