Obstacle Course Racing 101: How to Get Fit, Have Fun, and Succeed in Mud Runs From A to Z
By HowExpert
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About this ebook
Whether you are looking to prepare for your first Mud Run/Obstacle Course Race (OCR), or you simply want to improve your skills so that you can compete on a more serious level, the information in this book will help you do just that. You’ll discover the main parts of every mud run that you should specifically train for and a list of recommended workouts that will transform you into a successful racer and competitor. Not only will you learn about the various types of obstacles that are common on most courses but you’ll learn the tricks to mastering them so you can quickly move on to your next challenge.
Included are training tips and workouts the author recommends for improving your endurance, strength and hand grip strength. Additionally, read about a vital mental training exercise that she personally practices regularly that will convert you into a solid OCR beast, both mentally and physically. Throughout the book, you’ll be entertained with stories about the author’s learning process along the way to the World Championships- the Do’s and Don’ts that she learned the hard way.
Learn what and what not to do with how to dress, train, eat and compete. Becoming proficient in obstacle racing for fun or for sport isn’t hard, it just takes practice and anyone can do it!
HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on unique topics by everyday experts.
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Obstacle Course Racing 101 - HowExpert
Obstacle Course Racing 101
How to Get Fit, Have Fun, and Succeed in Mud Runs From A to Z
HowExpert with Nikki Hart
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Table of Contents
Recommended Resources
Introduction to Obstacle Course Racing (OCR)
History of OCR
Getting started
Chapter 1: Mental Training
Applying this technique to OCR
Applying this technique to everyday life
A quick mental note…
Summary
Chapter 2: Endurance Training Tips
Long Runs- 1 day per week
suggested workouts
Short Runs- 2-3 days per week
A. Intervals
Suggested workouts
B. Hills- add to one of your shorter runs
Suggested workouts
C. Speed work- add only when cardio base is established!
Suggested workouts
D. HIIT- 1-2 days per week
Suggested workouts
More exercises to pick from
Chapter 3: Grip strength Training Tips
A. Fingertips
Suggested workouts
B. Forearm
Suggested workouts
Summary
Chapter 4: Weighted-Carry Training Tips
Suggested workouts (do these on a hill whenever possible)
Summary
Chapter 5: Climbing Training Tips
Suggested workouts
Suggested workouts
Summary
Chapter 6: Navigating the Obstacles
‘A’ Frame
Balance Beam/Logs
Cargo Net Climb
Crawls
Electric Shock
Fire Jumps
Gauntlets
Hills
Hoist
Hurdles
Ice Water Plunge
Jumps
Dragon’s Back
Monkey bars
Hand to hand technique
Orangutans technique
Bent arm technique-
Mud Pit(s)
Pulls/ Drags /Sleds
Rigs
Rings
Monkey swing- one hand at a time
Ladder- Rope, Metal or Chain
Ropes
Side J Hook
S Wrap
Front J Hook
Slide
Spear Throws
Take-away-tips:
Swim
Tires
Tire Flip
tip
Tire Climb
Tunnel/ Tube Crawl
Twisters
Sideways Technique
Forward Technique
Backward Technique
Tyrolean Traverse
Over the Top
Upside Down Drag
Upside Down Monkey
Walls- incline, inverted, vertical, traverse, over-under-thru
Incline walls
Inverted Walls
Vertical walls
Traverse Wall
Weighted Carries
Zip Lines
Summary
Chapter 7: What You Should Know Prior To Race Day
Attire
Shoes
Clothing
Compression sleeves
Gators- avoiding rocks in your shoes
Gloves
Fuel
Take care of your hands and feet!
Hands
Hands during a race
Forearms
Feet
Water
Summary
Chapter 8: Take Action
Conclusion
About the expert
Recommended Resources
Introduction to Obstacle Course Racing (OCR)
History of OCR
Obstacle Course Racing (OCR), aka mud runs, officially started as a sport in 776 B.C. with the Pentathlon in the Ancient Olympic Games. This consisted of the stadion (a 200 yd sprint), javelin, discus, long jump and ended with wrestling. It has since transformed into today’s contemporary OCR. The first true mud run is believed to have been The Tough Guy Challenge in 1987, which is still held on the same 600-acre farm in Perton, Staffordshire, England. Due to the severe difficulty of this race, no one has ever completed it in its entirety, or so the rumor has it.
Since then, OCRs, have boomed in popularity attracting over 20 million participants globally. People of all levels of fitness are enjoying the wide variety of challenges offered at the events. This is a sport in which a runner or team of runners must overcome various challenges on a course consisting of running, climbing, throwing, jumping, crawling, hanging, swinging and balancing on obstacles. Each event will bring its own flare and set of challenges to the race, but the three elements that are similar in all of them are the mud, the running and the camaraderie.
Unless the event is a National or World Championship, many people stick around the obstacles to help their fellow racers accomplish the challenge too. Often times, such as the Tough Mudders, an obstacle is designed specifically to be accomplished as a team and is impossible to do alone. More often than not, the person helping you is someone you don’t even know. While running my first mud run, which was a Spartan Super, I was overwhelmed with so many aspects of the race. I was blown away with how challenging, though fun, the obstacles were, but mostly, I was awestruck with the camaraderie among the runners. I had only ever run races where the other runners were my adversaries. However, in the case of mud runs, it’s literally you against the course.
The distance of the races varies from 3 to 100 miles. The longer the race, the more obstacles will be included on the course. Some races, like Spartan®, will have a penalty if you are unable to successfully complete an obstacle. However, the majority of the races