9 Things We Learned from Doing a Fitness Challenge

When Flywheel Sports asked us if we were interested in doing its FlyPlus challenge (three barre classes and three indoor-cycling classes a week for four weeks), we were pumped. We’re super competitive by nature, but we’d never done a challenge before. And as people who love workout classes, this particular challenge felt like it was perfect for us (we liked the cardio-strength training combo aspect, too!).

Online editors @alisonmgoldman and @rhilmantel kickstarted the FlyPlus challenge at @Flywheelsports today! 3 barre classes and 3 indoor cycling classes per week for the next four weeks. They’re not tough, they’re #WHStrong!

A photo posted by Women’s Health Magazine (@womenshealthmag) on Jan 19, 2015 at 8:26pm PST

We met up on January 19 to get started, and over the course of four weeks, we both saw our bodies change (oh, hey, abs!). But more importantly, we also noticed our strength and stamina increase. We’ve also seen a transformation in our mindsets: “More than ever, I know who I am as an exerciser,” says Alison. “What works for me, what doesn’t feel good for my body, and perhaps most importantly, how much I’m capable of.” Here are nine things we learned from the experience—hopefully they’ll help you rock your own challenge, too!

Maybe it’s something you enjoy, or maybe it’s something you want to get better at. But do not sign up for a challenge that involves a workout you absolutely hate because you think, ‘Hey, hopefully I’ll learn to love it.’ Spoiler alert: While you can become more proficient at an activity by doing a challenge—and that can definitely help you like it more—logging lots of time doing something you dread won’t transform your feelings about it. In fact, you can even get sick of the workouts you love when you do them over and over and over again. “I really enjoy both barre and cycling,” says Alison. “I count them among my favorite ways to get sweaty. But now that these four weeks are over, the three of us need a nice, long break from each other.”

If you’re the type of person who loves structure and routine, though, you may not need that space from the workout after the challenge ends. “I’ve gone on runs the day after a half-marathon and went to a barre class five days after the challenge officially ended,” says Robin. “What can I say? I’m a creature of habit.”

“Do your legs also want to die today?” “I’m so not in the mood for a workout tonight.” “I felt AMAZING in cycling this morning!” We said all of these things to each other at some point or another during the challenge. We can’t convey how nice it was just to know we weren’t in it by ourselves.

FlyPlus Challenge coach Brittany Franklin helped us through the past four weeks by taking our weekly measurements (we both lost an inch or two in our arms, legs, hips, and waists). She told us that we were improving our form in barre class and that the classes weren’t actually getting easier (we were suspicious)—we were just getting stronger.

It was so, so great to have an expert helping us through. Clearly, not everyone can have that in a challenge, but try to find a friend who’s talented in your challenge’s respective fitness area and ask him or her for advice, tips, and encouragement along the way. It’s such a great motivator.

Fact: When you do a challenge, you do a lot of laundry. So go buy some baller exercise gear. You’ll get your best results that way anyway, right?

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Our challenge involved six workouts a week, but at the beginning of week two, there was a big snowstorm in NYC. The mayor told us to get home early on Tuesday night, so Alison skipped her downtown barre class and headed home instead. Though she tried to shoehorn that workout in throughout the rest of the challenge, she never got a chance to. “You know what? I’m okay with that,” she says. “That particular circumstance was out of my control, and I still gave the challenge everything I had.” Life happens; you have to roll with it. (Or, as Flybarre-ers would say, you have to pulse with it.)

You may think that you’ll just get better and better as you continue your challenge—but you would be wrong. Factors like how much sleep you got, whether you just had a rest day, if you’re in a good mood, and more can all affect your performance. “I noticed that drinking coffee before my morning workouts consistently helped me get higher scores at Flywheel,” says Robin. The point isn’t to try to make every single session your best workout ever; but getting sweaty regularly helps you become more accepting of yourself on those days when you feel like you’re struggling. Consistency is the name of the game, and doing a challenge helps you realize that in the best way possible.

Along the same lines, you don’t have to push yourself to the extreme on days when you’re just trying to get through that indoor-cycling class (we’ve all been there). Over-exerting yourself can just lead to injury—not to mention make your workout miserable. But during those workouts when you’re just feeling it, by all means, push away!

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For many people, it’s a smart idea to strive to become a morning exercise person. You start your day on a great foot, and you get your workout out of the way early so you can’t excuse your way out of it later. “As a fitness editor, I have attempted for years to become a morning exercise person for those very reasons,” says Alison. “But the thing is, when I work out in the morning, I feel weak and like I’m not as capable of a great workout. When I work out at night, though, I end my day on an awesome note, and I exhaust myself so that I can fall asleep no problem.” Maybe it’s the opposite for you: You feel amazing when you sweat in the morning but totally depleted when you work out after work. Or maybe the flexibility of being able to sweat during different times of the day is best for you. One thing’s for sure: Doing a challenge will help you discover how you can hit your personal fitness stride.

We can’t tell you how many people have asked us if we slimmed down during the challenge. Yes, we lost a couple of pounds and inches. But to be honest, the difference is subtle. The changes we noticed in our skill level during the workouts—and our confidence at being able to successfully do six fitness classes a week—were much more drastic. Most likely, you’ll find yourself amped about this even if you don’t focus on it. But if you go into a challenge making it all about the extreme body transformation you’re going to experience, you might lose sight of everything else you’ve accomplished along the way—and we’re sure that’s a lot!

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