How To Prepare For The Sweat Challenge

So you’ve decided to join thousands of women around the world for the Sweat Challenge? Woohoo! We’re so glad to have you here and can’t wait to get started on Monday 8 January 2024. 

No matter where you’re at on your fitness journey, the Sweat Challenge is the perfect opportunity to have some fun, recommit to your health and fitness goals, and start 2024 feeling confident, empowered and strong. 

That’s why we’re bringing you four new Sweat Challenge programs from Kayla Itsines, Kelsey Wells, Katie Martin and Britany Williams that have been created with your goals and wellbeing in mind.  

Before the Sweat Challenge begins, here are a few things that might help you as you get ready to smash the six weeks ahead. Don’t worry, there’s nothing to be nervous about. Your chosen trainer and the Sweat Community will be cheering you on and sweating alongside you every step of the way. You’ve got this!

Register and select your program

If you haven’t already, make sure you’ve registered for the Sweat Challenge in the Sweat app and selected your program.

Kayla Itsines, Kelsey Wells, Katie Martin and Britany Williams have each designed a brand-new Sweat Challenge program to help you thrive in 2024. They have each leaned into their strengths to help you discover yours in just 42 days. What will you achieve?

You can choose from:

• Kayla’s Bootcamp Challenge
• Kelsey’s Mindful Strength Challenge
• Katie’s HIIT Pilates Challenge
• Brit’s Core Strength & Mobility Challenge

If you’re keen for a throwback, you can also choose from eight of the Sweat Community’s all-time favourite programs:

• PWR at Home Challenge with Kelsey
• High Intensity Challenge with Kayla
• Barre Challenge with Brit
• FIERCE Challenge with Chontel
• High Intensity Strength at Home Challenge with Cass
• Yoga with Phyllicia Challenge
• Lifting at Home Challenge
• PWR Challenge with Kelsey

Not sure which challenge program to choose? You can find out more about them all here, and for the first time ever, we are releasing a few workouts from the four new programs early so you can have a sneak peek or try them out before the Sweat Challenge begins. Just tap the On Demand section of the Sweat app and you’ll find them at the top!

Get familiar with the Sweat app

If you’re new to Sweat, take a look through the different tabs to get familiar with how to use the app and figure out which features will help you the most. The Planner tool is going to be especially helpful for planning your weekly workouts and recovery days around your other commitments, or you might use the exercise substitution feature to make easy swaps. You can also head on over to the Community tab to see helpful articles or be part of the Sweat Community discussions in the forum!

Are you ready to Sweat?

Make sure you’ve got everything you need for your training and recovery, such as workout clothes, shoes, a drink bottle and headphones. 

If you’re working out at home, you might need a few pieces of equipment like dumbbells, a yoga mat, a resistance band or skipping rope depending on your Sweat Challenge program. If you’re going to complete your program in the gym, check out these gym bag essentials, make sure your membership is ready to go and get familiar with the facilities so you can hit the ground running. 

Here’s a breakdown of the equipment you’ll need for each Sweat Challenge program, with the four brand NEW programs listed at the top:

• Kayla’s Bootcamp Challenge:
  No equipment needed! 
• Kelsey’s Mindful Strength Challenge:
  This program includes the use of dumbbells, kettlebells, a bench, resistance bands, a barbell and weight plates, but you can use the exercise substitution feature if you only have a set of dumbbells. 
• Katie’s HIIT Pilates Challenge:
  You’ll need a resistance band and Pilates ball, but the Pilates ball can be substituted for a rolled up towel.
• Brit’s Core Strength & Mobility Challenge:
  You’ll need dumbbells, a resistance band, and a bench or chair. 
• PWR Challenge with Kelsey:
  This program has been designed to be completed in the gym and requires a range of gym equipment.
• PWR at Home Challenge with Kelsey:
  Dumbbells, skipping rope, resistance bands, recovery band and bench. 
• High Intensity Strength at Home Challenge with Cass:
  Dumbbells (ideally one light set and one heavy set), a kettlebell and a skipping rope. 
• Yoga with Phyllicia Challenge:
  A yoga mat. 
• Barre Challenge with Brit:
  A chair and light dumbbells.
• FIERCE Challenge with Chontel:
  This program has been designed to be completed in the gym and requires a range of gym equipment. 
• Lifting at Home Challenge:
  Dumbbells, a resistance band and a kettlebell.

Connect with the Sweat Community

As well as engaging in the forum, you can follow @Sweat and your trainer on Instagram for tips, videos, encouragement and laughs, or to connect with other women from around the world. You might even find a workout buddy who is following the same program as you! You can also use the tags #SweatChallenge and #ReadySetSweat to find and follow other women who are doing the Sweat Challenge!

Let your goals lead the way

Each Sweat Challenge program comes with a weekly workout goal to help guide and structure your week, but you might have your own health and fitness goals you want to achieve in 2024. We encourage you to think about what YOU want to get out of the Sweat Challenge. What goals will keep YOU motivated? 

As a starting point, it can even help to think about how you want to feel at the end of the six weeks. This can help to keep you going on days when you feel less motivated, or be a good guidepost for your progress, too! After all, so much of your fitness progress and wins along the way aren’t about how you look, but how you feel.

Nutrition is key

Fueling your body with nutritious foods plays a big part in helping you achieve your health and fitness goals, and during the Sweat Challenge you’re going to have more energy for your workouts and improve your recovery if you’re keeping your body nourished and hydrated. 

Everyone has different preferences, budgets and time available, so decide what will help set YOU up each week to fuel your body and do what you can to get ready for week one. 

That could mean doing a weekly food shop, finding some recipes you’ll enjoy or doing some meal prep, choosing some sources of protein you like to eat, or aiming to have more vegetables on your plate. 

We know the cost of living crisis is having an impact on our grocery bills, so take a look at these hacks to help you save at the supermarket checkout.

Find your support crew

Creating new healthy habits is exciting and feels great, but it can be tough at times. Find someone encouraging who you trust and let them know your goals for the Sweat Challenge, and where you might need their support during the six weeks. 

If being held accountable is a big motivator for you, you could ask them to send you a weekly message checking how many workouts you’ve completed or how you’re tracking towards your goals. If you find it hard to stay motivated, maybe a few encouraging texts throughout the week would keep your spirits up! 

Finding a workout buddy (either in person or virtually!) is another great way to create some accountability and make your workouts more fun - Kayla’s Bootcamp Challenge is a great one to do with a friend as there are only two workouts each week and you don’t need any equipment!

Know the signs of improvement

When you’re participating in the Sweat Challenge, it’s normal to want to see some kind of progress or results, and those changes can often be a big motivator. As we’ve said, not all improvements worth celebrating are physical or visible in a mirror.

Check out this article on eight signs your fitness is improving, such as better sleep, more energy, enjoying healthy food more, feeling stronger, or having your friends and family notice changes. This guide can also give you an idea of how long different elements of fitness progress can take!

Time to get moving

Whether you’re no stranger to the Sweat Challenge or this is your first time working out in a while, it’s a good idea to get your body moving in the days or weeks leading up to the start of the Sweat Challenge. This could be your usual workout routine if you’re a long-term Sweat member, trying a few workouts from the On Demand section, or something more gentle like walking, cycling, jogging and stretching to prepare your body for the regular movement to come. Ready, Set, Sweat.