Breaking Down 9Round's Weekly CHOW
Whether you’re a 9Round newbie or you’ve been kickin’ it with us for years, you’ve likely heard about our weekly CHOW. It’s a cherished ritual that many of our members look forward to each week, and we love seeing them use it to grow stronger, physically and mentally, at our studios. Keep reading if you want to learn more about how the weekly CHOW keeps 9Rounders feeling empowered and accomplished during their workouts.
Definition of the CHOW
CHOW stands for “Challenge of the Week.” This challenge takes place during a specific round and lasts the entire three minutes you’re at that station. Once the bell signals you to start, you’ll keep count of a specific move or combination at your station until the end of the round. Your goal is to complete as many reps as you can within those three minutes, so you really want to focus on pushing yourself up until the final bell.
Your 9Round trainers will let you know when you’re at the CHOW round and remind you what to do each week. When you’ve completed the CHOW, your 9Round trainer will write your total number of reps on a dry-erase board alongside other members’ scores, so you can see how you stack up.
We encourage members to complete the CHOW at least once a week, but many members love to attempt the challenge two or three times throughout the week to see if they can beat their initial score.
Purpose of the CHOW
The ultimate goal of the weekly CHOW is to push our members to the max for one portion of the workout. We use these weekly challenges to keep our members motivated to grow stronger, so they can feel accomplished each time they reach a higher score. As you notice your CHOW scores getting better over time, you can really see how you’ve progressed in your fitness journey and grown stronger at 9Round.
Keeping score during the CHOW also helps inspire a little friendly competition between members at the gym. People are curious about how their score stacks up against others, or if they can continue to beat their own score moving forward. This competitive spirit can help people focus on crushing their workout without slacking off. We especially love seeing our favorite punch partners battling it out to see who can get the highest score during the CHOW.
Benefits of the CHOW
Since the CHOW is designed to push you to your fullest potential, it’s okay if you find your heart rate drifting into the red zone a little. We never want our members to spend their entire workout in the red zone, but the CHOW is one of the areas where dipping into the red for a minute or two can be beneficial because of EPOC. EPOC stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and it’s what contributes to extra calorie burn after your workout. Essentially, your body is working to return to a normal resting state, and the more intense your workout, the more work your body has to do in order to get back to homeostasis.
Another benefit of pushing yourself during the CHOW is the possibility of helping your muscles grow stronger. After a tough workout, you might experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOMS typically occurs within 12 to 24 hours following your workout, and it’s thought to be caused by micro-tears that form in your muscle tissue. These micro-tears occur when you participate in more strenuous activity than normal, and as they begin to heal, your muscles will grow bigger and stronger to overcome new stressors. The CHOW is the perfect opportunity for you to really push yourself to the max so you can keep making strength gains during your 9Round workouts.
Ready to participate in a CHOW yourself? Click the link below to get a FREE Introductory Workout at your local studio and become a member to take part in our weekly CHOW. We can’t wait to kick it with you soon!
