If you want to try Tough Mudder at least once in your life, you have to take note that while it is an exciting event, it is also an excruciating military obstacle course with plenty of challenges and obstacles. You have to arm yourself with a few helpful tips for Tough Mudder to be successful.
With the many challenges in the event, there is no reason for you to add more obstacles that you could have prevented, including dehydration, unnecessary fatigue, cramps, and nausea. Such might get in between you and your desire to complete the race.
Awesome and Helpful Tips for Tough Mudder
For you to have a clear roadmap of your Tough Mudder adventure, here are some highly effective tips that will definitely serve as your guide:
Tip #1 - Run for Around Twelve Miles
Tough Mudder often involves running around twelve miles. Note that a 12-mile run without any obstacles is already challenging and difficult, so it is necessary for you to practice it beforehand.
Prior to attempting to succeed in the obstacle race, ensure that you regularly take at least 2/3 of the distance through running. Such will give you enough practice, thereby preventing the risk of cramping during the race.
It is also important to note that the average time it takes to complete Tough Mudder is 3 hours since you need to be in a queue at several obstacles while also spending some time taking a few attempts.
That said, you need to practice the course beforehand so you’ll be able to handle the distance even when you are wet and muddy once the event comes.
Tip #2 – Dress Correctly
Prior to the race, you have to research about the right clothes and shoes to wear so you will be able to protect yourself and feel as comfortable as possible. One of the most important things that you have to prioritize is proper footwear.
Wearing the right shoes for is a big help in preventing the common accidents that occur due to participating in Tough Mudder. One of the most common ones is slipping down muddy heels by using the typical road trainers. Another one is twisting the ankle. Both are preventable with the right shoes.
You can avoid them by wearing shoes for Tough Mudder with a proper grip. It should also have a light and manageable weight, so you will never have a difficult time winning obstacles. It should have additional foot support, too, so you won’t find it difficult to keep yourself stable.
Aside from shoes, you also have to be careful on what clothes you wear. If you are planning to participate in Tough Mudder during the warm season, then the ideal option is a technical/polyester top.
You can also wear a compression base layer beneath it to prevent scratches while also reducing the risk of wind chill. You also have the option to wear a running vest or shirt primarily constructed from a synthetic fiber, which can wick moisture.
The technical base layer mentioned earlier is a big help as it is usually designed for running, hiking or skiing. It is light and does not hold water, allowing you to tie it around your waist in case of overheating.
Avoid cotton t-shirts as much as possible since they tend to get really heavy when filled with water and mud. Also, take note that your core temperature will most likely drop a few minutes after reaching the finish line.
That said, ensure that you remove your wet clothes as soon as possible. Plan to change into dry clothes completely to prevent harming yourself.
Tip #3 – Spend time training outside
A Tough Mudder is an event, which requires you to have functional strength so you can carry a log, lift yourself up and climb walls, and slide beneath barbed wires. The good news is that it is now possible for you to develop muscle memory if you imitate outdoor movements.
Such is possible by doing plyometric exercises. Instead of sitting in a heated or air-conditioned gym and performing curls and bench presses, it would be best for you to mimic Tough Mudder obstacles.
Visit the playground in your neighborhood and practice climbing on monkey bars. Go outdoors, enjoy the fresh air, climb a tree, or run up a hill. Such outdoors activities can mimic the environment that you need to handle when participating in Tough Mudder, thereby boosting your functional strength.
Tip #4 – Create a good workout plan
The best workouts and exercises that you can do prior to the event are the following:
1. Strength training and cardio – Tough Mudder is a combination of cardio and strength training elements. That said, your workout plan should include both of them. Your plan should be to complete workouts combining strength-based movements through box jumps, burpee, or sprints.
2. Compound or multi-joint exercises – You need to go compound if you want to engage several muscle groups simultaneously, which is a good thing for Tough Mudder. One tip is replacing isolated workouts that only focus on a single muscle group with compound exercises and movements, like deadlift or squat.
3. Kettlebell – One of the best training tools, if you are preparing for a Tough Mudder event, is a kettlebell. Doing it requires you to swing all the muscles in your lower back and body and your core. You also need to develop explosive hip drive often used in athletic movements.
4. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) – Such form of training requires you to have cardio sessions that alternate between periods that require max intensity or effort and brief recovery periods at a low or moderate effort.
In this case, your options include scaling stadium stairs, running hills or sprinting. Being with a 30-sec workout followed by 90-sec rest. This should take fifteen minutes. You can then increase it to 90-sec workout and 90-sec. rest, which takes up to twenty minutes.
All these exercises are ideal if you are training for Tough Mudder, so it would be best to make them part of your workout plan.
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Conclusion
In Tough Mudder, your body, mind, and strength will be put to test. However, you have an assurance that you can win all the obstacles through proper training.
