www.www.worldexecutivesdigest.com | How to Train for a Spartan Race and Get Totally Fit so You Can Win | You’ve just signed up for a Spartan race but you don’t feel like you’re quite ready to compete. Here’s how to train for a Spartan race and win!
Imagine five million people crowded around, ready to run, crawl, and race through obstacles for a 4-mile marathon. The Spartan obstacle-course race (OCR) brings in more people ready to race every year!
If you want to get off the couch and into shape, this is the race before you. Before you can trek through the 15-plus obstacles, however, you need to challenge your mental and physical limits. Get ready, because you’re about to get muddy and sweaty in the best way!
Keep reading to learn how to train for a Spartan race. With these tips, you can get your blood pumping and heart racing!
Start training with this Spartan race training plan today!
Training Tips
Spartan races are held all over the world, with over 170 races held in 25 countries in 2016 alone. Before these runners come together for a Spartan race, they spend months training their minds and bodies in preparation.
Here are a few Spartan race training tips that can help you improve your endurance, speed, and body strength!
- Endurance Training
The race itself is only three to four miles. With its many obstacles, however, a Spartan race can take anywhere from 45 minutes to over two hours to complete.
Compare that to a normal 5K, which most people can complete under 30 minutes. Now you can see why you’re going to need plenty of endurance for this race.
To prepare yourself physically, start by scheduling at least one long run each week. Then, increase how far and how often you run as you continue training. By the time the Spartan race arrives, you should feel comfortable completing over six hours without feeling too winded.
If you already feel comfortable handling long distances, great!
Take the time you have before race day to prepare yourself for intense terrains. Push your body to its limits and improve your endurance. When race day arrives, you’ll feel strong enough to endure every footstep!
- Sprints and Hills
The Spartan race is designed to make you feel uncomfortable and challenge your physical abilities. When learning how to train for a Spartan race, it’s important to challenge yourself in preparation for those challenges.
Try adapting to training at uncomfortable intensities. Then, increase the intensity a little more each week. Once race day arrives, you’ll feel comfortable and ready to face the unexpected.
Make sure your training is multifaceted.
For example, you should try racing across nasty hills to adapt to the climb. Add hill training into your workout once a week. This training will help you prepare for steep inclines between obstacles during the race.
You can also prepare yourself through sprint or interval workouts. These training sessions will increase your anaerobic threshold.
Sprints will also help you learn how to recover faster between obstacles and hills.
Challenge yourself by testing different durations and speeds for each interval. For longer intervals, decrease your speed. Then, increase your speed for shorter intervals.
Sprint training and learning how to handle hills will help you train for Spartan race day!
- Body Strength Circuits
You’re going to need strong upper and lower body strength, too. In order to prepare yourself, make sure to add total-body strength circuits to your Spartan race training plan.
During a race, you might need that strength to:
- Climb over a wall
- Carry a sandbag uphill
- Complete box jumps
- Climb across monkey bars
- Complete a Herculean hoist
- Crawl under barbed wire
Start adding push-ups, squats, lunges, and pull-ups to your Spartan race training. If you can, take the time to complete your own circuit on a climbing wall or monkey bars, too. See how quickly you can complete these obstacles without faltering.
Then, add a few plyometric exercises to your Spartan race training plan. These exercises will prepare you for any jumps you’ll have to complete.
Once you’ve worked on your endurance, sprints, hills, and body strength training, rest.
Give your body one to two full days each week to recharge. During that time, your body will make necessary adaptations and repairs. Resting will help maximize your results and help you avoid injuries during training.
Preparation Tips
Training for a Spartan race takes a lot of time and dedication. While it might sound like a challenge, it’s definitely possible. Once you have the right Spartan race training plan, consider getting a little extra help to prepare.
For example, you might consider working out on your own. You can also find a gym or trainer to help you prepare. Working with a trainer or another group can help keep training fun while boosting your morale.
The Spartan race website also has preparation guides available. These guides include videos, tips, and suggestions for daily training.
Focus on consistency. Once you make a plan, stick through it. Training a little every day will prepare your mind and body for the big race.
Remember, there’s more involved than only physical preparation. You’ll need to prepare yourself mentally, too. As you learn how to train for a Spartan race, consider learning about the race itself.
What were some of the previous obstacles? What challenges do most first-time racers face? Try speaking to someone who has completed the race before.
You can also check out these Spartan Race Reviews. Mentally preparing yourself will give your self-confidence a boost.
Motivation Tips
Since 2016, Spartan races have seen the number of participants grow by around 300%.
Motivation involves setting a goal, working toward it, and achieving milestones along the way. Your motivation can increase as you set and achieve smaller, more attainable goals. When creating your Spartan race training plan, think about some of the goals you want to achieve.
For example, you might want to finish running one mile, then three, then five. Each time you achieve a milestone, take the chance to celebrate.
Celebrating your smaller victories will keep you on track with your training.
Dedication
You’ll need to keep yourself dedicated to the goals you’re setting as well. When you decide to participate in a Spartan race, you’re already acknowledging the need to put in hard work. Dedication requires the same amount of effort.
You’ll need to dedicate time to train and push through the challenges ahead. You’ll also need to remain on track to achieve your goals and make an effort to improve. Your Spartan race training will require heart a dedication, not luck.
In order to make sure you stay on track, properly manage your time.
Your training and nutrition efforts will likely repeat on time cycles. In order to make yourself better, you’ll need to make time for it. Remember, there’s no time like the present to prepare for the days ahead!
Developing good habits now can keep you motivated and dedicated to achieving your goals.
Try to create a schedule for your training. Separate the different workouts or obstacles on different days. Don’t forget to give yourself a day or two to rest!
Next, make sure to set good habits for yourself. You already have your goals to keep you on track. As you achieve these goals, you need to dedicate yourself to working further ahead.
Good habits will reinforce your dedication to achieving those goals.
One of the first steps to showing your dedication is to sign up for the race. Once you’re committed, you’ll need to work hard and challenge yourself. Put the date of your Spartan race on a calendar and remind yourself of what you’re aiming for.
You might stumble a few times, but that’s okay! Keeping your motivation and dedication up will help you focus on the road ahead.
Push Yourself
Now that you’ve started training, take a look at all the work you’ve done. You’ve accomplished so much, but now it’s time to push yourself a little harder.
As the Spartan racers say, “Spartan up!”
Spartan race training will require you to push yourself to your limits. Push yourself during training. That will make it easier for you to push yourself the day the race comes.
Picture yourself accomplishing your goals. You might imagine yourself beating your best run time or crossing the Spartan race finish line. Either way, envisioning the end result will help you push yourself toward that result.
It’s important you listen to your body. If something feels broken, take the time to mend. There’s a difference between pushing yourself to try harder and pushing past the pain.
Make sure you understand that difference before race day.
Prep Mentally and Physically: How to Train for a Spartan Race
Prepare yourself mentally and physically for race day! With these tips on how to train for a Spartan race, you can get on track toward the finish line. Make sure to keep that motivation at an all-time high!
By dedicating yourself to this goal, you can push the limits you’ve made for yourself.
Searching for more tips? Explore the Health section of our blog today for happier, healthier living.
