Obstacle Race Training-4/8/13

Alternate Grip Pull-ups from
Army Physical Readiness Book

This is the Half Murph Blaster. By the time you are finished, you’ll have completed the run plus 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups and 150 squats (burpees count as push-ups and squats). Have fun:

• Run 3-4 miles
• Do sixty burpees with push-ups along the way
• Once finished, 20 burpees
• 11 pull-ups with leg lifts
• 11 chin-ups with leg lifts
• 11 alternate grip pull-ups with leg lifts
• 20 air squats
• 6 pull-ups
• 20 air squats
• 5 pull-ups
• 20 air squats
• 6 pull-ups
• 10 air squats
• 10 push-ups
• 10 push-ups
• Stretch

Obstacle Race Training-3/30/13

Grab some buddies and run a 5k. Challenge each other, but stay together as a group. 

Did you know courses were certified using the shortest distance possible? In other words, the person certifying marks the course using the most efficient distance possible. It's quite easy for a new runner to run MORE than the measured 5k by turning too wide or just remaining on one side of the road. Practice your turns and try to keep the race to 5k and not 5.1 or 5.2. It takes practice.

The same holds true for obstacle races. It's possible to improve run times by turning corners tightly and using the terrain to your advantage. Zombie runs are an exception if you have to escape and evade.

Have fun

Obstacle Race Training-3/5/13

Monkey Bars as Demonstrated in the book,
Army Physical Readiness Training

Warm up:

Stretch

Main set:

• Move to a track or obstacle course for a three mile run with obstacles
• Run .5 miles at an easy pace
• Run .5 miles at a faster pace with sprints

For the last 1.5 miles

• Work in two obstacles per lap as follows sprinting on the straight ways and jogging on the curves:(If you are too tired or not able to work an obstacle or don’t have an obstacle course substitute each obstacle with 10 burpees (with pushups))

• Eight foot tall ladder obstacle to climb over
• Chin up bars (6 pull ups with leg lifts)
• Tire trot
• Rings (monkey bars)
• Five foot wall
• Rings
• Chin up bars (6 pull ups with leg lifts)
• 20 burpees with push-ups
• Incline rings
• Parallel bars
• Rope climb
• 20 burpees with push-ups
• Monkey bars
• Chin up bars (6 pull ups with leg lifts)
• Run .25 miles
• 10 burpees
• Run .25 miles
• 10 burpees
• 12 pull-ups
• Rest
• 20 pull-ups (break up into sets as necessary)

Cool down:

Stretch

Obstacle Race Training-02/05/13

Let’s get ready for obstacle racing. It’s already February and racing has begun in earnest. I plan on beginning my season in March, so just another 45 days. That means I have about 30 days of intense training before I begin to taper off.

Here is a good workout to simulate a 5 k obstacle race with 12 obstacles:

• Stretch
• Run ¼ mile
• Jump or climb over a 3 foot obstacle x 2
• Run ¼ mile
• 10 Jeffreys (burpee with 2 push-ups)
• Run ¼ mile
• 20 mountain climbers (start with left foot forward and count every time left foot comes forward)
• Run ¼ mile
• 10 jumping lunges (start with left foot forward and count every time left foot comes forward)
• Run ¼ mile
• 10 burpees with push-ups
• Run ¼ mile
• 15 body weight squats
• Run ¼ mile
• 20 mountain climbers (start with left foot forward and count every time left foot comes forward)
• Run ¼ mile
• 10 burpees with push ups
• Run ¼ mile
• 15 body weight squats
• Run ¼ mile
• 20 mountain climbers
• Run 1/2 mile
• Jump or climb over a 3 foot obstacle x 2
• Finish run
• Dumbbell Farmer Carry with ½ body weight (1/4 body weight in each arm)
• 10 pull-ups with leg lifts
• Stretch

This is a great simulation or substitution for a real 5k obstacle race. Whether getting ready for the Spartan, Tough Mudder, Moonshine Mud Run, Warrior Dash, or other obstacle, you get out of it what you put in training. Make it count!

**Here's how to do the Mountain Climber (from Army Physical Readiness Training)

EXERCISE 3: MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

Purpose: This exercise develops the ability to quickly move the legs to power out of the front leaning rest

position (Figure 6-87).

Starting Position: Front leaning rest position with the left foot below the chest and between the arms.

Cadence: MODERATE

Count:

1. Push upward with the feet and quickly change positions of the legs.

2. Return to the starting position.

3. Repeat the movements in count 1.

4. Return to the starting position.

from Army Physical Readiness Training

Obstacle Race Training-01/19/13

Grab some buddies and go for a leisurely 10k run. Make plans, talk about the future, whatever; just enjoy the experience.

Obstacle Race Training-01/08/13

Run 3.5 miles through the trails. If you don’t have a trail, run in a pasture, through the neighborhood or somewhere with grass landscape to get you used to obstacle course running. Of course if there is mud, even better. That’ll help you get ready for the tough mudder, dirty girl, moonshine mudrun, run for your life, warrior dash, Spartan run and other obstacle runs. After your run immediately:

• Push-ups to muscle failure
• Sprint crawl for 20 seconds
• Push-ups to muscle failure
• Sprint crawl for 20 seconds
• Push-ups to muscle failure
• Finger tip pull-ups with leg lifts to muscle failure
• Finger tip chin-ups with leg lifts to muscle failure
• Stretch

Build your own chinup bars from Army Physical ReadinessTraining book. Get yours here

Obstacle Run Training-01/01/13

Happy New Year!

You’ve probably made some wonderful resolutions and we hope Run in Mud exercises are part of that goal to complete obstacle races.

Here is today’s exercise:

• 10 push-ups
• 10 sit-ups
• Stretch
• Backpack with around 1/3 of body weight for two miles
• 11 pull-ups with leg lifts
• 11 chin-ups with leg lifts
• 11 alternate grip pull-ups with leg lifts
• Rest
• 20 wide hand push-ups
• 20 leg lifts (while laying on the ground)
• 20 close hand push-ups
• 20 4 count scissors kicks
• 20 push-ups with upper torso elevated (bed, table, rail, etc.)
• 40 crunches

Rest and enjoy the rest of the day 

Upcoming Obstacle and Mud Runs

It looks like there are two races that I can find in my home state of Alabama. The Dirty Girl Mud Run and the Warrior Dash.

Here is my schedule of where I’d like to race. Chances are really good that I will make all of them unless a better offer comes up. Stick around for reviews:

• Nashville Tennessee Zombie Run For Your Lives March 30, 2013 
• Georgia Spartan Sprint March 2013 
• Georgia Superhero Scramble 2013 April 27, 2013 
• Nashville 5K Foam Fest 2013 May 4, 2013 
• Moonshine Mud Run TBA 
• Atlanta Georgia Savage Race 2013 May 11, 2013 
• Warrior Dash October 2013 

I haven’t found a better way to keep up with events than with the following Facebook liked pages:

Moonshine-Mud-Run/

Spartan race

Obstacle Race Training

Well, that’s how I’m following the races. If you know of any obstacle races in or near north Alabama, let me know…