Obstacle Race Home Gym

I really like working out in the open air. My equipment is what ever is available. Sometimes it's a constructed obstacle course at a park or around a running track. At other times I use playground equipment and tree branches. However, I do have some favorite equipment in my back yard that I use regularly to stay in shape and prepare for the Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Spartan Sprint, Savage Race, and Battle Frog. Currently these courses are getting more and more technical and strength demanding.

Aside from the regularly run, burpee, run workout, I perform other workouts to prepare for the strength and grip obstacles.  I very rarely use weights. So, here's what I have...

Carrying and obstacles appear in the Spartan Sprint, the Battle Frog and similar races. The bucket brigade was a new obstacle I encountered. We filled our buckets with gravel and carried it approximately 1.4 miles. The Atlas Stones were a similar obstacles requiring strength. Other carry obstacles include the 5 gallon water can, the wreck bag, Hercules Hoist and more.

Here are some obstacles you can put together to prepare for next year's races,
Bucket brigade: I bought a 5 gallon bucket at Lowe's. I also bought a bag of gravel. Total cost, around 8 bucks.

Weight sled-Pulling weights across the land is very difficult. However, replicating the event is easy. I found some old cinder blocks and bought a 10 buck rope. This is a great core, leg, and arm strengthening exercise. I bought a skinny nylon rope to really work my grip strength as well.

Sandbag-I had an old gym bag with lots of handles and a small roller carry on. I bought a 50 pound bag of sand and put 25 pounds of sand in each bag. I also got the sand at Lowe's. Since I already owned the bags, the sand was around 5 bucks.

Backpack carry-I bought a 50 gallon bag of sand from Lowe's for 5 bucks and added some weight from around the house. Make sure you have a decent bag with working shoulder, chest, and abdominal straps.

Rigs and monkey bars appear in the the Savage Race, Spartan races, and Battle Frog. I use monkey bars, various grips, swing sets, ropes, i-beams, 4x4 planks and other surfaces to get prepared.

Rock climbing hand holds require good finger tip grip strength. They hurt like heck at first, but then practice will get you through it. try pull ups and traversing from one to the other.

Cannon Ball grips are awesome. They are round, slippery, and require a strong palm grip. Takes lots of practice to master these.

Triceps ropes like these provide a great opportunity to develop horizontal grip strength. Most pull up platforms are horizontal, getting you ready for monkey bars types of obstacles. However, these ropes are smooth, vertical and easy to slip off; until you get that strength you need. I feel off the rig many times, but now looking forward to kicking it. Swing from one rope to the other or do pull ups. 

                               


Gymnastic rings are good platforms for rig and monkey bar training. I love them.






Finally, nothing beats a good old fashioned pull up bar rig above your door. 

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-Weekend Edition Spartan Sprint Nashville

I'm just waiting for the real
Spartan Race Pics

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-Weekend Edition or What I did in the Spartan Sprint Nashville

Ok, for the record, this race occurred about 40 minutes north of Nashville in a hooah place called Ft. Campbell, KY. This event is being listed as my workout, keep posted for and official course review once the pics are posted. 

I raced the elite heat, so helping was not allowed. I only said that to show the technical level of the workout without pulling, pushing, lifting, or other teamwork helps.

Run 5.2 miles with 26 obstacles. Along the way, race, support, encourage follow Spartans and you claim your place in history. This is run intense and strength sapping. I used to think the obstacles were speed bumps, but so far they are definitely weeding out runners and favoring the trained runners.

So, join in on the Spartan Sprint, if you can't, substitute these exercises. There are some great ideas in my blog otherwies, do your best and get your workout on:

Mile 0-1

1. Climb over hay bale x 2

2. Climb over 6 foot wall

3. Something Secret-just do 10 burpees

Mile 1-2

4. A-Frame Cargo Net-Climb up, over and down 30 feet high cargo net obstacle 

5. Atlas Carry-Pick up 60 pound stone, carry to flag, do 5 burpees, then return stone to start-Very heavy, lift with legs and keep back straight.

6. Monkey Bars

7. Climb over three 4-5 foot walls

8. Bucket Brigade- Fill 5 gallon bucket with gravel and walk up and down a hill while carrying it in front of you (shoulder carry not allowed)-Very heavy, lift with legs and keep back straight.

