On the 26th April 2008 at Fitness First Luton. The gym elite gathered at the first timed race of the season in the X Training Challenge Calendar of 2008.

This event is eagerly waited for by those who compete in X Training because they know the organiser Mark Drury will do his utmost to ensure a fair and well run event - it has after all a reputation of being one of the hardest gym challenges in the world and for this event to be so established, standards have to be maintained.

When you look around the gym at the beginning of this event - you see almost immediately the makings of an event that is the culmination of hard work by a team of orgainisers who have gelled together to ensure that everything kicks off in the right manner, Ben Epoonsamy Manager of Fitness First, remarked " After several weeks of advertising in the gym about this X Training event, I turned up at work today and all the equipment that had to be stored was, the event was set up with a fluent well planned execution, by Mark and his team and this makes my job far easier to manage the club and it's great for my members and their motivation - Id like to see more challenges like this one!"

So the first point about X Training is it needs the support of the management and it needs the dedication of a seasoned professional X Trainer to ensure that race plan goes to schedule. Mark Drury is an outstanding Personal Trainer and he fly's the flag brilliantly for Fitness First Luton - as there are currently over 4000 gyms in the UK - but this is definitely one of the best for X Training because of Mark. The same can be said Of Aidy Cartwright of Rochdale Fitness First and Lloyd Millichap Fitness First Camberley - all of these clubs have established Personal Trainers who are dedicated professionals and believe in the concept of Gym Challenges for their members.

The Sprint Category

A lightened version of the course set up for those new to the sport or who just want to tip their toe in the water to see what X Training is all about. It's designed to create that spark where hopefully the future gym champion starts his or her journey in X Training. The winning time of 10.39 by Fiona Silcock in the Women's version is a blistering start to the day. The results that followed were marginally separated by some very close finishes and to friends and family who came to support, you could hear the excitement as support turnd up a notch as the competitors get all the motivation they need to go as fast as they can. Karle Johnsen went on the win the Male version.

The Intermediate

A race of mixed fitness levels - those that want to be slightly more challenged then the Sprint enter here - and for those that want to race down the course faster then a speeding bullet and call themselves Clarke Kent for the day can also enter. But make no mistake - at each level , it's hard , the heart is pumping and working harder more then Hilary Clinton's  Campaign entourage.

Names that spring to mind that are of the blistering blink and you you miss the race are Lloyd Millichap and David Ligtlower. David who is 47 and Lloyd who is a tad younger started the ball rolling with a neck and neck game of X Training pursuit. This is where experience and youth collide - one has the younger heart the other a well seasoned one and what is the result? A race that has a nail biting finish and an overall time separated by just 38 seconds ! That's just under 3 seconds per discipline.

Ben Williams form The Hampshire Health and Fitness Club in Hampshire came to compete in his second event, having discovered the excitement and versatility to his training this sport brings to the table at last years Hampshire event. Not only Ben, but several other members from that club popped along to - both to support and enter. Friends family and clients joined and Ben finished in a very respectable time of 12.27.

It's something to enter an event for the first time. And Jacqueline Parson did. She was brought into the sport by Ben Stroud (who I will go on to mention later) but I met Jacqueline at the breakfast table - at the local Travel Inn on the morning of the event. She was understandably a little nervous , Jacqueline ate a light breakfast , I could see the signs of a first time racer in her as she openly discussed how nervous she was and didn't want to let herself down - we have all been here, but what makes Jacqueline stand out from all the other club members out there ? Well it's simple - she had taken the time and effort to train for this event and that is what makes her very special. The concept of gym challenges and friendly competitions are in the hands of people like Jacqueline- where the member takes it on board to motivate themselves and train hard - Jacqueline not only did exceptionally well , but went on to be runner up in her category - that's a success story - and I'd like to add a personal well done.

The Intermediate is such a fascinating race. It's where you really begin to understand what this sport is all about. The training has been done to a degree of fitness, that now puts you in your own category in the gym. You are neither weight lifter or Marathon runner - you are somewhere between. You have begun speciality training in intervals, and your areobic base levels have been developed nicely to cope with lactic  build ups your bodiy is now experiencing .You are understanding your bodies limitations more - already those visits to the gym have been more varied, more interesting - or more importanlty less monontonous - there is such a variety of training open to you and now is the problem you are facing - not what can I do in the gym today, but how can I fit it all in !

Also look around you - people look at you differently wondering what in hells bells you are doing , or training like that - because as you well know, they think could do it better - these are the same people who on race day - say , I could do better then that - but do they? No, they just go on doing their same old stale routine of training.

X Training develops at Beginner and Intermediate - those that were at Fitness Extreme at these levels are as important to the sport as better binoculars to the lookout on the Titanic. Beacuse in time , timings improve and when they do - it's the Open that awaits you ...

