Functional Fitness Competition under USAFF is conducted in the following formats:

Speed Benchmark

The speed benchmark format is a bracket styled competitive format where athletes complete an established functional fitness benchmark task for time. Each heat of athletes will start together at one end of the field and proceed to the other end of the field by completing the required work. As athletes complete their required repetitions or workload they advance farther down the field, finally crossing the finish line when the work is complete. Competitor with the fastest times among all heats will move on to the next round, with the total number of competitors dwindling until the final round, which will determine the winner in a winner-take-all race. The benchmark task remains the same for each heat, and all athletes will perform the exact same task each heat and each round of competition.

Pure Speed

The pure speed format is a bracket style competitive format where athletes complete a functional fitness task for time. Each heat of athletes will start together at one end of the field and proceed to the other end of the field by completing the required work. As athletes complete their required repetitions or workload they advance farther down the field, finally crossing the finish line when the work is complete. Competitor with the fastest times among all heats will move on to the next round, with the total number of competitors dwindling until the final round, which will determine the winner in a winner-take-all race. In the pure speed format the work the athlete is required to complete changes each round of competition. The athletes will perform a different task after each athlete cut.

Individual Medley

The individual medley is considered the traditional functional fitness competitive format. This is a multi-part competition where athletes perform various tasks and are assigned points based on their finishing order in each individual task. The points earned on each task are then tallied to determine an overall winner. Athletes will be tested in each of the following six capacities at some point in the medley: aerobic capacity, strength, bodyweight endurance, bodyweight skill, mixed modal, and power. At the championship levels medleys are multi day competitions, thus they also test the athletes’ ability to recover from volume.

Team Medley

The team medley is a competition format where mixed-gender teams of four (2 males, 2 females) compete against each other. This is a multi-part competition where teams perform various tasks and are assigned points based on their finishing order on each individual task. The points earned on each task are then tallied to determine an overall winner. Testing in team competition prioritizes testing the athletes’ ability to work together as a cohesive unit while demonstrating their individual abilities in the realms of strength, power, bodyweight skill, and aerobic capacity. At the championship levels medleys are multi-day competitions, thus the medleys also test the teams’ ability to recover from volume.

Team Head-to-Head

The Team head-to-head format is a tournament style format where mixed-gender teams of four (2 males, 2 females) compete against each other for a condensed (two or fewer hours) version of the medley event. While only two to four teams compete against each other at a time, there are typically many more teams in the tournament. Teams will rotate through and play each or most other teams in a matter of hours or a few days before eliminations occur based on a team’s win-loss record. The teams with the most wins will compete head to head for the overall victory.

Partner Medley

The partner medley is a competition format where mixed-gender pairs (1 male, 1 female) compete against each other. This is a multi-event competition where partners perform various tasks and are assigned points based on their finishing order in each individual task. The points earned on each task are then tallied in order to determine an overall winner. Testing in partner competition prioritizes testing the athletes’ ability to work together as a cohesive unit while demonstrating their individual abilities in the realms of strength, power, bodyweight skill, and aerobic capacity. At the championship levels medleys are multi day events, thus they also test the pairs’ ability to recover from volume.

Partner Head-to-Head

The partner head-to-head format is a tournament style format where mixed-gender pairs (1 male, 1 female) compete against each other for a condensed (two or fewer hours) version of the medley event. While only two-to-eight pairs typically compete against each other at a time, there are typically many more pairs in the tournament. Pairs will rotate through and play each or most other pairs in a matter of hours or a few days, before eliminations occur based on a pair’s win-loss record. The pairs with the most wins will compete head to head for the overall victory.