I took part in my first Tough Mudder event knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. I had trained and prepared myself as much as possible and I was ready to have a fun day of teamwork and getting dirty. What I didn’t know or prepare for was what that the weather was going to turn on us—drastically! The sun went away, the rain came, the wind began to blow, and then finally it started snowing on us. At one point I was so cold that when I jumped into the icy water, in the obstacle known as the Arctic Enema, I didn’t really notice any temperature difference at all.
Our teeth were chattering but we were still smiling, laughing, and high-fiving like crazy - so it couldn't have been all bad.
Many times during that event I wished that I was on the set of American Ninja Warrior obstacle TV show, where everyone seems warm and (mostly) dry. Despite the fact that our teeth were chattering down at the finish line while we were getting cleaned up by hosing ourselves down, we were still smiling, laughing, and high-fiving like crazy—so it couldn't have been all bad.
What is an Obstacle Course Race?
Obstacle course races (or OCR for short)—like the Spartan, Tough Mudder, and Warrior Dash—have been sweeping the nation for a few years now. From 20,000 participants in its 2010 debut year, the Tough Mudder alone has had 2 million participants to date. There are more than 60 Spartan races every year in the USA alone, and if you have heard the ads on this podcast, you will know that they boast five million people in their obstacle loving community.
Obstacle racing, in a nutshell, is an event where you must overcome various physical challenges between which you make forward progress on foot. The physical challenges (or obstacles) include climbing over walls, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water, crawling under barbed wire, jumping through fire, and more. Since the creation of these races is rooted in the military, it’s no surprise that many obstacles are similar to those you see in Army movies where the hero is going through basic training (and either failing hilariously or succeeding heartwarmingly). But over the years the obstacles have become more and more unique, and they now pretty much all test endurance, strength, speed, mobility, grit, and mental toughness.
The OCR races vary in distance and difficulty level, combining trail running, road running, and cross country running in distances ranging from 1-mile arena sprint events to 26.2+ mile “death races”! Some of them are staged in the middle of a nice flat field, while others (like the one I did) take place on an out-of-season ski hill.
Where ever or whoever was first to come up with the idea, I am pretty sure every kid in history has set up some sort of obstacle course in their backyard.
OCR is still a relatively new sport and word has it that the U.K.’s Tough Guy race was first created in the 1980s, as was the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in San Diego. But these events didn’t really take off in North America until around 2010. Some say that the roots of these races go as far back as the Ancient Olympic Pentathlon, which included five events consisting of a short running race, Javelin throw, Discus throw, Long jump, and finishing with a wrestling match.
Whereever it originated and whoever was first to come up with the idea, I am pretty sure every kid in history has set up some sort of obstacle course in their backyard and ran themselves and their friends through it. And if the popularity of these races is any indication, we are all still just big kids playing in the mud and climbing the neighbor’s fence.
The Obstacle Events
Let’s start with the race that I did back on that snowy day in September. (Yes, I live in Canada). Tough Mudders are not really races per se because there is no timer. It is instead a non-competitive challenge where teamwork is encouraged and often required. For me, there was no way I was going to be able to pull myself up the wall of mud in front of me, without a boost from the bottom and a hand from the top. And of course, I took my turn boosting and pulling, when the time came.
On the other end of the spectrum, Spartan races are more about competition than teamwork. There is a timer and unless you brought along some helpful and non-competitive friends, you are on your own. They also pride themselves on the spartan-esque “no frills” obstacles that look as though you could have purchased them at the local hardware store.
Warrior Dash, on the other hand, is apparently simply an active excuse to party. Finishers get fuzzy warrior hats and are greeted with greasy turkey legs and beer in the finisher's area. Along with the awards for speed, there is also an award for the craziest costume.
The Obstacle TV Shows
American Ninja Warrior is actually based on a show called "Sasuke," from the Tokyo Broadcasting System which is currently in its 35th season.
If you are watching TV at odd hours of the day, you may have seen American Ninja Warrior on TV. That show is actually based on the wacky show called "Sasuke," from the Tokyo Broadcasting System. Sasuke is currently in its 35th season in Japan which makes it nearly as old as the Tough Guy race in the UK. While the Japanese version is whimsical and almost brutal in its humor, the American Ninja Warrior takes itself a little more seriously and adds elements of drama rather than humiliation.
The Ultimate Beastmaster (on Netflix) is similar to Ninja Warrior (and Sasuke) in many ways. The biggest difference is that the course is an impressive structure that is designed like the insides of an enormous beast. The dinosaur-like design takes it so far that the obstacles are actually called the Digestive Tract and Spinal Descent. Contestants enter through the mouth of the beast, and well, you can guess the rest. One of the hosts, former NFL football player turned actor Terry Crews, loves to remind the audience of this beastly resemblance with his bloody catchphrase.