Mile 2-3

9. Spartan Rig-Cross using hands only, monkey bar rings, 6 foot iron bar, 3 short lengths of rope-I fell off at the end as I reached for the bell-30 burpees 

10. Z-Walls-This is the traverse wall in a Z formation. Traverse only using the small handholds and footholds. Be careful going around corners. If you touch the top or the sides for support....30 burpees 

11. 8 Foot Wall-Climb over 8 foot wall. The trick is to get your 5'9" body high enough to reach the 8 foot top. I was able to on my second jump.

12. Camo net crawl-Crawl short distance under obstacle 

Mile 3-4 

13. Something Secret-just do 10 burpees 

14. Plate drag. Drag a heavy object uphill and through grass with a rope. Then pull back to original start point. This is another very physically taxing exercise designed to wear you down. Try to build momentum and keep it going.

15. Sand bag carry. Carry 25 pound sand bag down a steep hill, across a creek and back up the other side. Again, they wanna wear you down.

Mile 4-5

16. Rolling mud with dunk wall-This is similar to Warrior Dash Mud Mounds. Three rows of mud mounds with a deep water obstacle on the other side. Yep, wear you down.

17. Barbed wire crawl-Oh man, I though this would be a good break. But no, this is a loooong low crawl under barbed wire. I'm thinking football field length.

18. Rope Climb-Finally, something I excel at 
19. Spear throw-I did it without burpess. Be careful, it has a rope tied to it. A lot of people got hung up and did burpees. I passed about 20 folks at this point.

20. Run through 2 buildings with an M16. Pretty cool and those fake M16s are heavy 

21. Hercules Hoist. Man, this was awful. Pull weight up 35 feet using a rope hoist and lower slowly. If the bag drops or you come completely off the ground, 30 burpees. These bags are anywhere from 135 points upward. Did I tell you I weigh 140 pounds? I could barely stay on the ground.

22. Slip wall-Easy slanted wall with ropes to climb.

23. Fire jump

Finish line-celebrate your workout. You deserve it.

Here are some great US Army Hooah Exercises:

Do great pull ups:

Here is some great equipment to help with your training:


                                                         

Run In Mud Obstacle Race Training-10/7/15

It is difficult to taper workouts when your body screams to work out. I want to run and workout with obstacles more than I have scheduled, but I know I have to rest. Here is a compromise: a little run, a little walk, and a small obstacle work out to stay loose.

Walk 1 mile while integrating obstacles at each quarter mile interval:

1 x climb obstacle

1 x leap over obstacle

1 x balance obstacle

Stretch and rotate for 6 minutes

The Urban Assault-Decatur, Alabama September 26, 2015

The two mile run out.

The Urban Assault is in it's second year and is an event not to miss. This is definitely an event for Northern Alabama folks to train for and participate it. It reminds me of the obstacle courses that I negotiated in Army Basic Training, with a few Spartan Sprint and Warrior Dash type obstacles. 

Before I tell you about the race, I'd like to tell you about the event organization and thank all those involved. The entrance fee is definitely right at less than $50.00; and no parking fee, baggage fee, or anything else. This fee covers a shirt, some swag, awesome food including sausage and biscuits, and a great trophy for those who win overall and in the age groups. Trophies were made from car parts and  by a local auto shop. How Urban is that?

The Urban Assault is the physical fitness child of The Toughest Mile, an organization with military roots and whose mission is to motivate others to live lives of fitness. The event took place at Bender's Elite, a world class gym that I would join if I lived closer. They opened their facilities to the racers for whatever, including the necessary comfort stops. 

These trophies are cool

The volunteers were from all walks of life including attending Paramedics, Fire Fighters, and Police Officers. All were extremely welcoming, friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable of their tasks. They had to be as the route was spread out over two and a half miles.

I began the morning with a 5 am wake up call to prepare for the 8 am start time. I fixed bagels with peanut butter and some raisins. Soon I began stretching and a quick 1/4 mile jog to get my blood flowing. I also made time to read the bible and pray for everyone's safety. By 620 am I was out the door for the 40 minute drive.

