DEKA Fit
/ ˈdɛk.ə fɪt / · proper noun
Also: DEKA FIT, Spartan DEKA FIT, DEKA FIT 5K
DEKA FIT is the flagship race of Spartan's DEKA series: ten functional fitness zones completed in a fixed order, each preceded by a 500m run or walk, for 5,000m of running in total. The zones, loads and order are identical at every event, so a DEKA FIT time is a benchmark you can compare across venues and seasons. The race ends on the 20th weighted burpee in Zone 10, with no closing run.
What are the 10 DEKA FIT zones?
The zones below are the official standards from the DEKA Rules of Competition (version dated 1 May 2026). Loads are the same for Elite and Age Group entrants. The second load column also applies to men aged 65 and over.
| Zone | Movement | Work | Men 14+ | Women 14+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alternating reverse lunge (RAM or dumbbell) | 30 reps | 25 kg / 55 lb | 15 kg / 33 to 35 lb |
| 2 | Row | 500m | Same rower for all | |
| 3 | Box step or jump over | 20 reps | 60 cm / 24 in | 60 cm / 24 in |
| 4 | Med ball sit-up throw | 25 reps | 9 kg / 20 lb | 6 kg / 14 lb |
| 5 | SkiErg | 500m | Same machine for all | |
| 6 | Farmer's carry (per hand) | 100m | 27.5 kg / 60 lb | 17.5 kg / 40 lb |
| 7 | Air bike | 25 calories | 25 calories | |
| 8 | Dead ball over a 4 ft bar | 20 reps | 27.5 kg / 60 lb | 17.5 kg / 40 lb |
| 9 | Magnetic sled push and pull | 100m (5 × 10m down and back) | Resistance settings 8 and 3 | Resistance settings 7 and 2 |
| 10 | Weighted burpee (RAM or two dumbbells) | 20 reps | 20 kg / 44 lb | 10 kg / 22 lb |
The RAM is a weighted, cylindrical implement used in Zones 1 and 10. Dumbbells are an approved substitute in both. The sled in Zone 9 is a magnetic-resistance sled (Xebex or Torque Tank models), so the load is a resistance setting rather than plates. Each zone's movement standards and common no-reps are covered in DEKA zones explained.
How is DEKA FIT different from DEKA MILE and DEKA STRONG?
All three formats use the same ten zones at the same loads. What changes is the running between them, plus two FIT-only movement versions.
- DEKA FIT: 500m run before each zone, 5,000m in total. Zone 4 is a sit-up throw to a target 1.37m up, and Zone 8 lifts the dead ball over a 4 ft (1.22m) bar.
- DEKA MILE: 160m run before each zone, 1,600m in total. Zone 4 becomes a plain med ball sit-up and Zone 8 a dead ball shoulder over.
- DEKA STRONG: the ten zones back to back with no running, with the same Zone 4 and Zone 8 changes as MILE.
There is also DEKA FIT Ultra: the FIT course five times in a row, 50 zones and 25km of running, with an eight-hour cut-off.
Where can you race DEKA FIT?
DEKA FIT events are produced by Spartan DEKA, usually in large indoor venues, with chip timing and both Elite and Age Group categories. Elite entrants race for prize money and Age Group entrants for podium awards. The gym-based formats are DEKA STRONG and DEKA MILE: affiliate gyms host them on scheduled event days and time athletes by hand. Most of the equipment is shared with HYROX, so gyms that stock HYROX kit (rowers, SkiErgs, air bikes, sleds) are the natural place to train for it. hybridtraining.guide lists HYROX-affiliated gyms by city.
What are the DEKA FIT divisions?
- Individual: Elite and Age Group. Age groups run from Youth (10 to 11, 12 to 13) through 14 to 17, 18 to 24, five-year bands to 65 to 69, and 70+. Your age is taken as of 30 September of the season.
- Teams: two-person and four-person teams in female, male and co-ed categories. Every teammate runs the first and last 500m, and the runs before Zones 2 to 9 can be split. Four-person teams do double the reps, metres and calories in every zone.
