How do you train for a mud run?

here_I_go_again

there is a mud run in the beginning of september that i would like to participate in, how do you train for one? i dont run, or even jog. I walk for my exercise. Any suggestions or advice? btw I'm 49 and weigh 148 right now. Any help would be appreciated. thank you

here_I_go_again

Nobody out there knows how I can train for a mud run?

xxthoroughbred

Couch to 5k should help you with the distance.

If this mud run is one that contains all those obstacles, you could also start doing some strength training to help.

2143661

Couch to 5k should help you with the distance.

If this mud run is one that contains all those obstacles, you could also start doing some strength training to help.

this! I did a mud run this past may and I had a blast. Don't sweat it, people will help you through it. No one will be left behind. I can't wait to do another one!

KINGoftheBUFF

Kettle Bell Training for the strength and anaerobic endurance, while couch to 5 k may be a good idea to start your running.

Bethie_B

I'm currently training for my first mud run also. I'm significantly heavier than you, but I've been doing C25K and strength training since February. The most important thing is to prepare for fun! Which one are you doing?

willia123

I'm doing one on august 4...just plan on continuing with my normal stuff which is yoga and swimming 5 days a week. Its stress-free fun, you can take "detours" if you aren't comfortable with the obstacle in front of you. Have fun!

Bumdrahp

I am thinking of doing the Spartan Race in August.. it actually lands on my birthday, so it would be a huge bday achievement for me. I TOO, need tot rain for one, I have NO upper body strength, all my work outs seem to my my lower half ( zumba, running/walking, biking) and I'm still not good with running, im getting there.. any suggestions for myself and the OP would be SOOOOO appreciated!!

canroadrunner

I just did one on Sunday. I was one of the oldest people on the course. If you don't care about time, you can walk the entire way without a problem. I did. I concentrated on training for the obstacles and getting my strength up. I went around to parks in my area and climbed over all the equipment to get used to pulling myself up. I crawled around on my belly on football fields. And most importantly, climb hills. The first 3 km of my race was just hills.

LeenaRuns

Congrats! I'm doing a Fugative Mud Run in July and a Rugged Maniac in September. I've been running 4-5x/week (I'm also training for a half marathon in November), weights 2-3x/week, and HIIT 3x/week.

kd_mazur

I agree with couch to 5k or check out the book "run your butt off" These programs will help you go from walking to running if you want but will help build your endurance. (You are going to need it lol)
I incorporated some circut training too to help with the obstacles. Here is one of the circuts I used to train for warrior dash and tough mudder.

The tough mudder workout:
Exercise 1 - Running Man
To get yourself in peak cardio condition, you can either:
1) Get on a treadmill. Start jogging at a slow comfortable pace for the first 5 minutes, then increase the speed to a full sprint for a full minute before reducing the speed back down to a jog for a minute or two. Alternate between jogging and sprinting for 35 minutes. Build up to 1 hr.
2) Free run. As you head outside for a jog, choose a point or landmark in the distance that’s reasonably far and sprint to it. Do this 10 or so times throughout the course of your run, paying attention to mixing in jogging and sprinting equally. Again, build up to running 3-4 times a week and increasing your distance gradually until you can comfortably run 5+ miles.
Related Obstacle: The Braveheart Charge (& all of Tough Mudder)

Exercise 2 - TM PUSH-UP
Start out in a regular pushup position with two dumb bells in each hand. As you push your body upwards, rotate your torso at peak height and bring your right hand up behind you so that your hands are in a vertical line. Lower the weight so that you are once again in push up position. Do a push up, repeating with your left hand.
Related Obstacle: Boa Constrictor

Exercise 3 - THE FIST AND THE FURY
Grab a dumbbell, kettle bell, or anything heavy with a handle, in one hand and let it hang in front of you. Lower the weight below your hips and let it swing between your knees and legs. Try to keep your core sturdy and straight, explode
upwards and swing the weight up to about eye level in a fully upright position. With control, do this as many times as you can, spending about 45 seconds on each arm.
Related Obstacle: Berlin Walls

Exercise 4 - SCISSOR KICK
From a regular standing position, take one big step forward and lower yourself into a forward stepping lunge. This is the start position. From there, explode off the ground, getting enough air under you to scissor kick your legs and land with your opposite leg forward and ready to crouch down to the lunge position. Keep doing this, alternating your legs on each jump/repetition for 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Fire Walker

Exercise 5 - BACK ROW
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettle bells and bend over, holding them in each hand, making sure your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your core steady and pull the weights in a controlled manner up to your chest, hold at the top for the rep, pause, and repeat.
Related Obstacle: Hold Your Wood
Exercise 6 - DUMBBELL SIDE LUNGE

