The DefyFit Challenge. A couple of years ago I had the idea of putting together a workout that we could use to test our members with every year. I wanted to create something that would be mentally challenging, one of those workouts you’re waiting to get started and thinking ‘Ok, this is gonna suck’ but it had to have an element of simplicity so anyone could give it a try.
At the time, the now very popular, HYROX event was on my radar. I liked the format of the workout; around an hour, simple movements, you know its gonna suck before you start. But, I didn’t love all the running – 8km of it if you don’t already know.
Don’t get me wrong, running is a great test of fitness but when looking to test fitness, it can’t be so biased in one direction. If running isn’t a big part of your training, then doing well in that event is very hard.
Testing fitness through one event is impossible. That is, if you believe that fitness is a mix of strength, speed, power, endurance, agility etc etc. As a functional fitness gym, we believe that the fittest person is someone who can perform in all areas of fitness; not just the person who can lift heaviest or run the fastest.
But back to The DefyFit Challenge; I wanted an event that would test people’s mental toughness, allow them to work really hard and be very simple. The movements also had to have some application to the outside world; meaning they are very functional by nature. Here’s the workout:
- 100/80 Calories Row
- 25 Burpees with Dumbbells (2×35/2×25)
- 100/80 Calories Bike
- 50 Box Step Overs (50/35)
- 100/80 Calories Ski
- 75 Plate Ground to Overhead (45/35)
- 100/80 Reverse Lunges (2×44/2×26)
- 800m Sandbag Run (60/40)
- 800m Run
*If you’re not familiar reading our workouts – the brackets denote the weight of that movement and there are M/F options
Together the Defy coaching team settled on this after I put my ideas to them. All of these movements have real life application; getting off the floor with weight (DB Burpees), walking upstairs holding a child (DB Box Step Overs) and so on.
This workout, to me, is a great test of being fit for every day life and beyond. If you’re really fit, you’ll be near the 40min mark and your overall fitness will be so well rounded that I’d bet there would be nothing that you wouldn’t be able to do to a moderately high level, fitness event wise.
This workout serves as an annual test for our members. One of my biggest ‘pet peeves’ with most popular fitness models (aka franchise fitness) is that people don’t get to see if they are making progress – there’s no measurement (other than the scales or body composition).
And while making progress in body composition is great, it’s even more powerful to make progress in your ability to perform better – this is what Getting Better At Life really means!
There’s so many ways to measure progress and in this workout it’s measured by how fast people can get the work done (with perfect standards). But it could also be the ability to actually do the workout as written (we have options that can lighten the loads etc). If someone did it last year with a modification and they do it this year as written, that is progress.
Getting a similar time could also be considered progress. Being a year older with the same ability…is progress!
If you’ve got this far then I want you to take this away from this blog:
- Do something every year to measure you progress in fitness
- Make it something that’s applicable to life and also a little scary (use our workout if you want)
- If you’re a Defy members, get yourself signed up
We test on April 12th – let’s go!
