The competition: Events

To assess one's overall fitness there are a number of factors to consider.  Typically, the common recreational athlete considers how long they can do some activity (biking, running, swimming, etc.)  The focus is typically on duration.  However, this often misses the true mark of one's athleticism.  Certainly, endurance is important.  But, it is only one side of the fitness coin.  The other, often neglected, side of the fitness coin is (at least by the recreational athlete) is pure strength and speed.  In reality, most sports rely more on this facet of fitness than on endurance.  Baseball, football, soccer, hockey, tennis, and many of the track and field events rely predominantly on explosiveness or raw power.

Therefore, the Speed and Strength Combine seeks to include events that measure these two aspects of fitness perfectly.    The strength events include: Bench press, Squat, Dead Lift and standing military press. However, the competition requires only three lifts be performed (2 required and 1 optional).  The required lifts are Bench Press and Dead Lift, and the optional lifts are the Squat and the Overhead Press. The strength events in this way are evaluating all major muscle groups: Deltoids, trapezoid, latissimus dorsi, quads, hamstrings, glutes, triceps, biceps, pecs, abdominal and lower back.

Power or speed is tested by the field events: As in the Strength event there are two required events (40 yd dash and 400m run) and one optional event (either the broad jump or the 5-10-5 shuttle).

While these events are specifically chosen to test speed and strength, they also test one's flexibility and joint health.  A score is generated from each lift and this tally is then used to produce a raw score that can then  be used to classify the competitor into one of 5 fitness categories: untrained, novice, intermediate, advanced, or elite.

I've been doing this combine with friends for the last two years every six months.  It is great for motivation, but also camaraderie and friendly competition.  We reconvene every six months to see who has trained and who hasn't.   Where do you fit in?

Now why did I come up with this competition?  Why go to the effort???...