Grab your dumbbells and let them hang by your sides. Take a lateral step with your right leg, completely straightening your left leg. From there, bend forward at your hips, and touch the dumbbells to the floor by your right foot. Push off your right leg and make the same lateral lunge on your left leg. That's one rep.
Related Obstacle: Swamp Stomp
Exercise 7 - PUSH UP plus ROW

Grab two dumbbells and assume a pushup position, with your arms straight. Perform a regular pushup, but as you fully extend your arms at the height of the push up, take one dumbbell and bring it all the way to the side of your chest. Lower your arm and descend back ot the start position. Repeat with the other arm. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Devil’s Beard
Exercise 8 - LUNGE & TWIST

Grab a heavy object and clutch it tight to the middle of your chest as you stand with feet shoulder length apart. Take a step forward as you would with a normal lunge, but as you lower your body with the weight, twist your torso to the right, pause, and return to a full upright position. Do the same with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Sweati Yeti
Exercise 9 - SHOULDER PRESS

Grab some dumbbells or small kettle bells in each hand and spread your feet shoulder length apart as you would for a squat. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders as if you were doing a shoulder press. Lower yourself as you keep the
weights cocked at the shoulder, as you explode upward from the squat position, push the weights up and above your head.
Related Obstacle: Cliffhanger
Exercise 10 - DECLINE PUSH UP

Simple, quick, and easy. Get into a normal pushup position, but put your feet on top of an elevated park bench or box, arms extended out in front of you so that your body is perfectly parallel to the floor above the ground. Begin to do as many pushups as you can in the next 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Kiss of Mud

Exercise 11 - Quick Feet
Staying in the pushup position, rapidly bring each knee towards your chest, as if you were sprinting in place or pedaling a ridiculously small bike.
Related Obstacle: The *kitten*

Exercise 12 - Tough Chin Up
Just like your old man used to do, hang from a bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and pull yourself up – be sure to try and touch your chest to the bar, or get as close as you can. This will get progressively harder as the set wears on. Remember to do as many as you can for the full 60 seconds. Even if you have to take a slight break, be sure to finish the set.
Related Obstacle: Underwater Tunnels

Exercise 13 - Superman Plank
Get back into the pushup position you’ve grown accustomed to, placing your forearms on the ground and keeping your core – abs and hips – tight as possible. Hold this position for a full 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Greased Lightning

Exercise 14 - Drunk Superman Side Planks
Get on your side and hold yourself up by left forearm, creating a half triangle between your lats, forearm, and ground. Like a regular plank, keep your core tight – flex if you have to – and hold the
Related Obstacle – Walk the Plank

Exercise 15 - Angelina Jolie
Get in between two chairs, bars, or if at a gym, a dip machine. Grab each bar or handle with each arm and lower yourself slowly and with control, as you push up with your arms try to explode up, lifting yourself completely off. Be sure to start out slowly until you get used to jumping off and regaining control of the bars.
Related Obstacle: Ball Shrinker

Exercise 16 - THE TOUGH SQUAT
Take a dumbbell, kettle bell, or large stone, anything you can find, and hold it in front of your chest. Stick your hips out behind you, bend your knees, and lower yourself until you’re in a full squat position. Pause for a second for the burn to really set in and then push back to the start position.
Related Obstacle: Death March

This is not my original workout plan. It was found on toughmudder.com

dperich1968

there is a mud run in the beginning of september that i would like to participate in, how do you train for one? i dont run, or even jog. I walk for my exercise. Any suggestions or advice? btw I'm 49 and weigh 148 right now. Any help would be appreciated. thank you

My first race was a mud run and that is what motivated me to boost up my workouts. I started with the C25K and have built from there. I also added some simple push ups everyday. Luckily, I have always been pretty athletic and the obstacles didn't worry me, well the crossbars did, but I decided to just deal with them when I got to them at the race.

You will see every shape of person at the mud run and I know individuals that never ever trained to do the run. They were there just for the fun.

Anyway, the running was the key. I didn't care how fast I was, I just want to be able to run/jog the event. I ended up having a great time, was a covered in mud, did the crossbars like I was still a kid, and look forward to my next one.

Good Luck and you can do this!!

johnsd8

OMG a mud run sounds awesome!! I need to see if I can find one in the UK, we have enought bl00dy rain to generate the mud

If I can't find one I might just hose down the garden and throw myself around a bit

D
x

AmyLRed

I did one on May. I did a variety of fitness classes and running as my training, but it wasnt anything formal.

