THIS 8-YEAR-OLD GAVE A ROCK CLIMBER A RUN FOR HIS MONEY—HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED

THIS 8-YEAR-OLD GAVE A ROCK CLIMBER A RUN FOR HIS MONEY—HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED

By Ayanna Jackson

As you may recall from a previous blog, the Verse™ Fitness team hosted its very first Strong Saturday on March 15th at the Santa Monica beach in California. One of the main activities to get people inspired about their fitness journey was a fitness challenge, which became quite the competitive attraction.

The Dead Hang Competition turned out to be the biggest event that day. Each participant was tasked with holding onto and hanging from the barbell on the Verse™ Agile Rack. The person that held on the longest won. This task sounds easy enough, but it is a true test of your grip strength, core strength, and endurance. Groups competed amongst each other, and we kept the ultimate tally as to who held on the longest overall.

We chose to hold a competition because it allowed us to include passersby in the event and introduce them to the Verse team and the Agile Rack. The competition was held on the boardwalk so we could recruit people from the community (this was Santa Monica after all with many visitors to Los Angeles). Individuals, young and old, flocked to the racks and hung on as long as they could. Our youngest competitor was a toddler competing with his older brothers. The most intense challengers were those competing against their own family members. A few sibling rivalries were put to the test. 

This challenge also showed fitness trainers how truly beneficial the Verse™ Agile Rack can be to them. Trainers can host their own outdoor fitness events as a new revenue stream. By using the Agile Rack, they can bring this versatile equipment anywhere they please. Yes, hosting events can be a logistical challenge, but that challenge is made easier using the Agile Rack. The rack does not require any tools, so it would be a quick and easy setup and breakdown.

Out of all the participants, some of our top competitors were an 8-year-old gymnast, her older brother and a rock climber. The gymnast Kynlee Heiman, is known for her social media presence, acting, and six-pack abs.

You might be asking yourself, “How can that be?” “How was a young gymnast a worthy competitor to an adult male who climbs mountains as a hobby?” This was the great conclusion and beauty of the challenge. Every person has their own fitness strengths, goals, and challenges. This is an important point to remember as we watch fitness influencers and compare ourselves to others in the gym. Your lane is your own.

The challenge drew in many contestants and large crowds over the course of the day. At the end of it all, our winner was Ryan Kindseth, the rock climber. He held on for a whopping 2 min 22 secs. Our gymnast Kynlee, held on for 1 min 25 secs, while her brother edged her out with the 2nd best time of 1 min 51 secs. Watch them face off here. The dead hang competition introduced us to a lot of new people—some who had heard of us before and many who got to learn about and try out the Agile Rack for the first time.

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Will you be the competition champion at our next Verse event? Subscribe to our email list for updates because we hope to see you at our next one! We have more to share in an upcoming feature about this phenomenal young athlete Kynlee, with over a million followers, and her remarkable journey.