I may be a tad crazy ... TOUGH MUDDER advice ...

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emmalzthompson
emmalzthompson Posts: 275
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I am so keen to do Tough Mudder August 2014 south west England.

I have lost weight and improved my fitness immensely recently. and love a good challenge. It looks INSANE, but something to train towards.

Anyway i am not a runner, never have been, nor will be. I would never opt to do a marathon. So worried i will let down the rest of the team ( mainly men ) with my poor running skills!

Also any advice on obstacles greatly appreciated.

How did you train for such a thing!?? The team I am thinking of joining will be doing weekly training sessions from march .... but would need some extra training of my own I think! Haha think i am slightly crazy as scared of fire, heights, and that electric bit looks pretty scary too ....

Replies

  • runningincognito
    runningincognito Posts: 34
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    I was considering doing a tough mudder too. I am a runner and ran my first half marathon a few months ago. I lift weights as well. I was asking similar questions to a friend who participated in a tough mudder last year and he said that most of the time you're waiting in line to do the obstacles and tough mudders are much easier than half marathons because of all of the waiting in line.
  • emmalzthompson
    emmalzthompson Posts: 275
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    I was considering doing a tough mudder too. I am a runner and ran my first half marathon a few months ago. I lift weights as well. I was asking similar questions to a friend who participated in a tough mudder last year and he said that most of the time you're waiting in line to do the obstacles and tough mudders are much easier than half marathons because of all of the waiting in line.

    Congrats on your half marathon. i can hardly run down one road, well saying that since 'the new me' i havent tried. Running just doesnt appeal to me , probably related back to haunting moments of childhood sports days haha. I do alot of HIIT, Plyometrics, Lifting, Army Bootcamp type training .... which is why this appeals to me, despite being a bit of a girl, I really want to do this and push myself.

    Thanks for the advice feel slightly better about the running side of things now :D
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    I am a big fan of mud races!!! I have done two Tough Mudders along with all of the Spartan Races. The training that helped me most was lots of upper body strength for Tough Mudder and leg strength so do lots of strengthening work :) In Tough Mudder the running didn't last for a long time and you would go to another obstacle. My boyfriend wasn't a runner when he did his first one and was just fine with the stretch of running. The one Tough Mudder had some horrible terrain though which is why I love to do sandbag training and lots of steps to prep for the terrain! Good luck if you do it!
  • supergirl222
    supergirl222 Posts: 88
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    I did the Tough Mudder last spring, it kicked my *kitten*. It was also 58 degrees on that day so I was freezing. Be prepared to do some shocking things. It was one of the most challenging things I have done, but it was a blast, and fun, muddy, and the comradery that existed among the contenders was intense. Everyone along the way was helping each other out, encouraging to attempt and finish obstacles, laughing and joking along the way... (my gf and I actually dressed up as bat girls, it was a hit!) so how i trained for it... I have done several 10k, 5k, mud races to train before to just get a feel for it and most importantly cross fit cross fit and more cross fit was what really prepared for the obstacles. I also am a runner so that helped. Upper body strength is key as most obstacles depend on that.. I am so happy you decided to do it. For me it was an awesome experience, and i wear my TM shirt proudly.
  • emmalzthompson
    emmalzthompson Posts: 275
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    Amazing advice ladies! I saw a video for it and straight away thought it looked Insane! and knew I wanted to give it a bash, I have done alot of research into it, and I am well aware of the fire, and ice cold water, the mud mile and the electric shocks! But cant help think about the feeling once it is done! I bet you both felt epic after! what a sense of achievement! and the camaraderie is part of what sells it for me, and that it looks like a right laugh. Im sold! Im doing it!!!

    I do strength training, but think i need to up my game, and should really do some running before hand, I live near a beach so will do some running on the sand too .... and up hill ... Thanks for all the advice

    well done on your accomplishments!

