Discover The Thrill of New Fitness Challenges! And Learn More About DEKA

General Goals

We all start our fitness journey with a general goal in mind: "to feel better" and "to be healthier" are probably the two most common goals we hear. However it's crucial to have a strong "why". What is the reason that's going to get you out of bed in the morning or off the couch in the evening to get your workout done? This leads us to dig a little deeper into these general goals to see what people truly mean when they say they want to feel better or be healthier. Sometimes it can be weight loss, other times strength gains. We believe in finding a strong 'why' that motivates you daily. That's where SMART goals come in.

SMART Goals

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely. The best way to get started is to have a goal you can track! Aside from having a strong "why" for your goal, we also need to have a strong plan to get there. For example, if your goal is weight loss then we need to figure how much weight we want to lose total, create a deadline, and do the math as to how many pounds a week you need to shed to get there. This will create a specific road map for you to follow towards your meaningful goal. See the example below:

For a SMART goal to lose 25 pounds, consider the following:

Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Instead of a vague goal like "lose weight," specify "lose 25 pounds."

Measurable: In this case, the measurable component is the 25-pound weight loss.

Achievable: Is the amount of weight you want to lose attainable? Losing 25 pounds is a challenging but achievable weight loss goal for many individuals.

Realistic: Make sure your goal is realistic within the context of your life.

Timely: Set a timeframe for achieving your goal. Instead of saying "I want to lose 25 pounds," say "I want to lose 25 pounds in the next six months."

But what happens once you reach this goal, or perhaps get bored with your workout routine along the way?

Having Fun with your Fitness

Whether you're well on your way to your fitness goal, stuck and plateaued getting there, or already done with it, it helps to create new and fun fitness challenges along the way. Fitness focused challenges can be a great way to ensure you don't lose interest in your workouts or diet along the way. While most of us are too busy with life to pick up the skills required for a traditional sport like basketball, soccer, or tennis, new sports have emerged and gained popularity over the last few years. For strength focused clients, powerlifting and strongman competitions are a great avenue to pursue new challenges. For our more cardio and endurance focused clients, OCR's have become the way to go. Fitness is a journey, not a destination, and introducing fun challenges along the way ensures you stay engaged & motivated. 

Obstacle Course Racing 

OCR's (obstacle course racing) has become a phenomenon over the last decade, with companies like Spartan leading the way. Spartan offers many different types of races with some of the most popular ones being Tough Mudder, Spartan Trails, and now DEKA. With DEKA being my personal favorite (there's no mud involved). There are three options for DEKA, and they all consist of the same ten zones (see video below).  DEKA Strong (no running), DEKA Mile (one mile), and DEKA Fit (5k). The ten zones are simple (but not easy!) movements to be completed in a specific order for time. While each race can be done for fun, they also all count towards qualifying for nationals!

DEKA 2023 World Champion

Kevin "Bubbles" Gregory is an Elite Hybrid Athlete and Coach, an 11 year OCR veteran and also owns a local studio in Wallingford (focusing on OCR training) which is an official DEKA Affiliate Club. Oh, and he also won the 2023 DEKA Strong World Championship! Kevin is getting ready to travel the nation in 2024 hosting workshops for athletes getting ready for DEKA races and has offered to make his first stop at H&H Training and Nutrition! He's beyond excited to share his expertise with all and show how these races can be for anyone and everyone looking for a fun new challenge. Who better to guide you through the DEKA experience than the 2023 DEKA Strong World Champion himself!

JOIN US!

On Sunday January 14th at 9am Kevin will be hosting a two hour workshop sharing all of his OCR knowledge with a focus on DEKA. We hope that you're able to make it and join in on the fun! Click here to register, limited spots available.