This month, we’re taking a brief hiatus from our usual Class Reviews, to give you our take on one of the newest fitness events on the scene – Athx.
In December I competed in my first ever Athx competition at Birmingham NEC arena. I had no idea what to expect on the day but the energy was electric and I was excited to take on a new challenge to push my fitness to the limit. Here are some of the things I learnt and my top tips for anyone entering their first Athx event this year.
What is an Athx event?
Athx is a competitive functional fitness event which is rapidly growing in popularity. There are currently five events across the UK, and each event is the same depending on the division you enter (Athx or Athx Pro). The 2.5-hour continuous fitness experience is made up of three set workouts a Strength Zone an Endurance Workout and a Metcon. The workouts are designed to test different elements and levels of fitness whilst still making the event enjoyable and inclusive for all.
The 2023 workouts
Workout 1: Strength Zone
1 Rep max shoulder to overhead and a 10 rep max back squat.
Workout 2: Endurance Zone
PART A:
5KM run on a curved treadmill
PART B:
1KM Ski-Erg
2KM Row
5KM Bike
Workout 3: Metcon X Zone
80M Sandbag carry
(40M per athlete – M 40KG / F 20KG)
X40 Dual KB thrusters
(M 16KG / F 12KG)
X20 Burpee box jumpovers
(20″)
80M Sandbag carry
(40M per athlete – M 40KG / F 20KG)
X40 SA DB snatch (M 17.5KG / F 12.5KG)
X20 Line facing burpees
80M Sandbag carry
(40M per athlete – M 40KG / F 20KG)
X40 Sandbag squats
(M 40KG / F 20KG)
20M Burpee broad jumps (Each athlete must complete 20M)
Each workout is completed in succession with a small break between each station where athletes can refuel and recover. Snacks, hydration drinks and recovery equipment are available at the dedicated recovery stations.
How did I train for Athx?
Athx is a new competition to the functional fitness scene so understanding how to train for it specifically can be difficult. However, as I train yearlong in functional fitness I continued to follow my usual CrossFit training sessions and added an extra couple of runs in a week. My training aim was to make sure I felt confident with the movements and distances on the Ergs. Although I run regularly, I do find longer distances on the Bike-Erg and Ski-Erg challenging. Therefore, I made sure I added some of these into my longer workouts to practise this under fatigue.
How to Fuel for an Athx competition?
Fueling yourself correctly is so important. My main focus was to ensure I was eating enough of the right food to fuel my workouts. I used Fresh Fitness Food to make my nutrition easy and convenient and make sure I was including enough carbohydrates and protein in my diet for my training.
The FFF nutrition team’s top tip: If possible, focus on complex carbs (3-12g/kg), as these are better utilised by the body, and lean protein sources (1.6-2g/kg) leading up to the competition. On the day, focus on convenience and keeping things simple. You want to avoid anything that may cause discomfort or stomach issues.
My Athx Experience
Each event was uniquely challenging and I went into the day with my usual competition day mix of nerves but this quickly changed when the first event started. Being in the first heat of the day we weren’t entirely sure what to expect but thanks to our amazing judge, the energy in the room and everyone crushing their lifts around us, me and my partner both hit all of our lifts and personal best! We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the competition.
Event 2, The Endurance Event was by far my favourite event of the day. Although the distance was initially daunting I surprised myself with my ability and what I was capable of. I started the workout on the curved treadmill, it was my first time ever using this machine and it took some getting used to! For anyone who has used one before you will understand how difficult it can be to find your pace on this machine.
My partner and I broke down the workout into km blocks. As he is much stronger on the rowing machine and Ski-Erg he completed the majority of these movements, whilst I tried to maintain a steady pace on the running machine. Overall we finished the 5km run in 22 minutes, which I couldn’t be happier with.
Finally, we finished the day with the Metcon – a fun, fast and great test of functional fitness, using sandbags, dumbells and burpees to test you. It was the perfect end to an epic morning of fitness!
Overall The day itself went so much better than I could have ever imagined. I will definitely be doing an Athx competition again!
My top three tips
- Hydrate: Dehydration can massively impact your performance so it’s important to take on regular fluids throughout the event.
- Warm up before each event, it is easy to get distracted by everything that is going on around you. Warming up will reduce your risk of injury and make you feel more prepared for the next event.
- Finally, enjoy yourself, the workouts will challenge you but don’t forget everyone is only there to work out and have fun, enjoy the experience.
If this sounds right up your street, find the full listing of events here.
Remember that individual experiences may vary, and the review is based on my personal encounter with Athx. It’s advisable to check it out firsthand or speak to a PT to make the best choice for your fitness level.
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