When we at Studio SWEAT onDemand created SWEAT Pro, our mission was to deliver to commercial facilities the most immersive and inspiring virtual fitness platform around. And we’re proud to say we’ve done it — by offering an endless library of onDemand fitness classes to spaces like health clubs, fitness studios, apartment communities, military bases, hotels, universities, and so much more. 

But in today’s busy world, it can be difficult for commercial facilities to attract, engage, and enliven their members to workout and push themselves to their full fitness potential. And that’s where fitness challenges come in! A fitness challenge is an excellent motivator, turning casual fitness buffs into full-time competitors. 

The beauty of a good fitness challenge is that it offers a concise structure that can clearly map out the way forward. They also can unlock the competitive spirit, which when done in the spirit of fun and positivity, can be a powerful tool. And the best part – you can offer fun prizes at the end to the winners, as well as those who complete the challenge in full! So with that in mind, here are some of our favorite fitness challenge ideas that you can implement to get your members moving, motivated, and ready for more.

The Walk, Run, Race Challenge

Once you’ve gotten your members up and running, it’s time to take things up a notch. Our Walk, Run, Race Challenge is a 6-week program designed to help your people train for a real 5K. This challenge features an easy-to-follow training calendar that gradually gets everyone in racing-shape, complete with useful warm-up exercises, stretching routines, plus simple plans to transform walkers into joggers, and joggers into full-scale runners. Your people will be strapping on those running shoes and crossing the finish line in no time! And the best part, it’s completely free! Check out our Walk, Run, Race Challenge here. 

The Born to Run Challenge

Running is one of the simplest workouts you can do. No need for equipment apart from a pair of supportive sneakers, and you can do it anywhere. And it’s flexible — if someone likes running at full tilt, they can do that. Or if they prefer to jog or power walk, they can do that too. You can set a goal of hitting a certain number of miles per month, say 20 for beginners and up to 100 for more advanced members of your facility. And they can track their progress using a health app on their smartphone. Just make sure everyone takes screenshots to keep them honest.

The 30-Day CaShleigh Mobility & Strength Challenge

For an all-around fitness challenge that’ll help your entire team break some boundaries, check out the CaShleigh Challenge. This 30-day strength and mobility program combines toning body-weight training (with rep increases as you go) with flexibility-building mobility stretches. These exercises are all low-impact, and focus on the hips, shoulders, chest, and hamstrings. With the Cashleigh Challenge, you can help your people get both stronger and more limber, which leads to less injuries, improved posture, and better health from head to toe. Learn more about the challenge here. 

The Personal Best Challenge

A key ingredient to a good fitness challenge is that it’s moldable to people of all fitness levels, ages, and body types. You’ll want to be as inclusive as possible to get the most interest, so using people’s personal best is a tailor-made solution. Participants can pick one area of fitness they’d like to improve upon, whether it be how long they can hold a plank, how many chin-ups they can do, or the top weight they can bench press. Have them record their initial performance on a whiteboard, and whoever can improve it 10% after a few months, wins! Make sure they record their results progressively, so they can see their improvement in real time.

The Progressive Strength Challenge

Progressive strength training is one of the healthiest ways to build lean muscle, lose fat, and improve your fitness level all around. The key is to take simple training exercises and gradually increase the resistance, intensity, or reps. These increases don’t have to be much, but they have to happen every week. To start, create a fitness routine working out the entire body, with a different muscle group worked on each day (make sure to include plenty of rest days), and then set a percentage that needs to be elevated in each of the categories each round. For a fully formed progressive strength training program, check out our We Lift program.

The Calories Burned Challenge

All of us have different capabilities and capacities when it comes to our fitness. Some of us are more fit, some of us less. But when you focus on simple calories burned, it levels the playing field, focusing on an individual’s effort instead of their natural ability. The Calories Burned Challenge works with any schedule, and any workout type. Whether the participant likes to play tennis, go for early morning walks, or prefers aerobics classes, the point is just in the total calories burned at the end of the workout. Set a lofty goal of a few thousand calories per month, and watch as your members work out on their own time, based on their own fitness preferences. A little freedom goes a long way! 

The Body Transformation Challenge

There’s nothing more motivating than watching your body change shape, so why not make a challenge out of it! The Body Transformation Challenge works by having your members record their measurements, including torso, waist, hips, chest, arms, and thighs. Have them take weekly measurements to track their progress, and even encourage them to take a selfie in the mirror and save it on their phones. This is another challenge that evens out the competition, because those who are fitter and healthier may actually have a harder time making those bodily changes.

Well we hope our list of fitness challenge ideas will be just the thing your organization needs to keep your members motivated to achieve real change in their lives. At Studio SWEAT onDemand, we’re dedicated to delivering the best streaming fitness experience around, offering thousands of streaming workouts that members can do from the comfort of anywhere. Along with Sweat Pro, we also offer the Sweat Force, a corporate wellness program for businesses large and small. To learn more about either of these programs or to schedule a demo, click here.