Students test their strength at Selly Oak Showdown
The competition was the first of its kind, not just at the University, but in the entire UK higher education sector. Supported by Grenade, Gymshark and EHP Labs, the event was powered by up and coming fitness app, Archon.
Split into 12 teams of five, students competed in four fitness rounds with their cardio and strength tested throughout using Archon’s unique scoring technology.
The challenge
Round one: Avalanche – Cardio 100m Ski erg (ski 100m as fast as you can) Strength – five rep max (back squat as much as you can for five reps)
Round two: Barebones – Cardio – Bodyweight medley (three rounds of air squats, burpees and sit ups) Strength – bench press, one rep max
Round three: Shipwrecked – Cardio – Row 500m, Strength – deadlift three rep max
Round four: Highway to hell – Cardio – run one mile Strength – Push press
With competitors coming from a range of backgrounds including sports clubs, scholars, experienced gym users and beginners – we saw a fantastic level of diversity, with everyone keen to get involved and have a go!
Selly Oak Showdown saw a huge support turnout, with many students cheering on our competitors as they put their fitness to the ultimate test. Gym staff were on hand to offer lifting advice and push students to unleash their full potential.
How Archon measure fitness levels
All the scoring was done via the Archon fitness app which takes into account age, height, weight and sex assigned at birth to give standardised scoring across everyone.
With scorings capped at 100 for individuals, we saw some incredible scores achieved at the Selly Oak Showdown with peaks just below 500 for our strongest teams, and individual scores up to 93! Students can continue to strengthen their fitness score and achieve new PB’s through the app at any time.
