I am always intrigued when Europeans whose mother tongue is anything but English, refer to exercise and fitness as ‘sport’.

At least in English, there is a massive distinction between competitive sports, and the pursuit of better fitness for health or aesthetic purposes.

This difference transcends mere semantics, as sport is usually associated with tough training and a win-at-all-costs mentality, while recreational physical activity as seen in the mainstream fitness industry, is purely a leisure pursuit.

There was a time when weightlifting, bodybuilding and any forms of exercise were collectively known as ‘physical culture’. Today, the sports and fitness industries are once again showing signs of moving closer together.

There is a vast pool of knowledge and research in the sports science community.

Athletes use exercises to boost performance, and fitness professionals frequently prescribe exercises to the rest of us to rehabilitate injuries, however large or small our goals may be.

Indeed, the roots of the modern fitness industry as we know it today draws heavily on the sport of competitive bodybuilding.

Although its influence has now declined, we have seen other sports creep into everyday workouts in gyms around the world, such as boxing, kickboxing, gymnastics, weightlifting, powerlifting, and many more.

Sports involve the all-important element of competition, while getting fitter or healthier for one’s own needs means the only competition that occurs is with oneself. We have nevertheless seen several avenues open up through the mainstream fitness industry leading to specific types of competition and cult sports.

Concept 2 rowing was one of the first examples of this. The Concept 2 rowing machine may just be a cardiovascular machine for some, but for others, it is so much more.

Being a standardised machine, one can attempt a set distance in the exact same conditions as anyone else using the same type of machine, anywhere in the world.

Avid ‘indoor rowers’ compete for placings in national and international rankings, and regularly attend massive international competitions.

Physique and figure contests for the more mainstream athletic build are also a product of the modern fitness industry.

Bodybuilding competitions and fairs often incorporate categories for non-professionals, who exhibit more moderate proportions and musculature, for both men and women.

Some of these contests involve not only the display of the body, but also the artistic performance of some athletic ability on stage.

Some of the competitors in these shows possess some of the most universally appealing physiques and figures for which most of us strive.

Another popular avenue for fitness competition is the Crossfit movement from across the Atlantic. Every year, the Crossfit Games are held somewhere in the US, where participants are pitted against a random selection of events published only on the competition day itself.

Participants need all-round fitness to succeed, and as Crossfit advocates regularly remind us, the ‘specialists’ are punished.

There’s no room for those who can only run, only sprint, or only lift heavy, because the combination of all components of fitness is the only way to win.

Crossfit events include sprints and other running, or rowing distances, bodyweight exercises, basic gymnastics, weightlifting, kettlebell lifting, and more.

Most of these types of fitness competitions are easy to get into and train for, requiring little more than a gym membership and the willingness to train.

So the burning question here is this: do you think you would you be more likely to engage in physical activity and stick to it if you had the opportunity to compete in small-scale events that were competitive, but above all, fun?

The Malta Marathon this year has been a resounding success in part due to the many participants who entered purely as a means to motivate themselves to get in shape.

If local fitness clubs where to organise more events that are accessible to all and good for our health, would you rise to the challenge?

If you are a gym manager, personal trainer, fitness instructor, fitness enthusiast, gym member, or just plain curious, send in your comments and ideas, and maybe together we can make it happen.

Just as the fitness industry is witnessing increased interest in competitive sports, so too are athletes taking more of an interest in their personal health and fitness.

Rugby players, footballers, boxers and many other athletes now commonly frequent mainstream gyms to work on their basic components of fitness and gain the competitive edge; another clue that sports and fitness might one day enjoy a happy marriage.

And what about drug testing? This is another area of competitive sports from which the fitness industry could certainly benefit.

In some European countries, this is already happening. Certain participating gyms are subject to drug testing programmes in exactly the same way as sports associations are.

If select gyms in Malta agreed to implement a random drug testing programme whereby any member is liable to be tested at any time, it would certainly discourage recreational drug use, and it doesn’t have to cost the Earth.

Would you feel more comfortable in a gym where fellow members are committed to improving their health and reaching their goals naturally?

Would you feel more comfortable about letting your teenage children work out in such gyms?

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