Training for obstacles

People clamouring up ropes while caked head-to-toe in mud, crawling under barbed wire and jumping over logs set on fire, are just some of the photos that have filled my social media feeds this summer.

Obstacle course races and mud runs such as the Spartan Race and Tough Mudder are increasing in popularity. Yet despite the obvious pain and exhaustion, the runners that survive receive a shiny medal at the end, and as they hold it up to their dirt-saturated lips, it makes it all seem worth it.

That’s why I decided to register for the West Country Hearth Attack near Calahoo in September — a six-kilometre race through steep hills, pasture, thick forest and swamp, with 17 obstacles along the way.

I signed up with less than four weeks until race day. I can do it right?

It’s possible if I train smart, says Juan Medrano, personal trainer and owner of Movimento Fitness.

Medrano and his team at Movimento completed the Spartan Sprint in Edmonton at the end of June. Due to a great deal of interest, he organized a training group that met once a week one month prior to the race.

The exercise routine he hands me consists of wall mountain climbers, forearm planks, inverted rows, kettlebell swings and heavy carries.

The moves can be interchanged or modified if you are working out at home or outside. Most of them work on endurance, core development and explosive movement, aspects of conditioning that are necessary to conquer obstacles that aren’t disclosed to participants beforehand.

We start off with a hip stretch then go into wall mountain climbers — hands on a wall and stationary running for one minute. The goal is to stretch your calves, Achilles tendon and hip flexors, says Medrano.

“It gets the cardio going, but also develops endurance in your quads because you’ll be doing a lot of up-hills. “

“If you happen to be training outside, one of the things I recommend is doing uphill walks (or sprints). Sprint up the hill for about 15 seconds, stop walk, breathe for 10 seconds and sprint again,” he says, noting Seven Hills is an excellent place to train locally.

Next up is 30-second intervals of forearm planks to develop core muscles, which I am told I will need for almost everything — burpees, barbed wire crawl and to peel myself off the ground when I undoubtedly faceplant in the mud.

Inverted rows — a reverse bench press using a stationary bar, TRX or long towel looped over a monkey bar — are my favourite, as they strengthen the back, biceps and trapezius muscle.

Medrano spots me as I try out kettlebell swings, which are next on the list.

“Kettlebell swings are awesome for full body development and power,” he says. “When you are going through obstacles you need to have a strong core, a strong back, strong quad muscles so that you can propel yourself forward.”

I couldn’t get the technique down — it’s thrusting your hips, not a squat — so I did about 15 reps with a barbell instead.

We finish off the quick workout with heavy carries (also known as farmer’s walk or weighted carries), the exercise I loathed most as I shuffled around the gym floor for one minute gripping 36 lbs. of kettlebells on each side. Much easier said than done.

“It builds stamina and endurance, which is exactly what you need when you do those races,” says Medrano, adding that the mud makes it worse.

Many of the obstacle course races and mud runs have training plans for participants to follow. They all emphasize strength training (especially the upper body) versus simply running.

As stated in both Men’s Health magazine and Impact magazine, competitors should also refine their pull-ups (find some rings or a monkey bar at a playground), pushups and burpees — as burpees are the default exercise if you can’t complete the obstacle.