May means warmer temperatures, pretty flowers and “Spring Fever”. For MissionFiT Athletes, it’s time for the
ISI 4th Annual Athletic Challenge
2022 marks the fourth year for the Iron Sharpens Iron (ISI) Athletic Challenge. ISI is a staple in the gym and one athletes look forward to…usually. Similar to the CrossFit Open, it’s a chance for all MissionFiT Athletes to compete against each other by completing four different workouts throughout the month of May. So, athletes are not only competing against classmates, but other MissionFiTers, associated with different churches and located throughout Charlotte.
The Origin of the ISI Athletic Challenge
The challenge was conceived by MissionFiT founder and coach, Kelsey E, as a way to connect the various small groups of athletes together. MissionFiT serves different churches and neighborhoods in Charlotte and Matthews. As a result, athlete “communities” meet and workout in different locations. The object of the competition is to give athletes a little more incentive to push themselves. For some, that’s one more rep, for others it’s a heavier weight or an attempt at an “Rx” movement instead of the scaled version. There is no “right” or “wrong” way for an athlete to approach this challenge. The end result should be that each athlete strives to complete each challenge, giving his or her best effort.
The Workouts
Here are the details:
- Competition begins on May 2 and continues each week through the week of May 23, 2022
- Workouts will be posted in the gym or released online each Monday.
- Any athlete attending an in-person class on Mondays will complete the ISI workout for that week, unless otherwise specified by Coaches.
- Workouts can be completed off-line during the week, if an athlete cannot come to a Monday class.
- No sign-up is necessary.
- Athletes will compete in Male/Female divisions for both Rx and Scaled ability.
- All results will be tracked in the gym and through weekly updates in the MissionFiT Newsletter.
The overall winners for the competition along with division winners will be announced on or about May 30th.
Think About The “Why”
ISI can be a test of your personal mettle. But ISI can also be a harsh reality check if you’ve been coasting in class or not really sticking to standards for the sake of speed. Think about your personal goals. Perhaps your takeaway will be that you need to count your reps properly, work towards integrity in your movements, or at the very least, achieve full range of motion on your reps!
Finally, consider that Iron Sharpens Iron is simply a snapshot of your fitness at one point in time. It can be the catalyst to get you back on track at the gym. Having said all this, Coach K really encourages you to represent your church by participating in a significant MissionFiT/citywide event. Any and every church in the Queen City can take part in Iron Sharpens Iron. So don’t you all miss out on the fun!
