Here’s what you need to know…
- Tough Mudders are fun, challenging and a great way to motivate yourself to train harder in the gym and lose a few pounds in the process.
- Combine interval training with low intensity, steady state cardio to build the requisite fitness that you’ll need to run the 12-mile course.
- Getting good at Chins, Dips, Rows, and Deadlifts will ensure that you’re strong enough to climb over obstacles and help others do the same.
- Uneven, slippery and muddy terrain can increase the risk of injury. Protect your joints from sprains and dislocations with stability exercises such as Squats, Lunges, and Presses.
Specificity is a key concept in training program design and it simply means that what you do in the gym should be relevant and appropriate to your desired outcome in competition. It’s a principle that all athletes apply to their training and training for a Tough Mudder should be no different. Your training should be specific to the task at hand and in this case, that means developing the level of fitness necessary to finish the race and make it through all of the obstacles that you’ll encounter on along the way. To do this, you will need both strength and stamina, qualities that are easily attained using the right approach. In this article, I’m going to give a general overview of the specific types of training you should be doing to meet the unique demands of a Tough Mudder race.
1. Running
One of the big misconceptions people have about Tough Mudders is the amount of running that you will actually be doing over the course of the event. When people hear that the course is 12 miles long, they tend to assume that they have to run the entire distance at race pace and are immediately put off by the prospect of doing so. Mud, hills, queues for obstacles and the likelihood that you will be participating in the event as part of a team mean that you will be doing significantly less running than you are anticipating. The running you will be doing will be broken up into roughly half-mile intervals and you’re only going to be going as fast as the slowest person in your group. Despite this, it’s still a good idea to try and attain a decent level of fitness so that you can get more out of the event. For absolute novices, Couch to 5K is a great program that will help you build up a basic level of fitness in around 8 weeks. Once you’ve completed that, or if you’re already fit enough, you can look at more advanced programs that increase the overall distance that you run and the speed at which you run them.
2. Strength Training
Not only is Tough Mudder a 12-mile cross country run, it’s also an obstacle course which features up to 24 different obstacles which you will need to overcome in order to successfully complete the race. The nature of these obstacles varies. Some you have to crawl under, some you must climb over and others, you simply have to just get through! Following a basic strength training program that focuses on achieving linear progression in the basic barbell exercises will ensure that your well equipped to deal with any such obstacles. Incorporating Chins and Dips into your routine to increase your upper body strength wouldn’t go amiss either. You’re going to need to be able to climb over walls, pull yourself up over ledges and hang on to rings suspended over ice cold muddy water. There will also undoubtedly be members of your team, or other participants in the race, that aren’t strong enough to get over some of the obstacles. Being good at Squats and Deadlifts will ensure you’re able to boost them over walls and mounds without getting injured yourself.
3. Injury Prevention
Tough Mudder is well known for producing all manner of injuries many of which, such as cuts and bruises, can’t really be prevented with any kind of training. There are however some injuries, such as sprains and dislocations, that we can reduce the risk of occurring with a well-designed strength training program. Squats, Deadlifts, and Presses are all great exercises for not only strengthening muscles but also bones, ligaments and tendons as well. The stronger these tissues are, the abler they are to withstand different forms of impact – something that’s particularly important in a race where you’ll be running, jumping and landing on slippery, uneven surfaces. If you’re following a program such as the one described above, that should be more than sufficient to help prevent injury. However, if you’re suffering from previous injuries or weak in certain area’s it would be worth thinking about performing some assistance work to bring up weak points and address any imbalances. Hip Thrusters, Lunges, and Single Arm Rows are all great exercises for bringing up weak points and I would also recommend learning how to land properly after jumping from heights – it’s something you’ll be doing a lot of. Whilst it’s impossible to prevent injury completely, following a basic strength training routine will help protect your bones, muscles, and joints from injury.
Closing
Combined with a reduced calorie diet and plenty of protein, this kind of training regimen will do wonders for your physical health and appearance. You’ll build some appreciable muscle mass, burn off unwanted body fat and reduce the risk of contracting obesity-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Having a goal to aim for and a deadline within which to achieve it can be a powerful motivator and I can imagine the fear of running a Tough Mudder has inspired many a man and woman to get in shape. Give yourself plenty of time leading up to the event, follow the advice I’ve outlined above and you’ll be able to walk into the event confident that you can handle anything that ‘probably the toughest event on earth’ can throw at you!