Obstacle Race Training-1/17/18

Most of the south is enjoying warm sunshine. Great day to go and run. Find a 2.5 mile route and get to it. This is a great workout that incorporates up to 11 obstacles. Most 5k mud runs involve 12 obstacles, equivalent to one every quarter mile. This gets you ready to test your lungs for the run / obstacle / run pattern so familiar to obstacle athletes. Enjoy!

• Run .5 miles
• High crawl or bear crawl for 50 feet
• Run .75 miles
• 15 burpees with push-ups
• Run .75 miles
• High crawl or bear crawl for 50 feet plus
• 10 burpees with push-ups
• Run .5 miles
• leap over 3 foot obstacle 2x
• Cool down walk for 2 minutes
• Plank for 2 minutes
• Rest for 20 seconds
• Left side plank for 1 minute
• Rest for 20 seconds
• Right side plank for 1 minute
• Stretch
• Extra
• 3 x chin-ups to muscle failure (with leg lifts)

Need a place to do chin-ups and dips?

Obstacle Race Training-12/27/12

Run 3 miles or go 25 minutes on the elliptical machine. I’ve been using the elliptical to recover from a minor injury and want to keep up with my strength, endurance and cardio. I use the Life Cycle elliptical set at random and with the resistance at a 15 out of 25 . I try to keep it above 6.5 on the speed setting.

If doing elliptical, try the following workout:

• 12 minutes going backward
• 8 minutes reverse direction
• 2 minutes going backward
• 3 minutes reverse direction
• Rest for 1 minute

Daily workouts should include a push-up and chin-up based fundamental exercise. This is critical to successfully negotiating obstacles like walls, monkey bars, rope climbs, cargo nets, burpees and more. You'll need the strenght for obstacle races, zombie runs, spartan, warrior, tough mudder and other races

• 20 close hand push-ups
• 20 sit-ups
• 20 body weight squats
• 20 push-ups with hands shoulder width apart
• 20 sit-ups
• 20 body weight squats
• 20 wide-arm push-ups
• 20 sit-ups
• 20 body weight squats
• Rest

Next is the chin-up routine with various grips. Do as many sets as needed. For example, you might not be able to do a set of 11 chin-ups, so either do as many as you can or break it up into multiple sets of smaller amounts.

• 11 x pull-ups with leg lifts
• Rest
• 11 x chin-ups with leg lifts
• Rest
• 11 x alternate grip chin-ups with leg lifts

Here are some motivating obstacles:

Fun Obstacles from Basic Training Army Physical Readiness

Obstacle Race Training-12/26/12

Run 3 miles or go 25 minutes on the elliptical. Make sure you go hard to burn up those holiday treats you may have indulged a little too much in. Then:

Farmer carry with 2 dumbbells (up to ½ of body weight for 15 yards)

10 burpees

20 x 4 count leg lifts

Farmer carry with 2 dumbbells (up to ½ of body weight for 15 yards)

10 burpees

20 x 4 count scissors kick

Farmer carry with 2 dumbbells (up to ½ of body weight for 15 yards)

10 burpees

20 x 4 count leg spreaders

Stretch for 5 minutes

These exercises can help improve endurance, cardio and strength in preparation for obstacle races like Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, Zombie runs, Moonshine Mud Runs, Dirty Girl and more. They are non-traditional and should break up the rigors of a habitual training program. 

Army Physical Readiness Training

Not exactly a burpee, but so much more from Army Physical Readiness Training

Obstacle Race Training-12/23/12

It’s almost Christmas, so give yourself a present. Rest and relax for a few days and if your neighborhood is festooned with Christmas lights and displays, take advantage and enjoy an excellent backdrop to a nighttime holiday workout.

Try this festive fitness folly to get your jolly heart pumping while enjoying the beauty of your neighbor’s handiwork. Tis the season…

Grab that pre-packed back pack and briskly ruck for a few miles. Wait until dark, don some safety clothing and flashlights and take a brisk walk with a third of your body weight, or at least 30 pounds. Be sure to throw some jogs in there to keep it interesting.

When you get back, you might be a little chilly. So warm up with:

• 3 sets of 5 chin-ups with leg lifts
• 2 sets of 15 push-ups
• 2 sets of 10 triceps dips

Hiking with a Backpack helps improve your core strength.  You never know which obstacles you might encounter so stay tough...Huah!

Obstacle Run Training-12/20/12

Today’s workout is 20 minutes on the elliptical. Be sure to set the resistance level to at least half the maximum to get a work out. The goal is to be able to make at least two miles in the 20 minute time limit.

Keep focus so that you don’t waste time going through the motions. I  like to keep focus by switching my hand grip (my elliptical machine has adjustable grip positions) ever 5 minutes. This facilitates working different arm muscle groups (triceps and biceps) depending on grip.

Once complete move outside for the following workout (modified Spartan Race WOD):

20 burpees with push-ups

20 lunges

20 jumping jacks

20 push-ups

5 pull-ups

5 pull-ups

20 squat jumps

20 yards of single dumbbell farmer carry (left arm)

20 yards of single dumbbell farmer carry (right arm)

Sit-ups for 1 minute

5 chin-ups

That should do it. If you have time and the equipment, try these old school Army physical training obstacles. Huah!

For more Army obstacles see Army Physical Readiness Training