Points are scored on turning up and improving — not on who's already fittest. Which means a complete beginner can genuinely win the cash.
Most challenges reward whoever walked in the fittest. Ours doesn't. If you're starting from nothing, you have more room to improve than anybody — and improvement is worth points.
Winners are decided on points — skill and effort, never a random draw. If the same person tops two categories, the next eligible person takes the other prize, so four different people walk away with something.
Most points across the eight weeks.
Second-most points.
The one who simply kept turning up.
Sauna, ice bath & recovery →$20 of whatever you pay goes into the prize pool. Everyone contributes the same $20, and every cent of it is paid out to the winners. The more people who enter, the bigger the pool.
Two options if you're new to Ako, two if you're already a member. Add anything extra underneath.
The August–September challenge closed on 31 July and kicks off Monday 3 August. If you want first shot at the next block, leave your email and we'll tell you the moment sign-ups open — before it goes public.
No spam. One email when the next challenge opens, and that's it. Want to start training before then? Take a free trial week — you don't have to wait for a challenge to begin.
Optional. Tick what you want and it's added at checkout.
Under-18 entries must be signed by a parent or guardian. You can do that here.
Secure checkout by Stripe. New to Ako? You'll complete a quick waiver straight after. Already a member? You're set — nothing else to do.
8 Aug, 29 Aug and 26 Sep. Mobility and movement — the stuff that keeps you training. Free on All In, $25 drop-in otherwise ($15 for members).
A real conversation with the coach every week. Not an email.
Where the weekly challenges land and where the group carries each other.
See your points any time. If you think a score is wrong, tell us within 7 days.
Baseline on Mon 3, Fri 7 or Sat 8 Aug — your pick. Retest in Week 8. Health questionnaire first, everything scaled.
The Reset membership — recovery and Express sessions. Stops automatically at the end. You will not be charged for it.
Ricky is our strength and conditioning coach and a fourth-year Clinical Exercise Physiology student. He does the testing, the workshops, the weekly check-ins, the programs and the nutrition guidance.
He works with people at every level, and the thing he's actually good at is meeting you where you are. If you haven't trained in ten years, that's the starting point — not a problem to apologise for.
Every exercise scales. Nothing in this challenge is worth getting hurt over, and he'll tell you that himself in week one.
Pick your entry, read the terms, pay. New members complete a quick waiver; members are done. Then you're in.
Do your baseline on Monday 3, Friday 7 or Saturday 8 August — whichever suits you. Supervised and scaled; nobody is comparing you to anyone else.
Mobility and movement.
Mobility and movement.
Mobility and movement.
Same test as Week 1. We score the gap. Then we hand out the prizes.
We'd rather tell you this in large print now than have you find out on a bank statement in October.
When the challenge finishes on Sunday 27 September, your Ako membership does not stop. It continues as an ongoing membership and you'll be charged weekly from Monday 28 September.
You choose which plan you roll onto — and you choose it in Week 1, before the challenge starts. Not at the end, when you've forgotten. On day one.
Then we ask you again before it ends. Two weeks out — Sunday 13 September — we'll email you to confirm whether you actually want to continue. If you don't, say so and that's the end of it — no charge, no fee, no reason required.
So you get told at the start, you choose at the start, and you get asked again before a single dollar leaves your account. Two chances to say no.
Want out sooner? Any time up to Sunday 27 September: email info@akomartialarts.com or tell any staff member. You still keep everything you paid for — the full eight weeks, the prizes, the lot.
Already an Ako member? Nothing changes. Your membership carries on exactly as it did, and nothing new is charged.
Iremia (All In only) stops automatically on 27 September. It does not roll over and you will not be charged for it.
No. That's the entire point of how the scoring works. Points come from turning up and from improving — and the less fit you are on day one, the more room you have to improve. Somebody who has never trained can beat somebody who trains every day, and we'd quite like that to happen.
Then you'll be in good company, because most of the people signing up are in exactly that position. Everything is scaled — every exercise has a version that suits you. You'll do a health questionnaire before you start, the testing is supervised, and no one is watching you. They're all too busy worrying about themselves.
Yes, and that isn't marketing. Attendance is the biggest single source of points — but it's capped at 4 sessions a week, so nobody can buy points with a free diary. Someone training six days a week scores the same attendance as someone training four. Improvement is scored on the gap between your Week 1 and Week 8 test, not the raw number. A beginner who turns up and improves will out-score a fit person who coasts.
No. Some of the weekly challenges involve video, and every one of them has an alternative that earns the same points. Saying no to being on camera costs you nothing — not points, not a prize, nothing.
If you're new to Ako, your membership continues and you're charged weekly from 28 September. You pick which plan in Week 1 — fitness classes only, or unlimited — so you know the number before you start, not after. Then two weeks before it ends we email you to check you still want to continue, and you can say no. Two chances to opt out, and one email cancels it at any point. It's all in the section above, in large print, on purpose. If you're already a member, nothing changes.
Talk to us. We'll work something out. We're not in the business of keeping money from people who can't train.
Under-18s need a parent or guardian signature, so don't pay online. Come and see us at the front desk and we'll sort it in two minutes.
Sign-ups close Friday 31 July. The challenge starts Monday 3 August.
Secure your spot