WHAT IS COMPETITIVE EXERCISE?
In the simplest terms, competitive exercise uses the performance of others in a group setting to motivate you to reach new personal records or to keep you motivated to finish a set. Competitiveness is a natural human trait. Gym-goers who are highly competitive often find that harnessing this characteristic can help them become more disciplined and focused on improving their own personal fitness.
Working out without a competitive edge can potentially hinder your performance. If you aren’t innately self-motivated, it’s tempting to go easy on yourself, which may result in a performance plateau, holding back your progress. Who hasn’t slowed their run pace, skipped a rep, or checked their phone during a solo set? That’s why you typically see pairs of lifters, side-by-side runners, and so many Group Fitness classes on the schedule. Companionship and competition help keep your workouts on track.
Adding a challenge, like time restraint or incrementally higher weight resistance, is the best workout motivation as it simply taps into our intuitive competitive human nature. Healthy competition encourages us to venture into the unknown. Every step is an opportunity for self-discovery as we push our bodies physically and mentally to go farther.
Introducing a competitive exercise activity with your workout buddies can break up the monotony of a workout routine, provide an extra boost you need to push your hardest, add a level of fun, and build camaraderie. And with that, everyone, especially your body’s health and fitness, wins.
Here are a few ideas to help you get fit with friendly competition.
WAGER YOUR WORKOUT WITH A TRAINING PARTNER
Training with a partner can motivate you to workout harder and longer. Get creative and create a competitive exercise challenge you both can enjoy. If it’s weight training you both love, why not compete to perform as many reps in 30 seconds at the lightest weight? Repeat for the following two weight increments. Make sure you are pushing yourself safely and always prioritizing good form. You could also add a wager to help motivate you. For example, whoever has the least reps in the activity must commit to any one of the following:
- Wipe down the winner’s weights and bench for a week
- Put away all weights for a week
- Wash the winner’s gym clothes for a week
- Buy the winner a smoothie
Workout challenges don’t always have to pin swolemates against each other. Work together and compete against time and exercise other muscle groups with a challenge that’s totally outside your regular routine. Even if you’re part of a group or team, add a challenge that involves everyone together mid or post-workout, like tossing the lightest weight medicine ball 100 times back and forth in 30 seconds from varying distances. If you fail, you’ll all have to:
- Add one more rep to each exercise for the remainder of the workout
- Do 20 push-ups
- Do 20 burpees
- Plank for 2 minutes
- Run one lap around the parking lot
EōS APP FITNESS CHALLENGES
Don’t have a workout buddy or prefer to expand your pool of competitors? Fitness trackers can be the best workout motivation as they can compare all your past workouts and see how you stack up against a larger community of members. The EōS Fitness app does all that, plus encourages you to power up and earn points – at your own pace.
When you log your workouts with the EōS Fitness app, you can join in monthly fitness challenges for a chance to win product bundles like workout clothing or exercise gear. Although winners are selected at random, you can compete on the leaderboard and rank among the other participating EōS members nationwide.
The EōS Monthly Challenges typically measure distance, workout sessions, or minutes of activity. Once you “Join” a challenge, whatever the category of measure indicated throughout your workout will be automatically credited as points and saved in your history.
Do you already track your workouts in another fitness app? No problem! The EōS Fitness app is compatible with AppleHealth, Fitbit, Garmin, MapMyFitness, Misfit, MyFitnessPal, Polar, Precor, Runkeeper, Strava, Suunto, TomTom, and Withing. Just connect your preferred app to the EōS Fitness app, “Join” a challenge, and you’ll be automatically credited once your workout is complete.
Ready to join? Check out the Holiday Hustle Distance Challenge! Log 300 miles total November through December for a chance to win a Hyperice Relaxroll® Fit Kit worth $85. Join now on the EōS Fitness App or view all the exercise competition details here.
Here’s a full list of the competitive exercise challenges you’ll likely see in the EōS Fitness app:
Time Fitness Challenge
Count the clock and meet the number of required minutes spent exercising. TIP: If you are manually recording a workout, make sure that you include minutes spent doing the activity and/or start and stop time. Movements recorded that do not indicate duration will not be credited.
Mileage Fitness Challenge
This is a distance-based goal. Qualifying workouts may vary depending on how the challenge is set up (run, walk, swim, or bike). TIP: Check the fitness challenge details to ensure your workout type is accepted. For example, the challenge may be set up to track only the distance logged by bike. If you are using a connected device/app, make sure that your workout has recorded the distance.
Group Fitness Challenge
You’ll be challenged to attend a certain number of Group Fitness classes in one month. Check out the G-Fit class list to preview what group exercise classes may count in a typical G-Fit challenge. TIP: Make sure you register and scan your phone at the kiosk before class starts to ensure the credit is earned.
Calorie Fitness Challenge
This goal prompts you to burn a specific number of calories for the duration of the challenge. TIP: Make sure your recorded workouts include calories burned. If your connected device does not automatically calculate calories burned, you can manually enter your activity in the EōS Fitness app to earn credit.
For more information about challenges and how to connect your compatible fitness app, check out our EōS Fitness App Challenge FAQs. Ready to beat the competition? Download the EōS Fitness app today.
It goes without saying that adding an element of competition to your workout routine truly is a win-win for fitness. Whether challenging your workout partner by adding an activity to your fitness routine or competing for a top 10 spot on the leaderboard, the actual winner will always be you when you push your limits.
To learn more about the gym amenities and how you can track your strength and workout performance, stop by your local EōS Fitness for a Complimentary 7-Day Pass.
