The Gauntlet is a one-day fitness competition held at multiple locations on the same weekend throughout the world. It is meant to bring teens together in the spirit of fun, community, and effort.

 

From a coaching standpoint, the Gauntlet should be viewed as an extension of an athlete’s training and is intended to be a formative test that allows an assessment of current capacity. With that in mind, a decision to participate should take into account whether an athlete is ready for such an evaluation of progress.

 

Eligible athletes are ages 12 and in middle school through 18 and in high school or graduated that year.

Divisions are delimited by chronological age, but, except where an athlete is too young or too old, division selection should be based on the athlete’s capacity:

 

Novice (ages 12-14): Approaching proficiency in body weight movements (including muscle-ups, handstand walking, and similarly challenging gymnastics movements) and seeing an increase in volume. Familiar with light dumbbell movements and beginning to use barbells with light loads.
Junior Varsity (ages 13-16): Proficient in body weight movements. Starting to explore heavier loads with weighted movements and higher volumes and intensity more generally.
Varsity (ages 13-18): Consistently exceptional movement. Routinely performing adult-level workouts. Has the capacity to handle high-volume, high-intensity body-weight movements. Demonstrates consistent technical proficiency with powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting movements.

 

Given the vast developmental differences possible between teens, even of the same age, we encourage kids to participate in the highest division (1) that they are age-eligible for and (2) in which they can SAFELY handle the work requirements.

ATHLETE SAFETY IS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN. Every decision regarding Gauntlet logistics and programming begins and ends with athlete safety.

 

All movements programmed for the Gauntlet are derived from the daily programming freely accessible on the Brand X Method™ website. Athletes and coaches interested in participating in the Gauntlet are strongly encouraged to review our programming to ensure they know what to expect in way of movements and loads. We will generally provide scaling/subs for some movements, and we will also provide scaling specific to an individual athlete. The latter scaling decisions can be made during our mandatory safety assessment or during a workout if athlete safety is in question. Please know that we will not allow an athlete to participate in a Gauntlet if injured, and that also means still rehabbing.