Gen Z and the gym boss: ‘They cite mental health as high as physical health in terms of reason to join’

Will Orr: ‘When I was 19, I did occasionally go to the gym because I thought I ought to. My son goes every day because he wants to.’ Photograph: Andy Hall/The Observer

If you have health-conscious friends, chances are you’ll have seen at least one posting online about a Hyrox race, the gruelling competitive circuit-training trend that has swept the fitness sector.

Will Orr knows a thing or two about it. His company, The Gym Group, has rolled out Hyrox training sessions to about half of its 245 sites and prides itself on being the biggest club for the discipline in the UK.