FitBrit Finals 2015

Tracy Davies - Female FitBrit Winner 2015

What did you think of the venue ?

Cottons Fitness First lives up to it's name of being the Flagship gym for the company. I liked the layout for the finals and the staff there were very hospitable.

How was your preparation in the last week?

My prep in the last week was all about keeping sharp, rested and ready to let rip on Saturday. I had a few sessions where I did short and sharp high intensity work but nothing too taxing. I wanted to be fueled and ready to go on comp day.

What was your toughest part of the course ?

My toughest part of the course was to keep my head & stick to my game plan no matter what was going on around me. We know the course as a whole is going to be testing the body to it's limit as in any fitness challenge, its all about keeping your nerve mentally. For the entire race I was behind to Nicky French who pushed me harder physically in any challenge I have taken part in so far. Being behind at the row gave me the surge in energy to try and claw back the race. It had to be everything if I was going to win. 400 m has never seen so long ! And obviously I was thrilled to win, but also had absolute respect for those in my heat - they pushed me all the way. It was incredibly hard to stay focused, when you are coming from behind, but at the end of the day I was pleased I stuck to my race plan, where I had the slower start, with the faster finish.

How many people at your gym trained for this?

There was a couple of people I know entering it from my gym but no other females. I train mainly alone and with the gym really as a training partner. The intensity is so high in these events that generally it can be quite off putting to the other women at the club. Its a shame because I feel they are missing out on a really amazing experience every time you train.

When you want to quit .. what keeps You going?

I'm a competitor through and through, always have been from a very early age. I want to give my best every time I race and nothing else is good enough. The word quit doesn't exist in my vocab!

The course is standard set meaning anyone can do it .. is this a good or bad thing ?
This is definitely a good thing as it means people aren't scared off by elitism and thinking they aren't good enough to even give it a try. Many people are scared off as they don't think they can get up to standard but anyone can improve, it just takes practise, dedication and determination. I'd love to see more women at my gym get more involved next year. Maybe run a class there to help them?

Would you like to see inter rivalry between gyms ?
I would definitely like to see that between gyms. It would almost be like the competition between cross fit box's. I know fitness leagues already exist and I would like to see more of that across the board.

How do you warm down after the event ?
A few mins after the event, I spent a few mins warming down on the bike as when anything is high intensity, the body loves to seize up afterwards so it gives the muscles a chance to flush out some lactic. I also stretch too.

Will you take part next year ?
I would love to be back next year to defend my title for the 3rd time. I won it in 2014 so regaining my title this year meant a lot. There is a lack of 'Advanced' female participation in the events I take part in and it would be great to see more women taking part in these type of events because the challenges are quite easy to master. I feel there is a huge possibility to recruit more female members to take part in FitBrit as it is a great example of how to crossover and encourage more women to take the plunge and get really fit.

What do you prefer .. high intensity events as opposed to adventure running events?
I have never competed in adventure running events. I've competed in the UK X-Training Series since 2013 and love high intensity events where I am testing my fitness to it's limit.

Do you see the dynamics in gym training changing?
Over the last couple of years I have noticed that people are much more "fitness conscious" even though I still believe most go to the gym to combat weight gain primarily. I would love people's training to be more performance orientated as this can be measured and fitness can increase quickly. I think many people lose sight of what they are training for in the gym and that's when boredom kicks in resulting in no training in the end.

Is the current program for personal training compatibility to high intensity training?
Many personal trainers out there (myself included) know that high intensity training does provide results very quickly. We have seen the increase in HIIT sessions, also people taking part in Tabata and circuit training. Why not exercise at a higher intensity for a shorter period of time with better results. Its a win win situation all round!

What's next ?
Next for me is the first competition of the 2016 X-Training season which will be the Gym Ironman on the 5th March. This event is much longer then the sprint and fast pace of FitBrit. I am the reigning British Female Champion of the course and hope more may be tempted to take part this year. There is lots of training to do and I'm looking forward to getting started.