At the media interview for AIA HYROX Singapore 2026, we were charmed by very sexy, very bad boy, R&B superstar Jay Park, just before he took on the Men’s Doubles in his HYROX debut, fittingly held in Singapore, a city he calls his third home. Read on to find out more on what he discussed!
| Q: This is your first time competing in the HYROX race. What made you decide to take part in this challenge? And is the Singapore weather getting to you? |
| Jay Park: It’s very hot. It’s very humid. But I like hot, humid weather, though. But I’ve never worked out for more than an hour in this hot, humid weather. So we’ll see how I feel. But, for me, I always like challenges. I always like to push myself, whether it be with exercise, or with music, or with my career, or whatever it may be. And so when the opportunity came about, I was like, why not, right? I’m used to difficult things and things being hard. And I welcome it. And we’ll see how I do. That’s all I can say. We’ll see how I do. |
| Q: Well you’re a busy man, global artist, R&B star, music producer, CEO. With this career craziness of yours, how do you find time to train for HYROX? |
| Jay Park: You know, you just got to squeeze it in, to be honest. No excuses, right? So after like a 12, 13 hour day, and then (I will) work out at like 11 PM, you know what I mean? And so even with the other day, I got done with Show Me The Money, went to the after meal, got an hour of sleep, and then came here, and then did the battle ropes and whatever, and then we went straight to training, right? And so, even though you feel exhausted and you feel like you want to rest, it’s like if you have HYROX the next, next day, then you just got to thug it out. You just got to do it. I mean, what else can I say, right? You just got to do it. |
| Q: What are the biggest differences between preparing for HYROX vs preparing for a concert/tour? |
| Jay Park: For a concert, beyond me, there’s a lot of other people that are involved, right? There’s the dancers. There’s the choreographer. There’s the producers of the concert, where the sound system, the sound guy, the lighting, special effects, the band. So it’s a team of 100 people. And so it takes a lot of synchronising and aligning. As where, for something like this, it’s more I have to make sure that my stamina is good, my strength is good, that I’m eating the right things, which I wasn’t. And you’ve got to make sure that your energy and everything feels right. Obviously, I do have my partner, Eddy, from Gym Town. So it’s just us aligning. It’s not aligning with everybody else. For the concert, it’s more for everyone to watch. For this, this is just about us. It’s not about people watching. I guess, of course, you guys come to watch me and support me. And I’m thankful for that. But I’m not doing it for you guys. I’m doing it for myself. So it’s a little bit different. |
| Q: Which HYROX station do you find the most challenging? And which do you think you’ll be the best at? |
| Jay Park: Anything that involves weight and legs, just cause I have skinny legs. And I messed up my ankle in October. So probably the lunges and the sled pushing. Probably what I’m best at is the burpees, because I’m very light. And I’ve been breakdancing my whole life. So the burpees or the carry, the farmer’s carry. Even though I’m small, I have very strong grip. So probably those two I’ll be pretty good at. But we’ll see. I don’t know. I might drop it while I’m doing it. |
| Q: What does taking care of yourself look like for you beyond fitness? |
| Jay Park: Beyond fitness. For me, it’s just to take time out of my day to find peace, right? Because my life is very chaotic. There’s a lot of people that always want my time or that are always just kind of watching what I do or depending on me. I have a lot of obligations. I’m accountable for a lot of people, responsible for a lot of people at all times. And so I need to take time for myself to organise my thoughts, not to be overwhelmed. So I do like to run, not HYROX running, I like to run just at a good pace, outside, around nature, and just kind of appreciate nature and the beauty of nature. And just be thankful and grateful for things, right? And then when time allows, I’ll take some time to vacation and not just do anything, right? I have to do this next week, so I have to diet for this or I have to train for this or I have to practise for this, or I have to do this meeting because of this business or whatever. Just kind of put down all those pressures, and just really take some time, for me, right? Yes, exactly. So, you know, they agree. They agree. |
| Q: We know that you will be partnered with your trainer this time. But if you could pick any celebrity to be your HYROX partner, who would it be? |
| Jay Park: I mean, probably Minho from SHINee. He just got first place, right? Maybe he could piggyback ride me, right? Minho from SHINee, for sure. Congrats to him, too. |
| Q: You said you’ve been doing a lot of preparations and a lot of training. So, we want to know what do you want to do the most after HYROX, whether it’s eating… |
| Jay Park: So, I haven’t done a lot. I have been doing preparation, but it hasn’t been a lot. But I have been pushing myself, right? And what I want to do the most is… So, I think in Singapore, like just being outside is very nice because the view is nice. Everything is nice around here. It’s so clean. So, you know, I really want to just drink a beer on like a patio, right? That’s what I want to do. Just because, you know, the funny thing is… So, training for this, I’ve actually been able to eat more than I usually eat, because I have to expend so much energy, right? Because for me, for HYROX, I’m not trying to, you know, look like MOMMAE, (with) like abs. No, I want to perform well. So, I’ve actually been eating more than I eat. But, you know, obviously, drinking is not going to help my performance. So, yeah. So, I got here, haven’t been drinking, (have just) trained, been doing all the media obligations and whatnot. And today, after I’m done, I just want to drink a cold beer on the patio. Yeah, and maybe some chilli crab. We’ll see. |
| Q: Do you have any last words you want to share before you go off to warm up for your race? |
| Jay Park: Yeah, I mean, you know, Singapore, you know, this is probably the third most place I’ve visited in my life. So the US, Korea, and then Singapore, I’ve been here maybe like 25, 30 times. So, you know, I love being here. It feels like a third home. Thank you for everyone that has been supporting me throughout my whole career. And yeah, I’m glad that my first time doing HYROX is in Singapore. So have a great day. Be healthy, be kind to one another and be blessed. Thank you guys! |
We left the interview rooting for Jay Park at his Men’s Doubles race at AIA HYROX Singapore 2026 and joined the crowd in cheers as he nailed the B-boy freeze he had set out to complete at the finish!
This interview was brought to you by AIA Singapore. Jay Park’s ability to balance peak physical performance with mental resilience while training for HYROX perfectly embodies the holistic well-being that AIA Singapore champions. This partnership between AIA Singapore and Jay Park is part of the company’s efforts to empower people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, and is part of its 95th birthday celebrations in Singapore.
Picture credits: AIA Singapore