    I am sooo KEEN for this! Bring on TOUGH MUDDER august! :D
  • rachelmorgan77
    rachelmorgan77 Posts: 131 Member
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    You'll do awesome. I did both a half marathon and a Tough Mudder last year - Tough Mudder was by far harder, but they were each different and unique in their own way. Don't worry about not being able to run. I was at Beaver Creek Mudder, and we went up and down the mountain - very little of the course was flat enough to run. Work on strength training, swimming and being cold. Nothing can prepare you for the electricity, that's like a fun little bonus. Work on crawling, army crawls, alligator crawls, whatever you want to call it. Work on endurance, for me that did include a lot of running. Your body will get tired and pissed off, you have to make it keep going. Having a team will make all the difference in the world. You'll do great!
  • LaurDavies
    LaurDavies Posts: 77 Member
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    I'm doing my first Tough Mudder in June 2014! Feel free to add for mutual motivation :)

    I'm focusing on circuit training, intervals, and some distance running - the Tough Mudder website has some great tips for training, but I found that the circuit training they suggest is very similar to most exercises across the levels of 30 Day Shred, so I will be incorporating that also!

    Best of luck.
  • katnipjuice
    katnipjuice Posts: 7
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    First off, please add me!

    Im doing my first tough mudder in may 2014. I decided months ago to train for a half marathon (will run it in march) just as a personal goal and i then decided to to turn it up a notch with TM.

    I run four times a week with 2-3 weekly circuit training and crossfit and youtube videos. i haven't joined a gym, though i know i probably should to do strength training...i haven't done any of that yet...

    i feel i have good/great lower body strength but upper body needs some work.

    thanks everyone for the insight into what im getting myself into!

    AND GOOD LUCK!
  • Nmt100
    Nmt100 Posts: 36 Member
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    Not doing tough murder but have done the lake district total warrior and am doing rat race dirty weekend this year. My experience tells me that being able to run at least 5k between the obstacles is essential (I started on c25k) and being able to run the distance is going to be helpful. Like others say work on strength training. I do all body weight and functional training. Pull-ups, burpees, mountain climbers and various different crawls will be your best friends. Also work on getting off the floor in different ways with weights (random I know but useful). TM have a boot camp on their website which is very useful. Most of all though have fun! You can add me if you want.
  • diannastadnyk
    diannastadnyk Posts: 16 Member
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    I've just signed up for tough mudder whistler 2014! I've been told to work lots on upper body strength as there are a lot of obstacles that require pulling yourself up over walls and things as well as monkey bars. I'm the opposite-I've got the running part down but have little upper body strength, hate confined spaces and really not looking forward to the freezing cold waters- the fire part doesn't worry me because from what i hear you're pretty much sopping wet throughout the whole thing. The electrical wires on the other hand terrify me. I had two friends do it last year......one felt nothing from the wires and one said it knocked her to her knees!
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    I did a tough mudder last fall. If you can generally run five miles, the run won't be an issue. There is a lot of stop an go as you wait and work through obstacles. Grip strength might be the hardest physical issue (rings and monkey bars). Otherwise focus on functional fitness (compound lifts). Most of it is mental (heights, cold, shocks, dark and tight). You can skip it if you have safety concerns.

    Enjoy!
  • leviclampitt
    leviclampitt Posts: 67
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    Anyway i am not a runner, never have been, nor will be. I would never opt to do a marathon. So worried i will let down the rest of the team ( mainly men ) with my poor running skills!

    Also any advice on obstacles greatly appreciated.

    I train mud run teams and the whole "I have to do tons of running to prepare" is definitely the biggest misconception I hear.

    That said, you do need good running mechanics. Not long distance type stuff but rather 20 - 100 meter sprints, working on pumping your arms and staying on forefoot.

    Next on the list is cardio. Once again don't need running for this (nor a gym), just need to learn how to practice doing more work in less time (stuff that gets your heart rate up). Here's my favorite here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytQVKtZl6wE

    Lasting, strength. You first have to have a decent command over your own bodyweight (like pushups and pullups) which will allow you to scale walls and bound over things with ease. Then, you need "absolute strength" (aka moving external weight). Practicing farmer walks, pushing a car or prowler, running with a 2x4, pulling and pushing tires - all this is applicable to a Mud Run.

    Hope that helped.

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