Obstacle Race Course - The New Age Fitness Schedule

An obstacle course race is a sequence of challenging physical hurdles which a person or a team needs to face and navigate within a specified time limit. Obstacle races might include racing, cycling, climbing, crawling, jumping and balancing acts which aid in improving the speed and endurance levels in a person. This kind of race is the latest trend among the current generation of Americans who prefer to sweat out during weekends rather than sleeping.

How to train for an obstacle race course?

The obstacles in a race could range from hurdle jumping and wall climbs to mud mines and tire swings. Training for an obstacle course race requires a distinctive plan to integrate two essentials, endurance required for a long run with strength to overcome a variety of challenging encounters. The training program for the obstacle course race should include:

• Running for at least 4 to 5 miles without any halt across varying landscapes can help in improving the endurance levels of a person. Introduction of variations like intervals and hill runs in between the running schedule can enhance the speed and the power of a person.
• Pull-ups are an essential part of obstacle race training. They assist in developing upper body and grip strength which can be advantageous during wall/rope climbing or monkey rods. 
• Practice using different kind of grips can prepare a person for facing sudden challenges.
• Pushups enhance the upper body strength and core. Once a person masters the basic pushups, he can increase the intensity of the exercise by raising feet to a chair or supporting on a stability ball. Explosive pushups are the most effective exercise to increase the endurance levels of a person.
• Squats with certain modifications to aim the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes can strengthen the lower body of a person for obstacle races. Once a person masters squat using his own body weight, he can add more weights or change stability to make the exercises more challenging.
• Lunges are also lower body strength-building exercises and improve the strength of legs and muscles. Mastering forward lunges is very vital and this can be built upon by variations in stability levels.
• Planks can help in developing race related core strength in the body. Passing through the low barbed wire and other similar hurdles requires core strength and stability which can be easily obtained through plank training.
• Jumps can help a person scale high obstacles like walls, high stock of hay to the ground. Initiate the jump practice through squat jumps or lunge jumps and after mastery, move on to box jumps.
• Crawls can help with activities requiring movement through low heights and narrow spaces. Bear walks and dog walks can help a person pass through narrow tunnels with ease.
• Burpees are an eventual step in the obstacle race training program. They can help a person get trained to shift from one obstacle to another in a swift manner.
• Abdominal exercises with knee lifts or stomach tucks can support the lower abs and help in overcoming obstacles where a person needs to move on their stomach.

A person who has mastered all exercises can combine them in various intensities and simulated conditions to have a better endurance and strength training.