- Ruck: the full race wearing a ruck of 30 lb (men) or 20 lb (women), weighed before and after.
What penalties can you get in DEKA FIT?
Penalties are added to your chip time. Doing less than 80% of the work in any zone makes you an unofficial finisher: you get the medal, but your time does not go to the global leaderboard. Above that line, the rulebook sets fixed time penalties:
- Missed reps: 10 seconds each in Zones 1, 3 and 4, 20 seconds each in Zones 8 and 10, and 1 minute 30 seconds per missed down-and-back in Zone 9.
- Leaving an erg early: 20 seconds if you step off the rower or SkiErg with 5m or less to go (or the air bike with 1 calorie or less), 2 minutes if more is left.
- Dropped weights: a dropped RAM or dumbbell in Zones 1 and 10 costs an extra rep, and a dropped farmer's carry weight in Zone 6 costs 30 seconds.
- Zones out of order: 1 minute for each violation.
How fast is a good DEKA FIT time?
The men's record is 28:28 (Rylan Schadegg, West Palm Beach, 2022), per the leaderboard compiled by The Fitness Experiment. The same source lists the women's record as 31:51 (Lauren Weeks, DEKA World Championships, 2024) and also a faster 31:27 by Weeks in the 2025 season. Spartan publishes no average finish time. The DEKA FIT times guide covers elite zone splits, what penalties add, and how to benchmark an age-group result.
When is the DEKA World Championship?
The 2026 DEKA World Championships run from 10 to 13 December 2026 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Texas. The invite-only DEKA FIT World Championship is on 10 December, and open DEKA STRONG heats that need no qualification run on 12 and 13 December.
How should you train for DEKA FIT?
DEKA FIT has more running than it looks: ten 500m efforts add up to a 5K, broken by zones that load the legs (lunges, box overs, sled) and the grip (farmer's carry, dead ball, burpees). Train the runs at race pace straight off leg-heavy work, and rehearse the RAM movements, which few gyms own. For a structured block, the 12-week plans on hybridtraining.guide are built for HYROX but cover the same engine: repeated running under fatigue plus sled, carry and erg work. DEKA vs HYROX lays out where the two races differ.
FAQ
- What is DEKA FIT?
- DEKA FIT is the flagship format of Spartan's DEKA race series: ten functional fitness zones done in a fixed order, each preceded by a 500m run or walk, for 5,000m of running in total. The clock stops when the 20th weighted burpee in Zone 10 is complete.
- What are the 10 DEKA FIT zones?
- In order: 30 weighted alternating reverse lunges, a 500m row, 20 box step or jump overs, 25 med ball sit-up throws, a 500m SkiErg, a 100m farmer's carry, 25 calories on an air bike, 20 dead ball overs, a 100m sled push and pull, and 20 weighted burpees. The zones and loads are the same at every DEKA FIT event.
- How long does DEKA FIT take?
- The fastest men finish in about 28 to 30 minutes (the record is 28:28) and the fastest women in about 31 to 32 minutes, according to the leaderboard compiled by The Fitness Experiment. Spartan does not publish an average finish time, so age-group athletes should compare themselves on the official DEKA leaderboard for their age group.
- What is the difference between DEKA FIT, DEKA MILE and DEKA STRONG?
- All three use the same ten zones and the same loads. DEKA FIT puts a 500m run before each zone (5K total), DEKA MILE a 160m run (one mile total) and DEKA STRONG no running at all. FIT also uses a med ball throw in Zone 4 and a dead ball over a 4ft bar in Zone 8, where MILE and STRONG use a plain sit-up and a shoulder-height over.
- Can you do DEKA FIT at your local gym?
- Usually not. DEKA FIT events are produced by Spartan DEKA in large indoor venues and chip timed. The gym-based formats are DEKA STRONG and DEKA MILE, which affiliate gyms host on scheduled, hand-timed event days.