This year, a new fitness dawn has broken. The kids are ignoring Saturday-morning hangovers and hitting the ground running — literally. Sunday-brunch mimosas are only served after breaking a sweat.
2025 is the year of the hybrid athlete, with running clubs and global fitness phenomenon Hyrox taking centre stage.
The biggest theme is community and inclusivity, and leading this movement is Joburg’s Vault Strength Club. “I believe we are the biggest fitness club in Africa,” founder Tebogo Mahange says, laughing. “I remember messaging each of my mates in April 2024 to come running on a Saturday morning at Melrose Arch — we usually trained at Moove. I come from the content-creation space, so I hit up a videographer and photographer.
“At the time neither of them had a camera so they used my iPhone. I then went on Canva, created a flyer, and put it on Instagram — the rest is history.”
Mahange had no idea how big the running and fitness club would be. “On the first weekend, 23 members showed up, the following weekend 35 showed up, and the fourth weekend 50 showed up,” he says. Having started with 10 core members, the club now has over 200 participants and a following of over 17k on Instagram. Staying true to the spirit of community, they also enter marathons and raise awareness of charity causes.
“I have a fashion background and have always been in the wellness space, but I was looking for a challenge to help myself and my mental health at the time. I wanted different experiences and to get into a different mindset,” adds Mahange. “Although we run, the club is more about strength, and strength has different variations. It is about showing up for yourself every day — and on some days that could just be making your bed.”
Mahange started Vault Clothing Company in 2020. It shifted to more of an athleisure brand in 2023, which eventually birthed Vault Strength Club. “Representation is a big thing for us — we are young and Black and it’s amazing to see our demographic taking over the fitness space,” he says.
If you’ve seen any of the video clips, you’ll have noticed that the squad exudes style. Mahange says the all-black dress code happened organically. “I’m always wearing black, especially when training, so on the first weekend my friends all decided to rock up in black. Then it became a thing,” he laughs. “It is about self-confidence, which we have seen many people attain because they are surrounded by it. People go from the 3km to the 10km as a result of the friendships and connections made here. We are all cheering for each other.”
The club often helps first-time runners with form, tips, and encouragement. It also hosts wellness days, which encompass all types of fitness activities, and has birthed business and networking opportunities for members.
Another movement that has taken the year by storm is the German phenomenon Hyrox. The fitness race, which consists of eight stations (Ski Erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing ergometer, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls) with a 1km run in-between each set, has become such a trend that even two-time bodybuilding Protea Elizabeth Dumagude is taking part.
“Initially, I was asked to replace a gym friend’s partner, who had a knee injury. As a naturally competitive person and someone who wants to be great at everything, it was all systems go,” Dumagude says. “The bug bit me; now, I incorporate more functional-style sessions in my training. I think the fitness community in general is growing and Hyrox is high up in the ranks when it comes to inclusivity. It’s literally an own race, lane and pace sport. You are your own competitor, especially as a beginner.”
What makes Hyrox stand out is that, unlike other fitness competitions, anyone can enter and there is no time cap.
To prepare for a marathon, Dumagude each week did two Hyrox classes, two HIIT classes, and six strength sessions. She also ran the Westcliff stairs every Saturday. “Luckily, I was already fit and strong, so it was not anything too new or daunting.”