The tire obstacle

I arrived with an hour to spare and began a quick stretch, signed for my packet, and prepared to race. I was able to view the obstacles as most were in one general area. By 745 am I was lined up and receiving the safety briefing and course lay out. The course was almost 5 miles with a little over two miles out, turn around and return. About halfway through the obstacles begin. Then two miles later, we pick up the remaining 12 obstacles. This sounded like an interesting event as the runners will be able to sprint ahead before feeling the effects of negotiating obstacles. 

I stripped off my shirt to keep cool. I usually run in shorts and no socks knowing that I'll get soaked, muddy and less is more in that situation. At 8 am the cannon fired. Yes, the cannon and it was awesome!

20 x 60 foot milvan

We took off an soon I found myself with the pack leaders, running hard. We kept running and running and gaining more lead. Veterans of obstacle races may understand that leading is better and makes for fewer bottlenecks at obstacles. You also train to conduct obstacles events at every 1/4 to 1/2 miles. The 2 mile distance was a little more challenging mentally. 

Being an "Urban" challenge, the route consisted mostly of roadway. Even when off road, we ran through a concrete waterway, under bridges, through urban tunnels and even down man holes, running through cement conduits. It was awesome.

Came in 2d overall

Next, we climbed up a 20x 60 foot container down the other side, faced a tire obstacle, and yet another container. We continued the road race another 2 miles around the city baseball fields and made our way back to the finish. 

The last 400 yards held military style climbing obstacles, traverse walls, dirt hills, three foot leap over logs and more. Finally, the last 100 yard sprint to the finish.

So happy for the great experience and encourage others to join me next year.

Don't forget to check out www.redbikepublishing.com for books including:

US Army Physical Readiness

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-9/23/15

Track workout. Run 3 miles with obstacles.


Three days from the race, I am still running a reduced 
mileage schedule. Today will be a 2.5 mile run with climbing obstacles to keep the muscles maintained. This will not be an easy run as I am incorporating .33 mile sprints.



Jog .33 miles
Climb over obstacle

4 foot wall

Tire step obstacle
Climb 4 foot wall
Balance obstacle


Jog  .33 miles 
Climb over obstacle
Tire step obstacle
Climb 4 foot wall
Balance obstacle

Climb over obstacle

Sprint .33 miles
Jog .1 mile
Climb over obstacle
Tire step obstacle

Sprint .33 miles
Jog .1 mile
Climb 4 foot wall
Balance obstacle

Sprint .33 miles
Jog .1 mile
Climb over obstacle
Tire step obstacle

Balance Obstacle

Sprint .33 miles
Jog .1 mile

Climb 4 foot wall
Balance obstacle

Sprint .33 miles
Jog .2 miles

Walk .25 miles

5 pull ups

Stretch muscles and rotate joints for six minutes

Tire obstacle

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-9/16/15



http://www.cafepress.com/redbikepublishing

The following workout includes alternate workout routines and ideas. There are multiple ways to do exercises and multiple platforms for doing them. For example, you can balance on a 1 x 6, a street curb, or playground equipment. Today's workout includes alternate workout resources to get you ready for the next Spartan Sprint, Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Savage Race, Battlefrog or other event.

Run 4.1 miles at a moderate pace (5 or 10k race pace). Be sure to incorporate hills and some grass work (run in grass or along trails). 


Here are some good hills:


Hill

stairs and hill

Perform the following obstacles after the run. The obstacles are listed with pictures and some alternatives.

Climb 18 foot rope

Rope climb at obstacle course

18 foot rope in back yard

Navigate balance obstacle x 2

Balance platform

Roadside curb

 

Playground balance beam

6 pull ups

Pull up on swing set or Cannon Balls

Different pull up grips

Gym pull up bar

Playground pull up bar

 



Navigate balance obstacle x 2



Cinder block rope pull

Three cinder blog

Spear throw-5 x for each arm

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-8/11/15

I will be running the Tennessee Warrior Dash on October 10. I'm preparing for it by including a lot of hills and running the bulk of my miles at the beginning of the week. For example, 10k on Monday, 5.1 miles on Tuesday, 4.1 miles on Wednesday, 3.1 miles on Thursday, and 2.1 on Friday. The beginning of the week I bring on the miles, while from Wed on I incorporate more intense obstacle training. This guarantees that I will have endurance for the notorious hills in Pulaski, TN and with a relatively fast time. Another bonus is that by the time October comes around, the heat and humidity will be gone, by the results of intense training in the current conditions will still be there.

