After opening the studio in 2015, I wanted to create a fun competition for my members that would put their earned fitness improvements on full display. I’m proud to admit that the workouts we provide at our studio do improve mobility, strength, and help promote fat loss. Some people may improve at a faster rate than others, but overall, if you are consistently (I stress consistently) completing your workouts, you should see improvements. The issue is that it’s hard sometimes to see improvements in the mirror. If you wish to get leaner, it’s like looking at a roll of paper towels and tearing off a layer every day. You may not notice a difference in the circumference of the roll, until after 3 months, you put the roll beside a new roll. How about strength gains? We all tend to forget our starting point. That’s why I created the Torch Challenge in 2015.
The Torch Challenge was an annual event where members of the studio competed against one another in 4-5 distinct categories. The events changed throughout the years, but to name a few we had in past years:
» The maximum number of inverted rows you could complete in 30 seconds using the TRX
suspension system.
» Maximum amount of overhead presses you could compete in 30 seconds with an Ultimate
sandbag.
» Total distance of pushing a weighted sled.
» Maximum wattage output on the Assault bike.
The event was rewarding for me and the team, but I decided to discontinue it last year.
My reason for stopping the Torch Challenge was that it started to diminish one of my tenets at the studio. At the studio, we don’t promote a competitive atmosphere. I don’t want a beginner joining our studio, with the additional stress and anxiety that they need to keep up with the other members. When you join the studio, you are in a competition of one! You win by showing up and getting better. The only person you need to compete with is your old self. When I started to observe the negative effects the Challenge started to have on my members, I decided it was time to shelf the Challenge.
I recently purchased Dr. Peter Attia’s book, Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. I strongly recommend this book. In the book, Dr. Attia defines the difference between medicine 2.0 (what we currently have) and medicine 3.0, which he hopes to usher in. Medicine 3.0 is all about taking preventive steps to improve your health. Don’t wait until you see the bad biomarkers to address a
problem, take a proactive stance, and get ahead of it. Exercise plays a huge role in that process, and he has coined this goal of working towards the “Centenarian Decathlon.” Dr. Attia states, “The Centenarian Olympics is a framework I use to organize my patients physical aspirations for the later decades of their lives, especially their Marginal Decade (the last decade of your life).” Some of the events he lists are:
1. Hike 1.5 miles on a hilly trail
2. Get up off the floor under your own power, using a maximum of one arm for support.
3. Lift a twenty-pound suitcase into the overhead compartment of a plane.
In order to make progress, you have to keep score. To know you’re getting better, whether strength, body composition, or mobility, you need to continually assess. Inspired by Dr. Attia, I recently decided to bring back the Torch Challenge, but this time it will be different. There will not be a prize for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. There will not be an afternoon when we schedule the event. What I plan to do is create a list of events that members will be able to do, to see their improvements. People will be able to schedule a time to complete the events, and the only observer will be their coach tracking their reps and numbers.
We offer a unique experience at J & D Fitness Personal Training and the Torch Challenge 2.0 will be a fantastic way to highlight that for our members.
I’ll see you at the studio.