CrossFit Unmatched recently added HYROX classes, giving members another way to train at the Mount Dora gym while expanding on the CrossFit methodology that has fueled the business’s growth since 2022.

The gym recently became a HYROX Training Club after six coaches earned Level 1 HYROX Performance Coach certifications. HYROX is a global fitness race that combines eight functional workout stations with 1-kilometer runs, creating an event that tests both muscular and aerobic endurance.

Rather than viewing HYROX as a replacement for CrossFit, owner Daniel “Cujo” Fought says the two methods work together.

“I’m not one to chase the new and shiny thing,” he says. “At my core, I believe in the CrossFit methodology and I do see an opportunity with HYROX to give a little bit more to our community, something that complements CrossFit.”

The addition comes after several years of steady growth. When Cujo purchased CrossFit Unmatched from its original owners in February 2022, the gym had about 87 members, four to five coaches and occupied only half of its 11,000-square-foot building. The front portion of the facility was leased to another business.

The gym now has approximately 240 members, employs 14 coaches and uses the entire building for fitness programming.

“Since we opened, we have cultivated an amazing community with positive energy, driven by our core values of faith, discipline, humility and gratitude,” Cujo says.

He believes that community has been the driving force behind the gym’s success.

“At CrossFit, we don’t have mirrors because it’s not about how you look. It’s about how you perform based on feel,” he says. “Taking the mirrors away helps remove the ego from training.”

CrossFit combines constantly varied workouts with functional movements performed at high intensity. Daniel says the shared challenge encourages members to support one another while building strength and confidence.

“It’s the shared suffering, along with the shared high fives and fist bumps of accomplishment after the workout is done,” he says. “Watching people become a fitter, healthier and more capable version of themselves, and the joy that follows, never gets old.”

Fitness has been part of Cujo’s life since childhood, but he says discovering CrossFit in 2013 changed the direction of his training.

“I found my North Star,” he says.

He also says the gym continues to reinvest in new equipment, facility improvements and continuing education for its coaching staff.

“I learned something many years ago that has stuck with me,” Cujo says. “A friend who owned five restaurants told me, ‘Always reinvest in your business, reinvest in what you love.’ When you love something, reinvesting in it really isn’t that hard.”

CrossFit Unmatched attracts members from across Central Florida, with some driving 45 minutes to an hour for classes. Visitors from other states and countries also stop in to train while they’re in the area and stay connected with the gym after returning home.

“You don’t need to get into shape, or have experience to start at CrossFit Unmatched,” he says. “You just have to show up and be willing to work.”

Photos by Gina Horan