Evolution of Competitive Performance in IFBB Fitness Challenge: A Longitudinal Analysis of International Competition Results from 2021 to 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65222/Keywords:
Abstract
Fitness Challenge has developed rapidly from a newly introduced competitive format into an internationally contested performance discipline. However, the evolution of competitive standards since its introduction has not yet been systematically examined. This study aimed to characterize year-to-year changes in competition-level Fitness Challenge performance between 2021 and 2026 using officially published international competition results. A retrospective repeated cross-sectional design was applied to senior individual Gold and Silver competition records obtained from International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness championships. Total valid repetitions, winning performance, competitive-standard differences, sex-specific patterns, and selected repeated-athlete trajectories were examined. Because exercise selection, external loading, and technical regulations evolved during the observation period, performance changes were interpreted within their regulatory context rather than as direct year-to-year physiological improvements. The results revealed a descriptive pattern of competitive development across the observation period. Women’s winning Gold performance increased markedly from the inaugural 2021 benchmark before stabilizing during the later competitive seasons, whereas men’s Gold performance showed a nonlinear trajectory followed by its highest observed benchmark in 2026. Silver-level performances showed greater stability among men after 2022 and progressive convergence between male and female repetition outputs. Repeated-athlete records further indicated that individual progression and competitive placing were not interchangeable, as improvements in absolute output did not necessarily translate into higher rankings when field strength changed. The findings suggest that Fitness Challenge underwent an early phase of rapid competitive maturation followed by increasing performance stabilization and specialization. The study provides an initial longitudinal framework for establishing normative standards, monitoring competitive development, interpreting athlete progression, and designing future Fitness Challenge-specific performance research.
Downloads
References
1. Bellar, D., Hatchett, A., Judge, L.W., Breaux, M.E. and Marcus, L. (2015) ‘The relationship of aerobic capacity, anaerobic peak power and experience to performance in CrossFit exercise’, Biology of Sport, 32(4), pp. 315–320. doi:10.5604/20831862.1174771.
2. Brandt, T., Ebel, C., Lebahn, C. and Schmidt, A. (2025) ‘Acute physiological responses and performance determinants in Hyrox© – a new running-focused high intensity functional fitness trend’, Frontiers in Physiology, 16, 1519240. doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1519240.
3. Butcher, S.J., Neyedly, T.J., Horvey, K.J. and Benko, C.R. (2015) ‘Do physiological measures predict selected CrossFit® benchmark performance?’, Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 6, pp. 241–247. doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S88265.
4. Claudino, J.G., Gabbett, T.J., Bourgeois, F., Souza, H.S., Miranda, R.C., Mezêncio, B., Soncin, R., Cardoso Filho, C.A., Bottaro, M., Hernandez, A.J., Amadio, A.C. and Serrão, J.C. (2018) ‘CrossFit overview: Systematic review and meta-analysis’, Sports Medicine - Open, 4, 11. doi:10.1186/s40798-018-0124-5.
5. D’Hulst, G., Hodžić, D., Leuenberger, R., Arnet, J., Westerhuis, E., Roth, R., Schmidt-Trucksäss, A., Knaier, R. and Wagner, J. (2024) ‘Physiological profiles of male and female CrossFit athletes’, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 19(8), pp. 780–791. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2023-0386.
6. Feito, Y., Heinrich, K.M., Butcher, S.J. and Poston, W.S.C. (2018) ‘High-intensity functional training: Definition and research implications for improved fitness’, Sports, 6(3), 76. doi:10.3390/sports6030076.
7. Hopkins, W.G., Hawley, J.A. and Burke, L.M. (1999) ‘Design and analysis of research on sport performance enhancement’, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 31(3), pp. 472–485. doi:10.1097/00005768-199903000-00018.
8. Hopkins, W.G., Marshall, S.W., Batterham, A.M. and Hanin, J. (2009) ‘Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science’, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(1), pp. 3–13. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31818cb278.
9. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2021a) IFBB Fitness Challenge World Championships: Official competition archive. Santa Susanna, Spain, 3–8 November 2021. Madrid: IFBB.
10. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2022) Contest report 2022: Fitness Challenge international competitions and official results archive. Madrid: IFBB.
11. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2023) 2023 IFBB World Fitness Challenge Championships: Official Results. Kyrgyzstan, 27–30 October 2023. Madrid: IFBB.
12. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2024a) Rules – IFBB Fitness Challenge. Madrid: IFBB.
13. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2024b) European Fitness Challenge Competition 2024: Official Results. Santa Susanna, Spain. Madrid: IFBB.
14. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2024c) Fitness Challenge World Championship 2024: Official Results. Madrid: IFBB.
15. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2025a) IFBB European Fitness, Bodybuilding & Fitness Challenge Championships 2025: Official Results. Santa Susanna, Spain, 30 April–5 May 2025. Madrid: IFBB.
16. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2025b) IFBB World Fitness Championships & Men’s World Series: Fitness Challenge Results. Santa Susanna, Spain, 13–17 November 2025. Madrid: IFBB.
17. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2025c) IFBB SpeedFit Fitness Challenge – Technical Regulation. Madrid: IFBB.
18. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2026a) IFBB European Fitness, Bodybuilding & Fitness Challenge Championships: Fitness Challenge Official Results. Santa Susanna, Spain, 30 April–4 May 2026. Madrid: IFBB.
19. International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (2026b) IFBB Balkan Championships: Fitness Challenge Official Results. Istanbul, Türkiye, 28–29 March 2026. Madrid: IFBB.
20. Malcata, R.M. and Hopkins, W.G. (2014) ‘Variability of competitive performance of elite athletes: A systematic review’, Sports Medicine, 44(12), pp. 1763–1774. doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0239-x.
21. Mangine, G.T., Grundlingh, N. and Feito, Y. (2023a) ‘Normative scores for CrossFit® Open workouts: 2011–2022’, Sports, 11(2), 24. doi:10.3390/sports11020024.
22. Mangine, G.T., Grundlingh, N. and Feito, Y. (2023b) ‘Differential improvements between men and women in repeated CrossFit Open workouts’, PLOS ONE, 18(11), e0283910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0283910.
23. Mangine, G.T., Feito, Y., Tankersley, J.E., McDougle, J.M. and Kliszczewicz, B.M. (2021) ‘Workout pacing predictors of CrossFit® Open performance: A pilot study’, Journal of Human Kinetics, 78, pp. 89–100. doi:10.2478/hukin-2021-0043.
24. Mangine, G.T., Tankersley, J.E., McDougle, J.M., Velazquez, N., Roberts, M.D., Esmat, T.A., VanDusseldorp, T.A. and Feito, Y. (2020) ‘Predictors of CrossFit Open performance’, Sports, 8(7), 102. doi:10.3390/sports8070102.
25. Mangine, G.T., Zeitz, E.K., Dexheimer, J.D., Hines, A., Lively, B. and Kliszczewicz, B.M. (2023c) ‘Pacing strategies differ by sex and rank in 2020 CrossFit® Open tests’, Sports, 11(10), 199. doi:10.3390/sports11100199.
26. Mangine, G.T., Zeitz, E.K., Dexheimer, J.D., Hines, A., Lively, B. and Kliszczewicz, B.M. (2024) ‘The influence of sex-division, experience, and pacing strategy on performance in the 2020 CrossFit® Open’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, 1344036. doi:10.3389/fspor.2024.1344036.
27. Martínez-Gómez, R., Valenzuela, P.L., Barranco-Gil, D., Moral-González, S., García-González, A. and Lucia, A. (2019) ‘Full-squat as a determinant of performance in CrossFit’, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(9), pp. 592–596. doi:10.1055/a-0960-9717.
28. Martínez-Gómez, R., Valenzuela, P.L., Alejo, L.B., Gil-Cabrera, J., Montalvo-Pérez, A., Talavera, E., Lucia, A. and Barranco-Gil, D. (2020)
29. Physiological predictors of competition performance in CrossFit athletes’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3699. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103699.
30. Meier, N. (2021) ‘Determination of a CrossFit® benchmark performance profile’, Sports, 9(6), 80. doi:10.3390/sports9060080.
31. Meier, N., Schlie, J. and Schmidt, A. (2023) ‘CrossFit®: “Unknowable” or predictable? – A systematic review on predictors of CrossFit® performance’, Sports, 11(6), 112. doi:10.3390/sports11060112.
32. Paton, C.D. and Hopkins, W.G. (2006) ‘Variation in performance of elite cyclists from race to race’, European Journal of Sport Science, 6(1), pp. 25–31. doi:10.1080/17461390500422796.
33. Pyne, D.B., Trewin, C.B. and Hopkins, W.G. (2004) ‘Progression and variability of competitive performance of Olympic swimmers’, Journal of Sports Sciences, 22(7), pp. 613–620. doi:10.1080/02640410310001655822.
34. Sauvé, B., Haugan, M. and Paulsen, G. (2024) ‘Physical and physiological characteristics of elite CrossFit athletes’, Sports, 12(6), 162. doi:10.3390/sports12060162.
35. Serafini, P.R., Feito, Y. and Mangine, G.T. (2018) ‘Self-reported measures of strength and sport-specific skills distinguish ranking in an international online fitness competition’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(12), pp. 3474–3484. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001843.
36. Wang, X., Soh, K.G., Samsudin, S., Deng, N., Liu, X., Zhao, Y. and Akbar, S. (2023) ‘Effects of high-intensity functional training on physical fitness and sport-specific performance among athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis’, PLOS ONE, 18(12), e0295531. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0295531.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Education, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Business, Life Sciences, and Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.