The Open (Advanced)

For some of you, it started off as dipping that toe in the water and snowballed. You re now easily the gym elite (gymathletes). Is there anyone fitter ?Quite possibly, But is there anybody fitter then you right now in the Gym Industry?And simply the answer is no. You are the Industries equivalent of the Best of the Best - why ? It's quite simple, this sport is open to anybody - but they choose not to do it and continue in the field which they are established in. Some of them have the body beautiful and some of them curve a ball on a tip of the toe - or hit a ball a million miles - but can they get off a Life Fitness Bike after a maximum sprint pedal and then face another ten grueling stations - I think not ! This is what makes X Trainers special and what makes X Trainers special at this level is their uniqueness.

Sport England recently remarked that X Training was not considered unique. That is their opinion and one that worldgymchallenge.com major task is fighting to turn around. Because if it isn't , why are not more people doing it? What the Open and Advanced levels achieve in terms of physical all over fitness is quite simply awe inspiring. To say this is not unique is an insult to the hours of training that go into some of the top times from yesterday.

What does it take to be unique?

Ben Stroud, Jason King, Chris Lord all broke 18 min's - setting new standards in Fitness Extreme - true it is fair to say that free weights on the shoulder may have helped this reduction in time, but ask anyone who who attempted the shoulder press and they will say its hard to perform at those levels , whether it's a machine or free weight.

It's unfair of Sport England not to acknowledge this. Three people in the country (the world) shone for this sport today. If the FIA acknowledged and supported X Training - the only Gym based sport and maybe said that this Industry should acknowledge the fittest members of the gym's today - we as a sport would be given a chance - Fitness is not about combating obesity - its also about being inspired by those around you in a gym - and X Trainers at this level are the most gifted natural athletes within the gym environment and its way over due not to give them some respect.

Let's keep on the subject on uniqueness, but add in breathtaking racing ,nail biting finishes and my god did you see that race remarks - when Andy Lett raced Ben Stroud it was neck and neck every step of the way, with just four seconds separating them as they both stepped on to the treadmill - but this is what good X Training events achieve , really close races - and nail biting finishes. Ben went on to finish with the fastest Bench press of the day and secured victory in one of the best races ever seen at a X Training event.

Again looking into uniqueness, lets throw in another race between Catherine Garner and Sarah Deed - talk about I just can't stand this tension - holy cow how close was that race ? There was three seconds separating them as they got on to the treadmill, and three seconds separating halfway round the course at the row. My , oh my uniqueness does spring to mind right now and when it was all over there was a tremendous applause from every body - that was some race! And a new WGC database world record for this course. Catherine and Sarah were outstanding.

A special mention

It's unfair to say about fastest times when at this level just completing it a major achievement - Nelson Anderson who turns up religiously to all of the events with his wife Amber and both compete to such a high standard of sportsmanship and grace that it was a real pleasure to see Nelson finally get a placing in third in the Masters category with a time of 19.59 .

One of the finest sportsman also to have entered this event and indeed the sport is Sam Orgee. For those that know Sam know of one thing, he is an outstanding sportsman. The results he has achieved over the past year were incredible and he holds his victories with quiet acknowledgement and appreciation. It was unfortunate that yesterday saw Sam drop out of the race - due to not feeling too well. I hope Sam recovers and whichever path he chooses to pursue in his sporting career - whether it's Decathlon or X Training , worldgymchallenge wishes him well and a speedy recovery.

X Training - a Gym Sport. The new breed of X Trainer ?

Jason King trains with Nik Kandola, who was not feeling 100% and did not compete yesterday. But David Lloyd in Basildon have got to ask themselves - have we got the fittest Gymathlete in the Industry at our gym? And if they acknowledge this what will they do about it? What Jason did yesterday was without doubt one of the finest performances ever seen in a X Training event. 17. 38 .... 17. 38 .... 17.38 say it over again and again and it's almost impossible to comprehend. Those at Sport England should try and archieve that and then say it's not unique!

Is there a future of a gym based sport?

Gym's are the breeding ground for X Training. It is the only sport that can be conducted within the total confines of a gym. Virgin Active, Esporta, Fitness First, LA Fitness, Cannons, David Lloyd, Next Generation, .... the list goes on but with only the addition of every gym in the world. And gym's should realise that for this sport to succeed, for the members of their gyms to excel, for their Personal Trainers to lead by example - for Sport England to acknowledge the uniqueness of this sport and for the gym member to be rewarded for their incredible fitness they have achieved in their establishments (the gym's) , it should have the support of the Industry.

Worldgymchallenge.com gives an open invitation to the management of any gym to criticise or ridicule this sport and then offer it to their members. If they don't we will gladly publish any objection they may have . But first they or their members have to try and beat 17. 38 !!

After all it is a gym, you have the members, you have the equipment, you have the venues , you have the Fitness Association Association (The FIA) that preeches the benefits of visiting a gym . You have so many reasons to be part of something special and say , yes, that is a member of our gym in that Leader Board and we take pride in him - worldgymchallenge certainly does .

Worldgymchallenge would like to say thankyou to For Goodness Shakes for supplying a recovery drink for each Gymathlete and for Stash Performance Sportwear for the very high quality thermo vests they supply.