SHINee’s Minho talks HYROX Singapore, his intense daily workouts, and what drives him to train every day

SHINee’s Choi Min-ho may be an idol, actor and all-around heartthrob, but if there’s one thing he’s truly serious about, it’s working out. And he doesn’t just dabble. He tries everything.

When he surprised fans on Instagram by announcing that he would be competing in the HYROX Singapore Men’s Doubles category with Physical:100 alum Hong Beom-seok, the internet went into overdrive. The reveal came just days before race day, but that didn’t stop fans from clearing their schedules and rushing to Singapore Expo on Sunday, 30 November at 8 am to catch the duo in action.

Minho, who’s long been known as one of K-entertainment’s “representative sportsmen,” has built a reputation for being endlessly game. He has appeared in King of Golf (Season 2) and was appointed as the basketball captain in SBS’ newest variety programme, Rising Eagles, released in late November 2025. As a matter of fact, the star occasionally works out with Hong Beom-seok and Amotti, too. 

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During his conversation with Her World Singapore, Minho shared that working out isn’t a hobby, a phase, or even a discipline. It’s simply… life.

“I work out every day,” he says, adding that he’s tried his hand at nearly every sport. Think – swimming, cycling, weight training, football, basketball, you name it. But right now? Running is in his heart. And based on how he flew through the HYROX course with Hong Beom-seok in Singapore, the man clearly wasn’t exaggerating.

When asked why he loves training so much, he shrugs gently: “There’s no reason. It’s my life.”

Despite his athletic routine, Minho insists his daily schedule isn’t as rigid as one might expect. “It’s different every day, but I wake up at 7am or 8am?” he says, adding that he usually goes to bed around midnight or 1am. Between performing, filming and squeezing in a workout every single day, the man is clearly operating on idol-level stamina.

Still, Minho is firm about one thing: performing always comes first. “That’s my job,” he says with a small smile. “Exercise comes after.”

With HYROX Singapore wrapped, Minho is already thinking ahead to 2026. He and Beom-seok finished second in the Men’s Doubles category, which is honestly an impressive result, but one that has lit a new fire in him.“Actually, I didn’t have a goal, but after today, my goal is to be number one in HYROX.”

Given his intensity, you might imagine his diet is clean, controlled and micromanaged. But during the October 10 broadcast of MBC’s I Live Alone, Jun Hyun-moo joked, “You can eat whatever you want because you work out so much,” to which Minho revealed something surprising. “I got an InBody measurement today and I was shocked. Even though I’m not dieting, my body fat was 4.5kg — 6.3%.”

And so when it came to his post-HYROX treat in Singapore, he didn’t hold back. Beaming, he told Her World Singapore: “I will eat chilli crab and pepper crab. I love crab. Singapore crab is oooh!” he says, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up.