For professional athletes, participation in fitness competitions would often mean years of training, sacrifice, outstanding sporting prowess and an intrinsic desire to win. But as inspiring as that is, for many of us everyday gym-goers or even fitness newbies, that is not our reality. However, just because striving for gold may not be your goal, it doesn’t mean that fitness competitions aren’t for you. 

With the rise of CrossFit, many gyms and studios are hosting their own fitness competitions- including our very own StrongHer! This is wonderful news for non-professional athletes, because it opens the doors to a much wider audience. Some of these competitions have advance entry requirements and incredibly intense workouts. However, some competitions like, StrongHer Games, encourage all participants to take part, whether you’re a beginner or super experienced. 

You may be wondering whether fitness competitions are for you. Maybe you like to train solo with your headphones on and the world tuned out. Maybe you love training in a social setting but don’t have the desire to go up against anybody. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between. Regardless, we’ve discovered that there’s SO much value to be gained from competitive fitness. 

According to a study by the University of Pennyslyvania, competitive team groups and a competitive atmosphere encourage more exercise participation and increased activity levels. When you compete in a team, you feel empowered by other members of the group to work harder and achieve more. Seeing other people push themselves and do their best can inspire a new level of confidence in you. Often, competition participants report achieving personal bests during competition, which is a win in and of itself!

The study by the University of Pennsylvania also found that it didn’t matter whether the competitive team members knew each other or not, they were still spurred on by the competitive spirit of the group. This means that if ever you’re considering not entering a fitness competition because you don’t know your team, fear not! You can still reap the rewards of taking part. Once the event is explained to your team and you know what you need to do, you’ll get stuck in and may even form friendships and close bonds with your teammates by the end of the comp!

Competition can provide you with so much more than a medal or a prize. You’re able to challenge yourself and achieve things you may not have thought possible. You get to have fun working hard alongside people you may not otherwise connect with. You get to spend the day working towards a better you. You get to put your training to the test. And you get a really cool story to tell your friends, colleagues and family! 😉

We strongly encourage you to put any fears aside, step outside of your comfort zone and give fitness competitions a go! You may find there’s been an inner fitness competitor in you all along!

By Courtnay Osborne-Walker