If running up muddy mountains and jumping into nearly freezing water, followed by crawling under barbed wire sounds like a fun-filled weekend activity for you, then you would enjoy the latest in adventure racing. These races are not the traditional road races (10k, ½ or full marathon); these are races that not only test your cardiovascular endurance but also your muscular strength and athleticism. These include races like the “Tough Mudder” and the “Spartan,” which are events that combine running distances ranging from 5 to 25km with lots of extreme obstacles that include hills, mud, water, ropes, walls, electric shock and fire.
Strength, stamina, mental toughness and teamwork are all requirements if you want to cross the finish line in these events. Adventure Races don’t focus on going from point A to point B, but rather encouraging participants to have fun and co-operate because some obstacles can’t be completed on your own. While some die-hard racers are there to cross the finish line first, most are there to have fun and work together to complete the course.
Training for Extreme Races
To compete in these types of extreme races it is recommended that you have prepared for the physical and mental demands of the courses, as only about 75% of participants complete these events.
Cardio
It is recommended that you are running at least three times a week and you should be able to run 5 miles (8 km). While training your cardiovascular system, you need to incorporate some high intensity interval training to help boost your anaerobic threshold. This allows you to work at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Some cardiovascular training methods that would be effective for adventure race training would include running stairs, hill or trail running and fartlek (speed and interval) training.
Strength
The obstacles in these races vary in the physical demands on the body, so you need to have a well-balanced program that addresses both muscular strength and endurance. Also, you need to ensure that the strength training you are doing is functional in nature. This would mean staying away from machines and moving towards free-weight and body-weight activities. Some good exercises to choose from would include lift-to-press (often called rock stars), mountain climber pull-ups and planks (side and front).
At MacEwan University we offer a few different training options for the extreme racer.
In the spring, we offer an Adventure Race Training class Monday evenings from 5:30-6:30 p.m. James will lead you through a series of grueling speed and endurance workouts, incorporating strength elements. This class will help you build athleticism and is specifically designed to prepare you for extreme races.
Another option would be one of Jeremy’s Olympic Weightlifting classes. There’s a Learn To Olympic Weightlifting class for those just starting out, and an Improve Your Olympic Weightlifting class for people who have a bit of prior experience. These classes will help you develop functional strength while building athleticism.
A good third option would be one of our Value-Added classes, which are free for members or included with drop-in fees. These are offered throughout the day and week to fit your schedule. Many of our classes, from Tabata Tuesdays and Muscular Strength and Endurance, to Turbo Knockout and Revolution Spin, incorporate high intensity training that are functional and a fun way to prepare for a race.
Jeff Calkins is a Bachelor of Human Kinetics graduate and is certified with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology as a Certified Exercise Physiologist. He specializes in training individuals for Occupational tests such as the PARE, A-PREP and COPAT, those recovering from injury and anyone trying to make positive lifestyle changes.
