Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
What do you go to IKEA for? The food? The furniture? Well, let’s switch it up and try something new. IKEA will host its first-ever HEJ-FIT Challenge at IKEA Tampines on 19 and 20 Sep 2026, 9am – 8.30pm daily. All IKEA Family members can register for this event.
The event sees teams of 2 compete at 5 challenge stations. The teams must consist of 1 male and 1 female, with each station featuring 2 workouts. The winning team will receive a fully electric Volvo EX30.
The only form of exercise I get in a typical week is walking, so I felt both anxious and excited when I signed up for the challenge.
At the first station, my teammate and I had to complete 1,000m on the SkiErg and 100 repetitions of the 20kg KUGGIS Box Row. We were able to swap with each other for the exercises, giving us some time to recover.
Personally, I found this station to be the most challenging, probably because it was my first time using the SkiErg. The 20kg KUGGIS Box Row was slightly more manageable, but unfortunately, we received a DNF for this station. Bleagh.
Do note that if your team does not finish a particular station, you will not be eligible for any prizes.
Luckily, the second station featured workouts more familiar to me. It consisted of a 1,000m Run and 100 repetitions of 10kg HUGAD Thrusters. My teammate and I decided to split the 1,000m in half. This made it easier to get through because I had a clear goal — reach 500m, then I could rest before starting the thrusters.
The thrusters were surprisingly manageable, and it helped that the weights used were cute soft toys. It made the experience feel less nerve-wracking compared to using conventional weight plates.
The last station had a 120m FRAKTA Carry and a 100kg Volvo load. Each side weighed around 15kg, so I was carrying 30kg in total. I found this easier than the 20kg KUGGIS Box Rows, probably because the load was distributed across both sides of my body.
The non-working team member doesn’t get to chill and relax during this part; they’ll have to follow closely behind the working member. Do note that if you want to swap roles, you’ll have to set down the bags rather than passing them directly to your teammate.
In the Volvo challenge, you’ll have to carry MALM flatpacks into the boot of a Volvo, close and reopen the boot, then carry the flatpacks out. While the flatpacks looked intimidating at first, working together as a pair made the exercise much easier.
After all that hard work, we received a finisher medal. Like many things at IKEA, the medal requires some assembly. I liked this as it felt more rewarding and personal to build it myself.
I recommend this if you want to experience some competitive fun: join the IKEA HEJ-FIT Challenge on 19 and 20 Sep 2026. More details on the event and registration are available here. Registration closes on 9 Sep 2026, and IKEA Family members may register here.
IKEA Tampines is open daily from 11am – 10pm.
