6-Week Obstacle Race Training Plan By Pete Williams

Obstable Race Training Plan

Have you recently run through a finish line caked in mud from head to toe? If so, you’re not alone. More than 2 million people(!) completed an obstacle race last year, a number that is only expected to increase by the end of 2013.

“Experience is the new luxury good,” says Will Dean, founder of the Tough Mudder series. “This is what people want to brag about on Facebook.” Social media has been a major driver for sure. Who wouldn’t want to post photos of themselves crawling under barbed wire, getting zapped by electrical cords, leaping from 12-foot platforms or climbing cargo nets?

If you’ve never answered the call of the mud, fear not. Although it might seem uber-intimidating to power full speed over miles of ditches and hills, the dirty little secret of these races is that many participants walk the majority of the course.

There’s no shame in walking between obstacles—or even around the scary ones—but you’ll feel best if you’re ready to conquer the event. And we have just the plan to get you there.

Follow this six-week program of integrated workouts that combine running with movements that mimic the challenges and rhythms of an obstacle race. This way, you’ll be prepared to leap over walls, move quickly while carrying logs or buckets of gravel, and wiggle effortlessly through claustrophobic-inducing tubes and freshly dug tunnels. Now go get dirty, girl!

Training Guidelines

Have you recently run through a finish line caked in mud from head to toe? If so, you’re not alone. More than 2 million people(!) completed an obstacle race last year, a number that is only expected to increase by the end of 2013.

“Experience is the new luxury good,” says Will Dean, founder of the Tough Mudder series. “This is what people want to brag about on Facebook.” Social media has been a major driver for sure. Who wouldn’t want to post photos of themselves crawling under barbed wire, getting zapped by electrical cords, leaping from 12-foot platforms or climbing cargo nets?

If you’ve never answered the call of the mud, fear not. Although it might seem uber-intimidating to power full speed over miles of ditches and hills, the dirty little secret of these races is that many participants walk the majority of the course.

There’s no shame in walking between obstacles—or even around the scary ones—but you’ll feel best if you’re ready to conquer the event. And we have just the plan to get you there.

Follow this six-week program of integrated workouts that combine running with movements that mimic the challenges and rhythms of an obstacle race. This way, you’ll be prepared to leap over walls, move quickly while carrying logs or buckets of gravel, and wiggle effortlessly through claustrophobic-inducing tubes and freshly dug tunnels. Now go get dirty, girl!

Training Key

Active Rest (AR): This is an off day, so there’s no formal workout. But if you have time, consider spending 15 minutes in motion on a foam roller or playing your favorite sport.

Interval Run (IV): This speed workout will have you alternating between fast running and walking or slow jogging. A 3-3-2-2-3, for instance, consists of 3 minutes of running at 80-percent effort, followed by 3 minutes of walking, 2 minutes of running, etc.

Obstacle Run (OR): This race-simulation workout will break up a run by mimicking an obstacle every half mile.

Park Bench Routine (PBR): Find a bench (outside, or in the gym if necessary) for this workout, which will have you alternating between sets of pushups and dips, both performed while leaning on the bottom of the bench. If the workout reads “10- 8-6-4,” do a set of 10 of each, a set of 8 of each, etc.

Park/Beach/Playground (PBP): This workout is best performed at a park, beach or playground where you have pull-up bars, park benches, monkey bars and the ability to run on grass or sand.