Small But Mighty: Why We Built Our Own Competition (and Why It’s Still Going Strong Seven Years Later)

Back in 2017, we asked ourselves a simple question: why do so many people train but so few ever compete?

The answer wasn’t that people lacked drive or ability. It was that most competitions weren’t built for them.

They were built for someone else—someone with butterfly pull-ups and nano-second transition times, someone who called chalk “grip insurance,” someone who’d maybe taken their shirt off before the briefing even started.

So we built Small But Mighty.

A competition for everyone else.

A competition for you.

The Problem with Most Fitness Comps

Most local CrossFit-style competitions follow a pattern:

“RX” weights that are just shy of Regionals-level loads.
Surprise movements you’ve never trained before.
No real accommodations for newer athletes—or if they exist, they’re an afterthought.

That setup creates bottlenecks—not just in workouts, but in athlete experience.

You pay your money, show up excited, and then get stuck ten reps into Event 1 because the barbell weight is 30 pounds too heavy or the pull-up standard is just out of reach. Now what? You wait. You feel frustrated. You cheer your partner on from the sidelines but don’t get that feeling of shared effort you came for.

And when you go home, it doesn’t feel like something you want to do again. It feels like something you barely survived.

That’s not a celebration of fitness. That’s just stress with a logo.

What Makes SBM Different

At Lumos, we believe competition should be accessible, fun, and community-driven. That’s the blueprint we followed when we created Small But Mighty, and it’s why we’ve kept running it every summer since.

Here’s what sets it apart:

Any-Gender Partner Format

You can compete with your best friend, your gym crush, your spouse, or your sibling—regardless of gender. We built SBM around teamwork, not outdated divisions.

Thoughtful Workout Design

We write every workout so that everyone can participate fully—without sacrificing challenge or excitement. Don’t worry, the super-fit folks will still be tested (and probably screaming through the final round), but no one gets left behind. Every movement is considered, every weight is tested, and no surprises = more fun.

A Comfortable Comp

You’re in your gym. With your coaches. Your music. Your people. There are no weird standards or “wait, we’re doing what now?” moments. Just a smooth, friendly, well-run experience from start to finish.

Why Competing Matters (Even Just Once)

Competition isn’t about proving you’re the fittest in the room.

It’s about testing yourself against yourself—with a little extra adrenaline and a room full of people cheering for you to succeed.

Research shows that structured goal-setting and short-term challenges increase motivation and long-term adherence to training programs. A 2017 study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that athletes who engaged in periodic competitive challenges reported greater long-term enjoyment and commitment to fitness.

Even more? People who compete tend to remember those moments long after the scores are erased.

They’re sticky. They matter.

The Real Reason: It’s Fun As Hell

Honestly, at the end of the day, we keep doing Small But Mighty because we love it.

We love seeing first-timers do something they never thought they could. We love seeing kids in the crowd holding homemade signs for their parents. We love the high-fives between strangers who just finished battling through 7 minutes of wall balls and kettlebell swings.

But more than that—it’s a community effort.

Our coaches design the workouts, brief the athletes, and run the show. Our Compete athletes volunteer their time as judges, stewards, and spirit leaders. Members bring snacks, decorations, playlists. Someone always makes a last-minute run for more ice. It’s all hands on deck, and somehow, it just works.

We love the moment someone walks off the floor, breathless and beaming, and says:

“I didn’t think I could do that.”

Ready to Get After It?

This year’s Small But Mighty goes down on Saturday, August 16th. $60 gets you in the game and scores you a limited-run tank top that’ll be the envy of everyone who slept on it.

Come get sweaty, loud, a little ridiculous, and a whole lot proud.

Because being small but mighty isn’t a compromise.

It’s the whole damn point.