At Studio SWEAT onDemand, we love a good fitness challenge. You can ask anyone. Well, you don’t actually have to ask anyone, you can just take a look at our huge menu of Group Fitness Challenges on our website, for a glimpse into our unending love.

And we’ve got plenty of reasons to be enamored by them, because workout challenges are surprisingly effective. We say surprising, because with just a little bit of encouragement, organization, and structure, you can snap out of any stagnant plateau you’ve been floating around in, and level up your fitness game just like that (imagine us snapping our fingers). And the reason why these challenges are so successful all comes down to our psychology.

There’s something about the nature of a fitness challenge that reaches into our sub- and unconscious minds and makes us dig deeper, work harder, and stick with our routines for longer. So with that in mind, let’s discuss the psychological reasons why fitness challenges work so gosh darn well! Now open your minds and read on! 

Structural Support

Let’s face it, without some structure in our lives, we’d be lost. Without having to get up in the morning, responsibilities to handle, tasks to complete, and all the rest, we’d be blobs of anxiety, boredom, and unexpended energy. Fitness challenges provide a concrete structure that we can depend on. You begin a challenge, and you know just what you have to do without needing the motivation and inspiration to get you there – you just look up what’s next on your list, and you get to work. 

A Helping Hand

When we’re undertaking any fitness routine, especially one that we’re somewhat unfamiliar with, we all do better with some expert guidance. In a group fitness challenge, we’ve got all the guidance we need as it’s led by a training expert, and at an affordable price. Learning how to perform certain exercises, for how long, as well as ways to increase the exertion or lower the intensity, are all gifts given to us by our fearless challenge leaders. 

A Fire Inside

Another psychological reason why fitness challenges work so well is that many of us have a burbling, gurgling, smoldering, smoking center deep within us, called a competitive streak. Just one push is all it takes to awaken our need to win, win, win! And with a fitness challenge, especially one taken by multiple people alongside each other, that competitive edginess is awakened with great effect, creating a tangible reason to push yourself as hard as you can. And if you feel like you didn’t live up to your potential, well all the more reason to push yourself next time around. 

Up Close Camaraderie 

Equally as important, but sort of on the opposite side of the psychological spectrum, is camaraderie. Although some of us are lone wolves that thrive when we’re competing on our own, many others are wolves looking for their supportive wolfpack. This means people who do better when they’ve got a team of supportive individuals behind them. So when we undertake a fitness challenge, we’ve got that motivating group built in, in the form of all the other challengers. 

The Spicy Life

Ever hear the phrase, “variety is the spice of life”? Well we’ve basically built our business model around it. This is why we at Studio SWEAT onDemand are so obsessive about giving our members the biggest fitness variety possible, with our huge library of workouts (we’re talking Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Body Sculpting, Barre, Zumba, HIIT, TRX, Bootcamp, and oh so many more!). But it’s also why we offer what we call our Next Level Programs, monthly fitness challenges targeting one particular aspect of fitness, all featuring expert trainers delivering customized guidance through weekly check-ins. Whether it’s strength & flexibility, heart health, active aging, or mindful nutrition, we’ve always got a fitness challenge centered around a new and exciting topic that always keeps your fitness fresh and your life spicy.

And with our Next Level Membership, you can take multiple six-week fitness challenges throughout the year, included in your All Access Pass! Sign up today, and get ready to psych up, pump up, and power up your life!