The biggest difference between these shows and the events that you and I can participate in is the lack of running between obstacles. I would guess that it has to do with camera angles and duration of the show. If a camera had been following me for the 2+ hours I was out running around the ski hill looking miserable in my first Tough Mudder event, the audience would have turned off the TV and the show would have been canceled before I crossed the finish line. So it makes sense that the TV versions are set up the way that they are. That being said, CBS did cover the Spartan World Championships in Lake Tahoe in 2017, so who knows what the future holds for televising these events.
Obstacle Fitness
In my article and podcast called What Does the Word "Fitness" Really Mean?, I outlined what I think are the most important parts of fitness. And no, six pack abs and a thigh gap are not listed. Interestingly though, many of the components that make a well-rounded and fit human are involved in obstacle course success.
Components such as being able to:
- Carry a heavy load of groceries, a child, or supplies home,
- Get around our office building or apartment without the need for elevators,
- Stay on our feet for an entire workday without the need to sit down,
- Move large pieces of furniture to clean behind,
- Walk, run, or cycle to our workplace or perform errands,
- And (as strange as it sounds) squat or sit on the ground without the need for a pillow or lumbar support.
I don’t want to go all ‘survivalist weirdo who lives in a bunker’ on you, but to recap some of my points from that earlier article, let me ask you this: if a particularly un-cute dog was chasing you, would you be able to lift your own bodyweight over a fence to avoid getting your shoes nibbled? If your home was on fire, would you be able to lower yourself off of your balcony or roof to safety? If your car broke down in the middle of nowhere (with no cell service), how far could you powerwalk to get help? Not to mention the all-important question: in a zombie apocalypse, could you outrun one of those fast moving Zombies from the movie "28 Days Later"? These are all skills that you would develop if you trained for an obstacle course race.
Training for Obstacle Course Races
Here are five examples of workouts that will get you ready for an obstacle race and also whip you into the kind of fitness I was just outlining.
#1: Glute Burner
A simple workout that requires only you and your buns of steel.
- 200M walking lunges
- Run max distance for 5 minutes
- 200M walking lunges
- Run max distance for 4 minutes
- 200M walking lunges
- Run max distance for 3 minutes
- 200M walking lunges
- Run max distance 2 minutes
- 200M walking lunges
- Max distance run for 1 minute
#2: Battle Lungs and Legs
All you need is one set of dumbbells or Kettlebells for this lung buster.
Do 3-5 rounds for time (as fast as you can with good form) of:
- 50 leg levers
- 40 mountain climbers
- 30 burpees
- 20 kettlebell or dumbbell swings
- 10 dumbbell manmakers (40lb men/25lb women)
#3: The Running Bear
To do a Bear Complex, you will need a barbell. Do these exercises in this order, back to back. Power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, and second push press. Completion of the five lifts equals one rep.
- Do 10 Bear Complex using a challenging weight. Then run 1 Mile.
- Do 8 Bear Complex, followed by running 800M.
- 6 Bear Complex, followed by running 400M.
- 4 Bear Complex followed by 200M
- A final 2 Bear Complex.
#4: Heavy Stuff Stairs
All you need is something heavy and a flight of stairs.
- Find a staircase, 3-5 flights.
- At bottom of stairs, do 5-10 clean and jerks with your heavy item (sandbag, heavy backpack, or dumbbells)
- Carry the heavy item to the top of stairs. Carry it back downstairs.
- Set the heavy thing down and hold the plank position for 60 seconds.
- Repeat for as many rounds as you can.
#5: Living Room Beast
You only need a chair and something to jump onto for this one. Do as many rounds as possible of:
- 10 lunge jumps per side
- 15 burpees
- 20 box jumps onto the couch
- 25 chair dips
- 30 jumping jacks
- Finish with a 2-5 minute cold shower (remember that arctic enema I mentioned earlier?)
If you are a marathon runner, triathlete, or a yoga enthusiast, these workouts may seem like the machinations of a madman. But if you give them a try, just a few times per week, you will enjoy the increase in stress resilience, increase in lung capacity, increase in lactic acid threshold, and many other important increases in physiological parameters. Keep these up for a while and next thing you know you will be the one causing Terry Crews to say those dreaded of all words: “into the blood!” as you make your way through the Ultimate Beastmaster.
For more obstacle info, beastly tips, and to join the Spartan conversation, head over to Facebook.com/GetFitGuy or twitter.com/getfitguy. Also don't forget to subscribe to the Get-Fit Guy podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Play or via RSS.
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