So, you signed up for Festivus! For many people Festivus is their first real fitness competition. This competition is a great way to celebrate your fitness, show off your progress, and have fun with other people in the same boat as you.

If this is your first Festivus, I’m sure you’re wondering how to prepare. We’ve got some tips for you! If this is not your first and you’re wanting to up your game, we’ve also got some tips for you!

1. Watch the standards—and then rewatch them. This seems obvious but watching the standards extra times will increase your confidence and help you feel more comfortable on the actual day. There’s nothing worse than second guessing yourself mid-WOD. Get to know the WODs and visualize yourself killing it by hitting every movement and every rep perfectly!
2. Focus on your breathing! When the first WOD starts, your adrenaline will kick in and this could cause your body to short-circuit the natural breathing process. Losing your breath will increase stress and cause you to wear out quickly! Practice a “Box Step Breath”—4 counts in, 4 counts hold, 4 counts exhale.
3. Keep your food the same. It can be tempting to gear up the day before with carbo loading, fancy energy drinks, or supplements. But if you haven’t been training with it, pass on it for the day of the competition! Friday night and Saturday morning, eat as you normally would with a slight bias toward carbs. Now is not the time to throw your digestive system a curve ball.
4. Start hydrating early. When you’re dehydrated, your total blood volume decreases. This causes:
   1. Reduced blood flow to your skin and muscles
   2. Increased body temperature
   3. Reduced sweat rates
   4. Increased glycogen use
   5. Increased heart rate
   6. Increased perception of effort

   This is basically your body’s way of forcing you to slow down (to preserve energy), which can compromise your performance. Hydration should start days before you arrive at our gym! Hydrate early and often!

5. Take the day before off! Stretch, walk, but don’t do any WODS. Your muscles need time to recover from your regular work out routine and to prepare for this day of fun and higher volume!
6. Arrive early! Plan to arrive early to give yourself time to set up a spot for resting and recovering between WODS. Give yourself time to get your snack in place and learn the layout of our gym.
7. Don’t wear new clothes! We love to see your amazing and funny team garb! But we do not recommend wearing those team shirts for the first time on competition day. Make sure to take them for a test run so you’re comfortable and happy with the way they fit and feel.
8. Focus on yourself! Focus on fun! Remember, Festivus is about being able to have fun at exactly the level you are right now. No matter what, it’s a celebration of where YOU are and what YOU can accomplish. Keep your eye on your lane and your mind as calm and controlled as possible. Festivus is as much a celebration of the sport of fitness as it is a competition. One of the VERY best things about this sport is the community. Accept the cheers and bask in the “Good jobs!” We all want everyone else to succeed too!