Check out this link for some help too:

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/mud-run-training

Or look up tough mudder, spartan sprint, etc and some of those bigger name races have training plans on their websites

danipals

Good for you!! I just completed the Warrior Dash--Illinois two weeks ago and had a great time. The most important thing for me was to run with good friends!! It was great to stay together and cheer each other on for each of the obstacles!!

C25K would be a good place to start. Even though you take running breaks to do the obstacles the running for me was still challenging because there are uphills, muddy hills, and the fact that the whole way was uneven and slippery. I was grateful for the upper body strength training I do with my trainer. Not just weights but actual functional exercises. This made pulling myself up on ropes and rock wall climbing MUCH easier!!

I would say to go and have fun! Be ready to have mud in places that mud frankly shouldn't be! Bring a tarp for your car and dry clothes. We wore clothes that we could just throw away there after changing in the parking lot. Old shoes too that they collected to wash and donate. I wish I'd had a bandana over my hair too as it took like 3 days to feel clean again!

Enjoy!

BootCampC

I did one on May. I did a variety of fitness classes and running as my training, but it wasnt anything formal.

Check out this link for some help too:

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/mud-run-training

Or look up tough mudder, spartan sprint, etc and some of those bigger name races have training plans on their websites

thanks , i just started crawling , my upper body hasnt been sore like this in years.. and i workout 3x a week faithfully

KyleB65

I ran my first Spartan Race 3 weeks ago.
For training, I started in a similar fashion to the Couch 2 5K program. Run 1-2 minutes then walk 1 minute, repeat for 20 min. Each week we would add minutes to the run until we could run 5k non-stop.
This worked well for my little group, if you are not currently a runner/jogger, I highly recommend.
But, for a mud/obstacle race, the running is only one small component of the event. The two races I know of are the Spartan Race & The Tough Mudder. Both have some challenging obstacles.
In addition to the running, I suggest working on your upper body strength. If you do not have a gym membership, there are lots of exercises you can do at home. The first being push-ups. There is a smartphone app called "100 push-ups" this is a cool little program that can give you a structured approach to improving similar to the C25K program for running.
Also, work on your "core" (abs, & back). I am not a fan of crunches or sit-ups! But you can find some awesome static core/ab exercises on line. Planking in various forms is a great ab workout. Just remember that when you work your abs you need to work your lower back as well!
Note: The Spartan Sprint (5k +/-) is an event that can be completed by most people. The distance is not too long and the obstacles while challenging are not too hard. For me the "challenge" was to complete the course. This I did in just under 2 hrs (1hr 51 min).
I can't wait until next year's event! I have already registered and next year there will be a local Tough Mudder. of which I have also registered.
Have fun training! And enjoy the event!
Remember, no matter how long it takes you, you are still a super star athlete when compared to the people who stay at home on the couch!

dward2011

check your race's website. most of these runs have a page or link to training advice. good luck! i will be sitting out this year bc i broke my foot and my doc said no. you will have fun!!

tinamati

Just did my first one 2 weeks ago. It is an amazing experience. I was never a runner, athlete, etc. But, I worked on starting slow with running, working on going farther everytime. Upper body work helped a lot when having to do the obstacles. I changed my thinking from "I can't" to "What if I could?" and it worked. Working out with a friend is also very helpful. We did the mud run together.

josiereside

I did one 2 weeks or so ago also. Definitely need some upper body strength. I am a runner so had that down but you will find you will have lots of running breaks waiting to do the obstracles.

here_I_go_again

thank you everyone!!!

Morgaine_on_the_move

I didn't train too hard...the running was the easy part for me. The most difficult was the balancing stuff...balancing on a muddy rope, for example. I also ran around one obstacle I didn't want to do ( climbing up a wall using a rope ). It's pretty laid back and you'll see all kinds of interesting people there.

BOLO4Hagtha

I was considering doing a Warrior Dash for next July and they actually show you somethings you can do to train for it. Check out their link. They actually break it down by your fitness level. It can't hurt to try!

http://www.warriordash.com/info.php

Good luck!

holley75

I have done the tough Mudder (12 miles 28 obsticles) MS Mud run (6 miles) and 3 5k mud runs. I have done each of them by myself and would high;y recommend doing this with a friend.
I love the runs but i have never run a lick of it. I walk the entire things and go as fast as i can to each new challenge. i have horrible knees and can not run but i find walking quickly is good enough to get me across the finish line.
As far as prepariong for the obsticles just do some strength training. prepare your muscles for new activity. the post someone put earlier with all the different excersises was fanastic. Do what you can of those.

TraceHP

I'm a bit late, but I found this, a PDF with a 12 week program for a woman doing a mud run. Good luck (or: hope you did well if you already did it)! Here is the link at lozilu.com: http://lozilu.com/train/welcomefitnessPlan.pdf