 I'm competing in my age group and want to win. Simple goal, just have to get there. What are your goals for the fall?

Warm up:
Stretch muscles and rotate joints
25 jumping jacks

Main set:
Run 5.1 miles
Bike 2.5 miles

Cool down:
Walk 1 mile

No joking, I have been doing most of the exercises in this book since I joined the Army in 1983. Though my service ended in 2004, I still workout. Try it:

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-8/7/15

Completing the week strong with over 20 miles of running and many obstacle race strengthening exercises. My strategy was to run 6.2 Monday, 5.1 Tuesday, 4.1 Wednesday, 3.1 Thursday and 2.1 on Friday. Well, Friday is the last day and time to keep motivated.

Back to the track. This track has obstacles all around. Today I am running a lap and completing three obstacles per lap. I run in the outside lane which equals about 3 laps per mile.

Here are the obstacles. If you can, try three per lap.

Run 1 lap


45 degree incline rings

1. Monkey bar incline rings x 2-series of rings set at a 45 degree angle
2. 15 foot pole climb with 5 pull ups at top
3. Balance obstacle

Run 1 lap

1. Parallel bars-raise feet off the ground and move down the bars using your arms. Make it more challenging with a dip for each step.
2. Monkey bars x 2
3. 6 pull ups with leg lifts

Run 1 lap

1. Climbing obstacle
2. 6 pull ups with leg lifts
3. Tire obstacle

Run 1 lap

4 foot wall

1. Monkey bar rings x 2
2. Leap over 4 foot wall x 2
3. Monkey bar rings x 2

Run 1 lap

6 pull ups with leg lifts

Continue laps until the run is complete

Cool down:
Walk .25 miles

Monkey bars and other workouts here:

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-7/14/15

Track or fitness zone work out.


Run 3.1 Miles on a track or route with obstacles, such as a fitness trail.

My track is 1/4 miles long and has 13 obstacles. 

Run 1 lap 

6 chin ups with leg lifts
tire obstacle x 2

Run 1 lap 

Monkey bars x 2

Climb over 4 foot wall x 2

Run 1 lap
Monkey bars x 2

6 chin ups with leg lifts

3 x truck tire flips

Run 1 lap

Incline monkey bars x 2 
Parallel bar work out. Walk on hands for 1 step, dip and repeat until traverse parallel bar distance

Run 1 lap 
Rope climb with 10 chin ups at top 
Balance obstacle x 2

Run 1 lap 
Monkey bars x 2

6 Chin ups with leg lifts

Run 1 lap and sprint the 

Climbing obstacle x 2
Jog remainder of 3.1 miles

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-6/20/15

Army Physical Readiness

 Swim .5 miles

10 pull ups with leg lifts x 2

Climb rope x 3

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-6/19/15

Walk 1.5 miles at a fitness trail or track. Incorporate obstacles along the route.

Walk .25 miles

Tire obstacle

Ring monkey bars

Walk .25 miles

6 pull ups with leg lifts

4 foot wall

Walk.25 miles

Ring monkey bars

Tire flip x 3

Walk .25 miles

Parallel bars walk on hands the full length with dips after each step Rope climb

Walk .25 miles

Balance obstacle

6 pull ups with leg lifts

Walk .25 miles

6 pull ups with leg lifts

Climbing obstacle x 2

Walk .25 miles

Run In Mud Obstacle Race Training-3/23/15

Now I am preparing for the Savage Race in Georgia on April 18th. I had the Battle Frog planned for Nashville in June, but that event got cancelled. Oh well, keep training of course.

Went for a late morning workout on the military base (Redstone Arsenal, AL) where I work. There is a fitness trail that is very flat and has a few obstacles on it. Lot's of fun and I hope you have the same opportunity near to where you live and work.

Warm up:
Stretch
Rotate

Main set:

Run four miles

Mile 1

Pull up bars, climbing ladders, and monkey bars

10 pull ups
10 pull ups
climb obstacle
monkey bars
climb obstacle
10 burpees

Run across the top and then jump over each step

Climb under and then over x 2

Mile 2
10 burpees
climb over and under obstacle x 2
short pull ups bars for muscle up practice x 3

Mile 3
10 burpees

Mile 4
10 burpees
10 pull ups
climb obstacle
monkey bars
climb obstacle
10 pull ups

Have fun