You might have heard a bit about StrongHer Games. Perhaps a friend from Force classes was there last time, and she swears absolutely loved it. Or you’ve seen the videos and pictures all over our IG page…but you’re not really convinced StrongHer Games is for you. You don’t think you’re ‘there yet’’ in terms of your training, or just consider yourself not the competitive type. And yet - you’re curious, intrigued.

If the above resonates with you in one way or another - read on! Today we’re sharing what StrongHer Games is really like, what to expect, how to prepare … StrongHer Games 101!

Before

First things first - which category is right for you? There’s two main things to consider - your experience with competitions and where you are in terms of your training. If you’ve never competed before - we’d definitely recommend the beginner category! However, if you have, don’t sell yourself short - have a look at the movement standards chart to figure out if you should enter the novice or intermediate category!

StrongHer Games is a team competition (teams of four, or pairs) and so we do recommend you train together a few times beforehand. While this sounds more or less intuitive, we do want to spell out the reasons why:

• Strategy: not all athletes (yes girl, you’re an athlete!) are built equal - and that’s the beauty of team competitions! It’s super useful to establish in advance who is the cardio queen and who can deadlift 100kg+.

• Sync, sync, sync: as most fitness competitions, StrongHer Games includes a lot of events where performing the exercises in sync is key. No sync - no rep. Here, practice makes perfect so having a few training sessions together in advance could really help!

• The worm: this mythical creature is not as scary as it sounds, we promise. We’d just really recommend practicing together - it’s the only way to get to grips with it!

All of that being said… one of the teams in our last StrongHer Games met for the first time on the morning of the competition.. and won the beginner’s category!

On the day

Okay, so you’ve done all the leg work - have trained with your team a few times, have been especially consistent and dedicated to your overall training routine, and finally, today is the day! You wake up, and you have to eat, get dressed… but you have no clue how to approach either of those in this circumstance! So here’s a quick checklist of best practices:

• Clothes - we recommend any gym wear that YOU feel comfortable in. Leggings, booty shorts, high support sports bras .. you name it, the important bit is that it works for YOUR body. Oh, and if you’re worried about how you’d look in the pictures in that specific outfit – fear not, a woman lifting heavy shit looks badass regardless of what she’s wearing!

• Food - think of your body as a car about to embark on a long road trip - you need fuel! Make sure to have a balanced breakfast packed with nutrients. Our coaches recommend having a big carby meal - such as oats, pasta or bagels (but do stick to your usual, this is not the time to experiment!). Drink lots of water and hydrate. But be careful not to overdo it – having a full English is probably not the best idea right now! Consider bringing nutrient-packed snacks such as protein bars, chocolate, sugary snacks such as a bag of haribos, fruit, chicken breast chunks, etc. And don’t forget that our protein shakes will always have your back!

P.S. Yes, you can take pre-workout if you fancy it - it ain’t cheating!

During

Okay, so you’re all ready to go and are on the way to StrongHer Space! You might feel a bit nervy - it’s the adrenaline, and it’s completely normal! You’ll use that later to your advantage!

Make sure to get there at least 30 min before the start of the comp! Once you get there, drop off your stuff in the locker rooms, get yourself your StrongHer Games t-shirt and find your teammates. This is your time to warm up - and we mean it - do not skip this step!! Your body is about to be pushed to its limits so you should do everything in your control to avoid injury. And while you’re at it - make sure your teammates warm up properly too!!

A question everyone has had at some point before attending an event is ‘who’s going to be there’? So we thought we should get this one out of the way too: 

• Athletes - people like you who are there to compete. While you are technically up against them, in a typical StrongHer spirit everyone is really friendly and helpful - no bad vibes allowed! 

• Coaches - all familiar faces, no surprises. Their job is to demo the events, help at each station, help with equipment etc. 

• Volunteers - helping out with bits and bobs, behind the scenes small tasks, managing the leaderboard etc. They are all from the StrongHERD so probably familiar faces too!

• SH Team - the gals who will be there to make your protein shake, take your pics, cheer on when you’re pushing through those last reps!

• Sam & Tig (obviously) - self-explanatory. Can’t have StrongHer Games without these two!

Now, logistically this is how StrongHer Games work: There’s three/four stations (think ‘challenges’, or series of exercises that need to be completed), and the teams rotate through each station. Which means your team will be given a schedule beforehand, and you will likely have a 30 min -1.5h gaps in between each station. Y’all should use this time wisely to rest, refuel, and warm up. So, in very simple terms - you get in, go through each of your stations at your assigned times and you’re finished! We make it sound so easy huh!?

During and in-between stations is where the StrongHer Games magic happens through - the vibes, the effort, the energy, the determination. Pushing your mind and body. Cheering for strangers who suddenly feel like sisters. This bit, unfortunately, we can’t capture in words - you have to experience it!