Beat You at the Gym!
Fantasy sports meets fitness and U-M students are loving it
– By Nolan Trepeck
Did you ever wonder why fantasy football enthusiasts often say that playing fantasy sports makes watching football games more enjoyable? Participants say that it provides several additional motives to do something that is already enjoyable — watching football. However, if you apply that same concept to working out, an activity that many would consider a chore, would the result be similar — would the participant have increased motivation to go to the gym? A new concept seems to be answering that question with a resounding, “YES!” The Fit League (TFL) is a mobile app that pits friends against each other in a “fantasy” league but instead of football, the users score points by exercising. This app scores the competitors in a number of categories and players earn points by the total number of work out days per week, cardio minutes, strength points and variety.
I came across this app in January when my friend, and current league commissioner, James Morgan sent the link to a group of us. We decided to create a league with eight of our good friends. Through eight weeks of competition, the consensus is overwhelmingly positive. TFL has been very popular amongst my group of friends and has proven to be an incredibly effective motivator in encouraging us to exercise. As we have tried to maintain our New Year’s resolutions, TFL has served as a fantastic motivational tool for our group to stay in/get in great shape and have fun while doing so. Since I began using the app, the results speak for themselves. I’ve gotten into the best shape of my life and have been at the gym and/or doing other forms of exercise virtually every day. It has truly impacted my lifestyle for the better.
Zach Barrett, the founder of The Fit League, started his company with this exact goal in mind. As an avid fantasy football player growing up, Zach has played in two leagues religiously since their inception in 2003 and 2007 respectively. This retention year after year intrigued him. “The more I thought about it, the more it struck me that the ‘football’ component of the fantasy football is only a small part of the equation and a small part of why it remains exciting to me after all these years,” said Zach. At the same time, Zach was trying to figure out a way to add more excitement and consistency to his exercise routine. “Eventually, the two thoughts merged: why don’t we do a ‘fantasy fitness’ league?”
Zach started logging workouts competitively with friends on a shared spreadsheet. Word began to spread and Zach at one point had over 500 people using his spreadsheet. “That was proof enough for me. I recruited a co-founder and we built the app.”
Zach is not only the founder of the fit league but a very active user. “I’m in two leagues: one with my friends from college (who are spread throughout the country) and one with my group of friends here in Boston. I love it. I work out more consistently now than I have at any other point in my life.” Zach’s experience with his own app is similar to that of its users. Players in our league, in particular, have really taken to The Fit League. As a collective, the members of our league have worked out more frequently and found new and exciting ways to exercise.
Nick Warkentin, current member of my league, has seen “Extremely positive results. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.” Warkentin, who primarily ran and lifted weights as his weekly exercise, has been experimenting with alternative ways to exercise. He references the variety points score as a great motivator to get him to try new workouts and push himself outside of his comfort zone. Warkentin also said that given the opportunity he would gladly join a second league.
Nico Joy, another one of our league’s members, has also enjoyed his experience with TFL so far. He’s found utility from a more nuanced feature of the app. “My favorite feature of the app, believe it or not, is the little notification you get when your opponent works out. This is a huge motivator if you’re sitting in bed or being lazy since you’re being notified that your opponent is out there working hard.” Nico mentioned that while the app has had minimal impact on his workout schedule, he emphasized that it has been great at getting him to the gym one or two extra days per week. “More than anything, I’ve been pushing for a couple more sets and going on days that I usually wouldn’t have (largely so I don’t let my teammate down).”
Nico has had frustrations at times when his personal exercise goals conflict with what is valued by the app. “Recently I’ve been trying to gain weight, so I have been staying away from cardio but the app penalizes this as it tries to get everyone to do a wide variety of exercises. I understand the goal but I think someone should be rewarded for the work they put in regardless of how they do it.”
Despite his frustration, Nico said he would most definitely join a second league. “It (TFL) has been a great way to make working out more competitive and enjoyable.”
The Fit League has over 60 ratings on the app store and almost all of those ratings are 5-star reviews. Averaging 4.7 stars, TFL has received glowing reviews and recommendations, specifically for its innate motivating factor. This app is still new and some positive reviews are accompanied by small tweaks or issues users have had. Despite the constructive criticism, it seems the general public is very enthusiastic about the results and potential of TFL.
The Fit League’s growth can be attributed to a number of factors. However, the way in which the app instills a true level of competition between its users seems to be the most impactful reason for its early success. To explore the science behind this phenomenon, I reached out to Birmingham, Michigan based psychologist Dr. Mark Schwartz. In addressing what psychological factors of competition lead to motivation, Dr. Schwartz responded, “When it comes to the psychology of competition, paramount is always the fear of failure that is the prime motivator. It is this fear of failure that drives commitment and motivation for users of The Fit League.”
Dr. Sander van der Linden of Psychology Today cites “competitiveness” as a biological evolutionary trait necessary for human survival. Competition as an “extrinsic incentive” works very well as long as the incentive remains. However, Dr. Linden states that once the incentive is removed or no longer prevalent, behavior changes often vanish along with it. That’s a positive for TFL as it will keep users associating their good exercise habits with the app, thus retaining players season after season.
Timing may also be contributing to TFL’s success. The fitness industry is booming in the United States right now. The $30 billion industry is growing at least 3-4% per year according to Forbes. Ben Midgley, CEO of Crunch Franchise and a Forbes contributor, believes that the percentage of Americans with gym memberships could double (from 20% to 40%) in the next 10-15 years. Orange Theory, a fitness class in which participants’ heart rates are broadcast for all to see, is a product of both the uptick in exercise and the psychology of competition. The success it has enjoyed is a promising sign for TFL as they both rely on competition to drive their users.
My league’s members are not the only ones who have reaped the benefits of TFL. With over 10,000 users, Zach has heard some great success stories and weight loss accomplishments. “We had a 60-year-old man with a heart condition, whose son invited him to join a league. He went from not exercising at all to working out 4 days per week. At his next doctor’s appointment, his MD noted that he seemed in much better shape and healthier along multiple measures. He explained his new workout routine and the doctor reached out to Jake (co-founder) and I personally, to express his support.”
“The most memorable stories are health-related, like these. But the reality is: the vast majority of our leagues are young groups of friends (college age through mid-30s) just having fun together and keeping each other accountable. They may not improve their vitals or lose lots of weight, but nearly all report a significant increase in their exercise while doing a league… And come back for a second season.”
The Fit League inspires us to ask the question, is competition the key to motivating us to overcome challenging obstacles? Does this model apply to other activities as well — schoolwork, learning new skills or business practice? If TFL’s rapid success is any indication, it looks like the answer is a resounding, “YES!”