What Should You Do To Prepare For A Mud Run?

By Joni Clasen


With every year that passes, the demand for obstacle course racing seems to grow and grow. This year hundreds of obstacle course races will be put on throughout the states and a huge number of people will participate in them. People are drawn in unprecedented levels because it is a fun and exciting way to work towards their exercise goals. So whether you have a few mud runs under your belt or you are just starting out, the next step is to begin your training. But now you may be wondering exactly how to prepare for an event like this.

Mud runs involve running (or if you prefer, walking) a certain distance, while also doing obstacles that are spaced out across the course. So the goal of your training should be to develop the endurance to run the distance of the course and the strength to help you complete any obstacle you come across.

To create a successful workout schedule, you should combine moderate intensity aerobic exercise (running) with high intensity anaerobic exercise (weight lifting). You can alternate each type of workout by the day, or you can put the two together for a very powerful and efficient workout, which is usually known as circuit-training. For example one circuit might consist of the following exercises:

*2 Minutes of Stair-Climbing

*A set of Push-Ups

*Two Minutes of Jogging

*Pull-Ups (As many as you can)

*Stair-Climbing for Two Minutes

*Lunges

*Two Minutes of Stair-Climbing

You would then take a quick break and repeat the same circuit or do another circuit that uses different exercises.

No matter how you decide to balance aerobic and anaerobic exercise, you need to hit your strength-training with an intense effort. You will only get stronger when you your body thinks that the workout was more difficult than what your muscles were able to do easily. When you give your muscles an intense workout, your body will go to work reinforcing your muscles so that when you do the workout again, it will not be as difficult.

Everybody always asks how long you should spend getting in shape for a 5k run. The answer will be different for everybody based on their hopes for the race and their current condition. If you have a very basic level of conditioning, start preparing for the race at least eight weeks ahead of time. No matter what, the more effort you put into your training, the more competitive you will be and the more you will benefit from participating in a mud run.




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