Warrior Dash/Mud Run training

Muffiewilmes

I was wondering if anyone has completed a Warrior dash or mud run and wanted to see the best way to train. I'm not looking to win just finish. I need a reason to get back in shape (as if avoiding an early grave isn't reason enough) and thought this might be a movitating way to get there. I'm obese (have atleast 80# to lose) and am doing well with my food and have started C25K but really want to complete one of these runs they look so fun. The course I am looking at is 5 miles and has lots of cool climbing obstacles. The race is in May so I have some time to prepare. I assume being able to run 5 miles would be a start but do you think weight training is needed or would a boot camp class be better? Any advice is welcome. Thanks

CALake

Weight training/strength training is important too. You'll need the upper body strength to get up the walls/across the cargo nets/under the barbed wire, etc. Even if you weren't doing a warrior dash strength training is always a good idea!

kd_mazur

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

pgp90xer

I did the Insanity program before I did a Spartan Mud run earlier this summer. It is about a 2 month program. Hard but very very good.

Muffiewilmes

That is awesome!!!! Thank you so much!! I can't believe I'm excited to start this!!! :laugh:

justal313

This should help you get psyched up. We all had a freakin BLAST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjMp16c994o (shot from my buddy's chest)

_SusieQ_

Upper body strength is way more important than being able to run 5 miles! Honestly, the furthest distance at a time you will have to run might be 1.5 miles. The obstacles break it up. But definitely arm strength for pulling yourself up and over lots of things is a huge deal! Mostly though, have fun!

Tandi_S

bump - Doing the Gladiator Assault Challenge in May....A little intimidated because it's 5-7 miles and not the 5k distance I'm used to. Thanks for the ideas! Great thread!

secretlobster

I didn't train at all for the Warrior Dash (haven't done strength training for almost 2 years, ugh) and I still ran it in under 45 minutes. It was my first obstacle race and I'm not a great runner. Seriously, I think they overestimate how difficult it is. It's really not so hard that special training is necessary if you're just running it to finish.

ShaunMc1968

As an ex-Royal Marine you cannot get better advice than from kd_mazur above. Good luck.

JBurger2066

It all depends on what you want out of it on how much you need to focus on training for it. If you just want to finish or if you want to blast through it. Upper body strength is important. Something like TRX is great for this, Insanity helps for conditioning too. Work on your hand strength a lot too, a lot of people seem to skip over that part when doing their upper body training for these. If your hands get tired on the obstacles, you're toast. Just be warned...these events are addicting. It all started with one little 10K mud run...now...I'm signed up for the Beast...

megalin9

...

Fitorbust73

I am doing the tough mudder in May --- I am overwieight and not a great runner (just had a baby 4 months ago -- and have "bladder" issues). I am doing it as a goal and something fun to do... The strength training tips above are excellent... also
the tough mudder web site does have a pretty good training guide on how to prepare....

have fun -- run safe and just get out there!

webdaughter

bump

ATclassof2021

Honestly these runs are not hard......you usually get a break at each obsticle while waiting on others. I truly believe most folks could climb off the couch and finish. Now if you want to rock it...upper body strength trng and running at least 5 miles a few times a week will get you there. I am looking for more of a challenge and plan to do the spartin race in 2013......it is 18 miles.

chayleah

I 've done two Mud Runs and the training really depends on which one you do... a Spartan race is harder than a Warrior Dash. You can finish any of them even if you are out of shape. If you want to feel like you rocked it, upper body strength & some running will be most important. Please note for the running - if you can, do trail runs with some hills involved. I practice running on a flat path around a lovely little lake and the trails with all the ups and downs were torture!

Mud Runs really are addictive, I'm already looking for ones to run next year.

Tricialew32

Upper body strength is way more important than being able to run 5 miles! Honestly, the furthest distance at a time you will have to run might be 1.5 miles. The obstacles break it up. But definitely arm strength for pulling yourself up and over lots of things is a huge deal! Mostly though, have fun!

I did my first Warrior Dash yesterday with my son. I'm 45 and still about 20 lbs overweight. I finished under 45 minutes. As the above states, the running gets broken up by the obstacles and often you have to wait for the person ahead of you to get out of the way. The hardest part for me was pulling myself up onto the barge with wet clothes. Do a lot of strength training and work on your upper body. Running is cool...weights are cooler. It was incredibly fun and no matter what, you'll be ready to finish. People were helping each other over obstacles. You'll love it!

Also...A three-year-old girl ran in our wave and finished in 56 minutes.

LindaLou252

bump