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.

If you are already familiar with the format of a mud run, you probably know that it involves a running course with obstacles mixed in. So your body needs to be prepared to keep up a pace at moderate intensity as you run through the course and then produce a quick burst of energy to conquer an obstacle, such as going up and over a wall or carrying a sand bag for a certain distance.

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:

*Two Minute Run

*A set of Push-Ups

*Two Minutes of Stair-Climbing

*Pull-Ups (As many as you can)

*Run for Two Minutes

*Lunges

*Two Minutes of Jogging

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

Regardless of how you split up your workouts, when you do your strength-building activities, you have to put forth your maximum effort. You cannot get stronger if your body thinks that it was perfectly capable of handling the workout. What triggers growth is when you push your muscles farther than they want to be pushed.

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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