Why We Keep Creating Fitness Challenges

One thing we've started doing more of at Resilient Body is introducing monthly fitness challenges.

Not because every workout needs a leaderboard. Not because everything has to become a competition. And definitely not because a single challenge tells us much about someone's overall fitness.

We do it because fitness is supposed to be fun.

Somewhere along the way, many adults lose that part. As kids, movement was built around games, challenges, sports, races, and exploration. We rode bikes, played pickup games, climbed things we probably shouldn't have climbed, and spent countless hours trying to master a new skill. Movement wasn't something we had to do—it was something we wanted to do.

Then adulthood arrives and movement slowly becomes something else. Calories burned. Macros tracked. Body fat percentages. Lab values. Step counts. None of those things are bad. In fact, many of them can be incredibly useful. But sometimes we become so focused on measuring progress that we accidentally remove the very thing that made movement enjoyable in the first place:

Play.

Looking back, some of my favorite fitness experiences weren't necessarily the most effective from a training standpoint. They were simply the most engaging.

Water polo practices became mini competitions. Running became chasing arbitrary time goals. Skateboarding was essentially an endless series of challenges trying to land one specific trick. Even today, I still find myself creating random benchmarks and targets simply because they make training more enjoyable.

One thing CrossFit deserves a tremendous amount of credit for is recognizing something many fitness professionals overlooked for years:

People enjoy having something to chase.

A benchmark.

A challenge.

A target.

A reason to show up and see what happens.

And while some people love to criticize leaderboards and competition, they often miss what makes those things powerful in the first place.

Research on motivation consistently points toward three major drivers of long-term engagement: competence, autonomy, and connection. In simple terms, we like feeling capable, we like choosing our own path, and we like feeling connected to other people. A well-designed challenge can create all three.

We feel competent when we improve.

We choose to participate.

And we get to share the experience with others.

That last piece is particularly important. People rarely remember the workout itself. They remember who encouraged them, who pushed them, who beat them by one rep, or who they finally beat the next time around. Shared challenges have a way of creating social glue because the experience becomes bigger than the exercise itself.

In a world where loneliness and disconnection continue to rise, that's probably worth more than a few extra reps on a leaderboard.

Which Brings Us To This Month's Challenge

This month's challenge is straightforward:

Maximum Bench Press Repetitions

• Men: 60% Bodyweight

• Women: 40% Bodyweight

One set.

One chance.

Bragging rights included.

I recently tested it myself and managed 69 reps.

The final few reps weren't exactly what anyone would use in an instructional video, but that's kind of the point. The challenge wasn't meaningful because of the number. It was meaningful because it gave me something to chase. Something to prepare for. Something to compare notes on afterward. Something that made training feel a little different that day.

And sometimes that's exactly what people need.

Not a new program.

Not a new supplement.

Not a perfect plan.

Just a reason to be excited about showing up again.

That's why we'll continue sprinkling these challenges throughout the year. Not because they're essential to success, but because enjoyment is one of the most underrated ingredients in long-term fitness.

Fitness doesn't always need to be serious.

Sometimes it should be meaningful.

Sometimes it should be playful.

Sometimes it should challenge us.

And sometimes it should remind us why we enjoyed moving in the first place.

📣 Quick Announcements:

• New Class Times! New evening classes begin June 16th at 5:30pm to mirror our new morning class offerings and round out your training. We look forward to seeing you there!

• June Challenge: Maximum repetitions:

  🏋️ Men: Bench Press @ 60% Bodyweight

  🏋️‍♀️ Women: Bench Press @ 40% Bodyweight

  One set. One chance. Bragging rights included.

  Current score to beat: 69 reps

• Social Media Update:

  Our original social media accounts were unfortunately hacked several weeks ago and we're continuing to rebuild under our new Instagram account.

  If you see @res.body, that's us.

  We'd genuinely appreciate a follow as we get things back up and running, and feel free to share it with anyone who may be trying to build a little more alignment, health, and sustainability into their own life this summer.

• A heads up for anyone hoping to get in with Marcin:

  He'll be leaving next week for an exciting advanced educational opportunity overseas as he continues evolving his treatment approach and long-term model.

  Availability before then is becoming limited, so if you've been thinking about booking this final week, we'd recommend grabbing a spot sooner rather than later through the link below.: https://resilient-body.as.me/manual-therapy-marcin

• Bring a friend and you are both free on either class Saturday morning!

• New Personal Training Slots Available – Book a consult if you’re ready to level up

• 💬 Got questions? Reply here or ask your coach next time you're in