There are “mud runs” popping up across the USA. The Ruckus Run, the Rugged Maniac, the Warrior Dash and the Tough Mudder are just a few that are in the KC metro. My advice is to grab some friends and sign up for some mud and fun.
For those of us out there that may get bored or quite frankly aren’t very good at running a 5K, 10K, or half-marathon, we have found something right up our alley. The question now is; how do I get ready to compete in one of these races?
Two rules to remember:
Rule #1-Have Fun
Rule #2-Have fun with your training plan.
The great thing about these new races is they include a variety of obstacles that you will have to overcome to finish the race. These races also stress your body in a number of different ways. They will tax your Aerobic System (with Oxygen), your Anaerobic system (without Oxygen), they will tax your musculoskeletal system with your body needing both muscular endurance, maximal strength, and power to push through the running, crawling, climbing, swimming that is needed to finish the race.
Three of our KCBJ staff members and Trainer Chad before the Warrior Dash two years ago
When designing a training program to follow, it is important your workouts mimic closely the stresses that will be placed on your body throughout the race. Remember these races are the ultimate in interval training. One minute you are running, the next minute you are crawling through mud, next you are climbing over hay bales, and then running again.
When designing my training plan to prepare for the Ruckus Run this year, I sat down and brainstormed with one of my fellow trainers with what we thought was the best approach to take. Each strength training workout was designed to keep me moving for 45-60 minutes straight without rest. We incorporated a combination of resistance training exercises with intervals of various modes of cardiovascular training. The exercises selected, we believed would help train the specific muscle groups that would be utilized most during the race. Examples of exercises included: Walking Lunges, Pull-ups, Power Cleans, Hanging Knee Raises, Squat to Shoulder Press, etc… The cardio intervals included: running, stationary bike, jump rope, and the stairmill machine.
Each week we would change the variables of the program to prevent plateauing. These training variables include: Repetitions, Sets, Tempo, Interval Duration, and Resistance. By progressing weekly while leading up to the race, the body was continually adapting to the stress put on it.
Two of the KCBJ girls climbing through the mud
By race time, I felt like I was in the best possible physical condition I could be to compete and improve my time over the previous two years. During the training program we made sure to include a taper week leading up to the race to allow my body to recover and be ready to give maximal effort for the race.
While most people are not as crazy as I was about training for the race, the number one thing was I enjoyed my training plan leading up the event. It was a different plan than anything I had ever followed before. Not only did I accomplish a personal best time, but I also lost 10 pounds and decreased my BodyFat % by 3% during the 12 weeks of training.
I have put together a sample workout for you to try as well as a short instructional video demonstrating the exercises. Perform these exercises in a circuit style fashion, moving from exercise to exercise with little rest in between. With each exercise there may be a need to progress or regress the exercise depending on ability level As with all new workouts, please check with your physician before starting a new form of exercise.
Good luck to those of you who are preparing for your first mud run out there. You will have a blast!
Guest Blog Author: Chad Roberts, M.S, NSCA/CSCS, NESTA-PT
Master Trainer at 24 hour Fitness
Sample Workout:
- Jog Interval 2-4 minutes
- Dumbbell Squat to Shoulder Press x 15
- Pull-ups x 15
- Stability Ball or BOSU ball Crunch x 20
- Jog Interval 2-4 minutes
- Box Jumps x 10
- BOSU push-ups x 15
- Hanging Knee Raise x 15
- Jog Interval 2-4 minutes
- Walking Lunges x 15
- Med Ball Power Slam x 15
- Seated Med Ball Twists x 30
These exercises are also available for you to print off to be able to refer to for your workout. Click here for a downloadable PDF of the exercises.