A Healthy Dose of Competition – Why Fitness Events are for Everyone!

Written by Beckie Lough

Many people in the fitness world share a common quality – a highly competitive nature. They want to be the best and they often are. They are always ready to test themselves when the opportunity arrives. 

Then there are those of us who just… aren’t. People like me, who actually feel better when a competition ends in a tie. People who just like to try their best and really don’t care if they one-up anyone else.

If you’re more like me, you might find the idea of doing a competition totally unappealing. But I’m here to argue that chill athletes like us can enjoy “fitness events,” even if we’re not competitive! All we need are open expectations and a willingness to try hard.

Here’s why you should give it a go:

Feel great about yourself

When you take the right approach, you will feel AMAZING about yourself right after the event and for years to come. No matter the outcome, you will surprise and impress yourself. You will be proud of what your body has been able to do. Even if you aren’t competitive with others, there is still a satisfying sense of accomplishment that comes from doing better than your previous best!

Challenge yourself

One of my favorite reasons for doing fitness events is for the exquisite exhaustion I feel when I really go all out. Of course, we push ourselves hard in the gym all the time. But doing a structured event with other people often opens up another level of intensity that doesn’t come into play during training. The result is an extremely gratifying level of fatigue that you know you earned!

Set benchmarks

When you train hard, week after week, it can sometimes be difficult to see your progress. Sure, you can do 15 push ups when you used to only do 10. But it’s not as if you’re testing your 1RM that often. Doing a fitness event, especially a well-rounded one like the Simply Fit Games, will give you a specific snapshot of your current abilities and allow you to see direct progress. Personally, as I’ve been gearing up for the Trainer Games, I have found that I can do 5 reps of my last Games’ best on deadlift, which is really satisfying and lets me know I should set a big goal this year! 

Put your skills to use

Fitness events are a fun way to play around with all the skills and abilities you’ve been working on in training. It’s cool to do pull-ups in the gym; it’s even cooler to show off those pull-ups to other people. Even if you don’t make the podium, what you exhibit in competition will impress and inspire those around you.

Surround yourself with awesome people

When you sign up for an event, you and all the other participants are putting yourselves out there in the same way. Some people will struggle in ways you do. Others will seem effortlessly stronger or faster. Let everyone around you inspire you to keep pushing. Bask in the collective energy and shared success!

Get out of your comfort zone

As adults, we rarely have opportunities to get uncomfortable. Amateur competitions like road races and ASF events are low-stakes ways to challenge yourself, which is a fast-track to personal growth. Level up your training by taking a risk. As the wall at the South Studio says, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” 

Make your trainer super happy

Seeing our clients be awesome and exceed their own expectations is a personal trainer’s greatest joy. The pride we feel when our clients succeed is one of the very best feelings. So even if you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for your trainer! No pressure though…

 

Do your future self a favor and sign up for a fitness event, like our upcoming Simply Fit Games! We’ll see you in the gym!