Training for Tough Mudder, weeks 1-2.
I did my first Tough Mudder last year and within an hour of finishing it, I’d booked my second. It’s a tough physical and mental challenge but has incredibly social feel to it, from the festival like stalls out front to the team spirit cemented through the race.
But it does require a bit of preparation; you can’t just turn up and ease your way though a half marathon length obstacle course. So over the next 16 weeks I’m going to go through my training for Tough Mudder and the specialisation I go through to be race ready.
So I keep myself in good general fitness, but 16 weeks out is when I begin to train specifically for the race, preparing directly for the challenges of the race.
My workout is split into two strength workouts, two endurance workouts and one long run with my week looking like this:
Mon - Sun: Strength, Endurance, REST, Strength, Endurance, REST, Long Run
So let’s look into the strength training:
Week 1 & 2
Primary - Front Squat, Pull ups, Shoulder Press
Accessory - DB Bench Press, Back Row, Knee Raises
The workout is split into 3 primary movements and 3 accessory movements, the Primary movements are exercises that relate directly to the obstacles that you would face. I’ll go into my choices in more detail in later articles.
Accessory exercises help balance out the workout, and provide extra training to muscle groups that would support your primary movements.
As a rule, I always do 5 sets of a primary exercise and at this point you should always feel like you should be able to do 1 to 2 more reps at the end of a set. This will change as we go though the season, working towards peak strength.
Want to read more?
Find the full article at www.getfitptblog.wordpress.com, which include run times and the endurance workout to prepare for tough mudder!
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