Urban Fitness is a 685sqm training facility at 12 Abel Smith Street in Te Aro, Wellington, describing itself as Wellington's home of HYROX training. The gym started in a park in 2009 with a coach, a barbell and a small group of people who wanted to train, and was one of New Zealand's first CrossFit affiliates before becoming an affiliate for HYROX and now an official ATHX Regional Hub.
Training is built around three pillars: HYROX, Olympic weightlifting coached using Richie Patterson's methodology focused on position, rhythm and timing, and ATHX, a hybrid style of training combining strength, endurance and metabolic conditioning. All sessions are programmed in-house, with 25 coached classes running across six days a week, plus open gym access.
Urban Fitness says it trains people at every stage, from complete beginners to athletes competing nationally and internationally, with a community that skews 40+. Several members have qualified for the HYROX World Championships through training at the gym, including Alana McDonald, Jen De Wald-Harrison and Katie Kemp, all 2025 HYROX World Championship Qualifiers who credit the gym's coaching and programming for their results.
The gym also runs HYROX race simulations open to members and visitors alike, hosts an event called The Wellington Cup, and operates an online shop alongside its Wellington facility.
Urban Fitness sits at 12 Abel Smith Street in Te Aro, Wellington, in a 685sqm training facility the gym describes as 16 years in the making. Its story starts far more modestly: a coach, a barbell, and a group of people training together in a park back in 2009. From there, Urban Fitness became one of New Zealand's first CrossFit affiliates, before adding HYROX and, more recently, becoming an official ATHX Regional Hub.
Urban Fitness structures its programming around three distinct methodologies: HYROX, Olympic weightlifting, and ATHX. HYROX forms the foundation of how the gym trains — eight functional workout stations paired with eight runs, a format the gym describes as structured, measurable and scalable for any fitness level. Weightlifting is coached using Richie Patterson's methodology, with an emphasis on position, rhythm and timing rather than just lifting heavier. ATHX, meanwhile, is a hybrid style of training blending strength, endurance and metabolic conditioning, sitting in what the gym calls the sweet spot between HYROX and CrossFit. Every session across all three pillars is programmed in-house.
Urban Fitness is upfront that you don't need to already be fit to join. The gym trains people at every stage, from those just starting out to athletes competing nationally and internationally, and its community notably skews 40+. Several members have taken that training all the way to elite competition: Alana McDonald, Jen De Wald-Harrison and Katie Kemp all qualified for the HYROX World Championships in 2025, each crediting the gym's coaching and programming as central to getting there. Jen, in particular, competed in her first HYROX race just four weeks after joining and qualified for Worlds at her very next race.
The gym runs 25 coached classes a week across six days, alongside open gym access for members who want to train outside class times. For anyone racing HYROX or curious about what it involves, Urban Fitness also runs HYROX simulations — full workout stations with half the run distance — open to both members and visitors.
New to Urban Fitness? The gym offers a fourteen-day trial of unlimited coached classes for anyone wanting to properly test the training before committing. Visitors passing through can instead book a single drop-in session or an open gym pass, and a multi-visit pass is available for those wanting to cover a handful of sessions with a longer window to use them. From there, membership options range from a lower-commitment few-classes-a-week plan through to unlimited access with open gym included, plus a student rate and an annual option for more dedicated athletes.
Urban Fitness also hosts The Wellington Cup and runs an online shop alongside its physical facility. The gym is open seven days a week and can be found at 12 Abel Smith Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011.