A bit of competition is a good thing. It pushes us to be better, builds resilience, perseverance and tenacity, plus it's shown to be a very effective way to drive increased performance.
So it’s no surprise that lots of people want in on the action.
This year alone, there will be 80+ Hyrox competitions attracting more than 550,000 participants, over a million people will tick off a marathon, and thousands of others will sign up for bespoke training competitions – like the Ceremony Games which, despite being brand new, attracted over 200 people to the debut Auckland City event
Rob Lee is a long-time fitness enthusiast, coach and physiotherapist who has participated in dozens of these types of events over the years. He says the way competitive events have evolved in recent years is really refreshing. “In the early days of fitness competitions, it was only the elite athletes who got to experience the buzz and have crowds cheer them on. Now we're seeing other options that are open to everyone – so you don't have to qualify or be a certain fitness level to experience the magic.”
"I love the hype and camaraderie, signing up for a fitness competition brings focus and intensity to your training.” Rob Lee
The pros of fitness competitions
- Motivation: Having a goal focuses your training and motivates you to raise your training intensity and consistency.
- Community: It’s a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and build friendships.
- Confidence: doing something outside your comfort zone, and tracking your achievements, provides a sense of accomplishment and helps lift your self-esteem.
“A lot of people get put off by the word competition. But I treat fitness competitions in the same way I play amateur golf – the goal is to enjoy the process and improve. You enjoy it with others, but you’re only competing with yourself.” Rob Lee
The cons of fitness competitions
- Overreaching and injury: The nature of a competition means you may need to push yourself to your maximum. If you push hard when you’re fatigued, you can lose proper form and this is when injury can occur. Overreaching on training day isn’t the only issue. People can also get carried away and obsessed with the high of competing, so they often overtrain and don't allow time for recovery, which can lead to injury.
- Time: Training for a fitness event can take a lot of time, which can be difficult for those with busy schedules.
- Pressure and stress: Competition isn’t for everyone – it can create added anxiety and make some feel overwhelmed rather than motivated.
- Expense: Registration fees, travel expenses, and gear can quickly add up and make it one of the more pricey fitness options.
AND… they are hard
Fitness races are always harder than you expect. “They are much harder than you could ever train for,” explains Lee. “When you’re training, you don't have the adrenaline, it’s only when you’re in the competition that your brain takes you into the zone and enables you to push harder than you ever could during training.”
Can group training give you a competitive edge?
Lee says group training is a fantastic match for anyone considering a fitness competition. “When you’re doing a group fitness class, the Instructor helps you find what works for you, then encourages you to raise the intensity, keep up and stick with it. It instils confidence and forges the mindset you need for a competition.”
When Lee and his wife were training for their latest competition, they were doing as many group fitness classes as they could. “BODYATTACK, BODYCOMBAT, LES MILLS TONE providing great movement variety and mixed intensity training. And for a fitness race, the moves in LES MILLS CEREMONY are really synergistic.”
“The variety you get with group workouts really enhances your athletic movement competency,” Lee says. He adds that you become a better mover and athletically more pliable, which reduces injury risk, sets you up with solid technique, and improves longevity. “Essentially, it helps you become a well-rounded athlete.”
“Often you see people who might be amazing runners, but when it comes to lunges, wall balls or burpees, they don't have the movements right. Doing group training workouts helps you become a generalist so you’re really good across the board – and that’s what gives you the competitive edge.”
Competition is not the be-all and end-all
In most cases, there’s a tipping point when competitiveness comes at a cost. Those who are overly competitive can sacrifice other priorities and studies have shown that hypercompetitive individuals can be more impatient and irritable than others. They can even have more self-reported health problems.
So how do you find the perfect competitive balance? As sports and fitness professionals, pro trainers share how they channel competition to make it work for them:
Caley Jäck: Compete with yourself, not those around you
“I’m not a competitive person. I do like to compete with myself, but I don’t enjoy competitive team sports – competition freaks me out because I feel like bad energy is created and I feel it’s damaging to relationships. I don’t want to be competitive with you, because I don’t want to clash with you. In a workout, if someone is the pacesetter – awesome, love it – but I don’t want to compete with that.
I feel that every person on the planet has a gift to share with the world. What you have, I will never have, and what I have is something you will never have. There’s no point competing with your gift. I try to remind myself of that when self-doubt starts creeping in and I start comparing myself to others.”
Erin Maw: Identify when and where you thrive on competitiveness
"I like being in a competitive environment because it's what I've done my whole life. That's how I thrive and take my game to the next level. From the age of four, I competed in gymnastics. I like the high-performance culture at the gym and that everyone's encouraged to lift their game. I want to keep getting better and better, and I encourage others to keep leveling up their game too.”
Khiran Huston: Delve deep into any competitive feelings that don’t serve you
“Feeling competitive is normal, and it's natural for humans to have goals and want to work toward those goals. But there are some things you can’t control and you have to be okay with that. In times when you do experience jealousy or resentment, you should examine those feelings. Don’t ignore them and just put on a smiley face, but examine where they’re coming from. For example, if someone gets an opportunity that you wanted, then ask – are they good? Did they deserve it? Try to work through those feelings, rather than just smiling at everyone when you’re actually dying inside – because that’s not healthy.
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