Tough Mudder - How fit do i need to be?

SmangeDiggs
SmangeDiggs Posts: 238 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys,

Ive been mmm and ahhhing about signing up for a tough mudder in october, i dont know anyone thats done one before and was hoping somebody on here could give me an idea of how fit i need to be to complete the course.
I go to the gym 5-6 times a week 1-2hrs a day but mainly do les mils classes and spin i know i'm feeling fitter than before i started going to the gym but im worried i wont be able to keep up and end up wasting my money.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

Replies

  • elementau
    elementau Posts: 3
    As much as you go to the gym you'll be fine. If you just want to get through it, you'll be fine. There are a lot of people that sand bag it. If you want to be respectable in the obstacles, shoot for personal bests every week at the gym until race time. There are a lot of pull-up type strength challenges, such as the rings, crazy monkey bars, a vertical cargo net and several walls. If I were to recommend something to work on, it would be both endurance (being able to do a 5k without stopping is fine), and your pull-up count. If you can do 15-20 push-ups you'll be fine. There are obstacles where you must crawl for about 20 yards a few times. Other than that it's just fear stuff, like jumping 20 feet into a pond and dunking in ice tanks. I did Lake Tahoe last year, BTW, at Northstar. 5 miles up the mountain and 5 miles back down. It was crazy and you're for sure be tired at the end, but you'll get that feeling of "holy crap! I just did that!" feeling, and then you'll feel like you could have done better. That's why I signed up again this year LoL
  • elementau
    elementau Posts: 3
    Oh yeah, one more thing, hydrate like crazy the week before. Don't even worry about your weight days before the race, just hydrate! Just about everyone cramps at some point during the race. No joke. There are banana stations and medic stations for IV fluids. I was lucky that I didn't start to cramp until the downhill portion and I was able to jog/limp my way down.
  • IIFerdi
    IIFerdi Posts: 47 Member
    wanted to do one myself also :) had the same question.

    Still need to work on endurance tho :)
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
    I sure wish I would have thought this gimmick up. I would be making a fortune!

    Maybe I can get a fad of extreme toe wrestling going.
  • SmangeDiggs
    SmangeDiggs Posts: 238 Member
    thank you elementau for all the advice
    i think i will need to work on my upper body strength some more but i'm going to register, my husband is going to register with me so can bully me along as well. I have no great time ambitions i just want to finish, i dont even care if i hobble in last.
  • gseburn
    gseburn Posts: 456 Member
    They have some good training guidelines and workout plans on their website, which you may already know. It gives a good idea of the fitness level you should strive for. good luck! I might try one year. :happy:
  • whitney_simpson
    whitney_simpson Posts: 77 Member
    I would get some friends together to do it with you as well. It's way more fun that way, and a whole lot easier if you have some help getting up and over some things.
  • Hannah_Hopes
    Hannah_Hopes Posts: 273 Member
    I'm hoping to do it next year - was gunna be this year but didn't think I'd be fit enough, get a group of mates together to do it with you, at the very least I'd make sure you can walk/jog the distance in one go, the endurance is going to be my problem so that's my plan :)
  • LAnne16
    LAnne16 Posts: 272 Member
    This is my goal! I'm planning on doing it next September, so I've more than a year :D My boyfriend's brother has a team and I really really want to accomplish it!
    I didn't know about the website having training tips so I'll have to check that out :)

    Good luck to you, sir!
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    Just sign up and make the commitment to train for it!!! I am doing my third one in September; you will be hooked once you do one!
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    In addition to the sound advice above, I would train hills / treadmill inclines. You will be running a lot of miles through mud, so building leg strength will be helpful (in addition to general cardio). A fair amount of people do walk from obstacle to obstacle, but I didn't sign up for a long walk, and I wanted to run between the obstacles.

    Also, one of the obstacles (Everest) involves running up a quarter pipe to a narrow platform at the top (maybe 15 feet?), which requires a good running start to get up that high. Training sprints for this could be helpful!
  • Ichigo2012
    Ichigo2012 Posts: 31 Member
    There are a few groups here you can check out as well:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/340-tough-mudders

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/6432-spartans-mudders-warriors-oh-my-
  • KellyR72
    KellyR72 Posts: 51 Member
    I'm signed up for the 9/7 race in Osh Kosh, WI and am scared to death! I did the Rugged Maniac race on 8/3 which is only about 1/3 of the race and it was challenging....UGH!
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    I'm hoping to do the Tough Mudder in 2014. I know, honestly, I'm not in good enough shape for it now. I work out 5-6 days/week at last an hour each time, but I know my upper body is not where it needs to be for a lot of the obstacles.

    I'm giving myself over a year to really challenge myself and train hard...anyone got some good recommendations for workouts I can do before hand?

    I do Pop Pilates (HIIT and pilates...don't laugh until you see how hard it is. blogilates.com, that's all I'm saying) and endurance stuff like elliptical and arc trainer. Running something I'm starting to work on tomorrow and I know I have time to build up my time and endurance. I'm scared $h*tless, but excited too :)
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    The Tough Mudder website has a training plan you can use. Plenty of time for improvement!
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    I've heard that a lot of Tough Mudders are being overbooked due to raging popularity, and so a lot of the obstacles have tons of people queuing at them giving you time for a pretty big breather.

    Just something to think about.
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    Thanks, guys! That helps a lot actually LoL.

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