Don't Get Stuck In The Mud Training For Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder is a recreational weekend warrior adventure forged in blood, sweat, tears and of course, mud. What makes these events so popular is their unique, challenging obstacles that include freezing pools of murky water, trenches lined with live wires and the ability to push the human body to lengths only understood when you sign the accidental death waiver.

Typically participants sign up months in advance and prepare daily for this muddy adventure, but in some cases participants sign up last minute and have only weeks to train. Although a setback, this is not a problem. It will require more time in the gym and more discipline to guarantee a successful race. During this one month of training the participant will not only be the participant but also the coach and the personal trainer. It is important to discipline oneself during your training and as you train you will not only build physical strength and endurance, but mental toughness as well.

The creation of your workout regimen (or any regimen) should aim to emulate your goal, in this case: Tough Mudder. Tough Mudder competitions consist of twenty to twenty-five obstacles that stretch across a ten to twelve mile course. How do you encompass all of that into your workout session during your lunch break or while the kids are at soccer?

The answer is interval training and creativity

Interval training demands the competitor to choose a variety of exercises that could include pull-ups until exhaustion followed by uphill treadmill running followed by more high intensity demanding exercises to allow your body to accommodate to the demanding workload. We will first take a look at interval training and touch up on creativity later on. 

Benefits of interval training include building endurance, increasing strength, improving V02 Max and several other factors as well. Similar to Fartlek training, you want the body to be able to shift intensities during exercises without interruption in order to compete in long distance events such as Tough Mudder; both the aerobic and anaerobic systems will be working on the day of competition. 

READ Why Your Interval Training Isn't Tabata

When a competitor goes to the gym to train for Tough Mudder by participating in interval training, it is recommended to do a dynamic warm-up to begin.

Participants should then engage in warm-ups like lunges, lunges with trunk twist, butt kicks, high knees, jumping jacks - these will allow you to activate your muscles for weight training. Be sure to engage your core as well, perhaps with some crunches, or by simply contracting your abdomen and keep strong posture during dynamic warm-ups. Your core muscles is the bridge between your upper and lower body, ignoring it does not allow your body to work together as a single unit.

Interval Training To Prepare You For The Tough Mudder

Once the participant is warm, it is time to engage in the actual interval training. We will suggest this participant has one month to prepare for their event, although ideally the longer a participant has to train, the better prepared they will be. Below is a proposed single day regimen for both upper and lower body.

Upper Body Exercises with Cardio (Sets x Reps)

• Triceps Extension/Skull Crushers (5x5)
• Run/Jog (Switch every 30 seconds for 2 minutes)
• Dumbbell Bench Press (5x5)
• Uphill Treadmill Run (Settings set to 7% grade or higher, set speed to challenging speed minimum 4 mph before increasing grade, attempt 30 seconds, total ten minutes)
• Dumbbell Chest Fly's (5x5)
• Rowing Machine (1x5 min, set to "challenging" resistance)
• Handgrip Strengthening (2x15)
• Run/Jog (Jog 3-5 minutes, sprint until exhaustion)
• Pushups (2xExhaustion)
• Pullups (2xExhaustion)
• Lat Pull Downs (5x5)
• Straight-bar Curls (5x5)
• Rowing Machine (1x15 min, set to "challenging" resistance)
• Run/Jog (25 minutes; intervals of 30 seconds runing, 30 seconds jogging)

Grip strength can make the difference between holding on to a slippery handlebar or letting go of a teammate on the Everest half-pipe. When using the row machine, setting vary from low to high resistance. Start with a lower resistance to find where you feel comfortable and progress as you grow stronger. With every exercise be certain to contract your core muscles to gain control and maintain the relationship between the upper and lower body.

READ Total Body Workout: Strengthening Workout for the Entire Body

Lower Body Exercises (Set x Repetitions)

• Romanian Deadlift (5x5)
• Clean & Jerk (5x5)
• Run/Jog (15 minutes x 30 second intervals)
• Dumbbell Squat/Snatch (5x5)
• Box Jumps (5x5)
• Burpees (1x10)
• Dumbbell Squat Jumps (5x5)
• Uphill Treadmill Running (Settings set to 7% grade or higher, set speed to challenging speed minimum 4 mph before increasing grade, attempt 30 seconds, total 10 minutes)
• Dumbbell Lunges (5x10)
• Burpees (1x10)
• Leg Press (5x5)
• Bosu-Ball Wall Sits (1 minute x 2)
• Run/Jog (25 minutes x 1 minute Run/4 minute Jog)

Every obstacle in Tough Mudder requires endurance and power.

These powerful movement will help you hop from muddy perch to muddy perch over the mud filled trenches and jump as far into the icy waters as possible to avoid swimming the entire distance. It is important to train your body for these short bursts of power, for each event only consists of a few seconds and at most a few minutes, and to contract core muscles to provide more control and power during training. Extended jogging periods as well as the length of the entire workout allow for the recruitment of Type I fibers, honoring the positive effects of interval training. Type I muscle fibers allow for proficient oxygen flow to muscles during lengthy athletic events. Aditionally, keep rest between sets to a maximum of thirty seconds in effort to keep heart rate elevated and to honor the cardio component of the program. A few minutes rest during change of exercise is acceptable.

Anxious About The ice-cold Water Submersion Or The Electric Shock Wires?

Aside from the weightlifting and running portion of training, most prospective participants have anxiety about events such as the ice-cold water submersion, giant climbing walls and the electric shock wires that stand in your way of the finish line. Participants should know beforehand that there is no disqualification for skipping obstacles that may complicate their health, such as a participant with a pacemaker running through live wires providing shock.

Three components recur in many events during a Tough Mudder: cold water, climbing and electric shock. Rest assured these obstacles are easy to prepare like weightlifting and running. First, after completing an upper body training session, top it off with a few laps in the pool. Do not concern yourself with timed trials, but get used to keeping your head above water and getting around without relying on the pool floor for support. Most pools are deep to avoid any spinal injuries upon jumping and diving, so strategically practicing jumping in and getting out is your best course of action. Practicing a breaststroke will help when you are wading your way through tubes of shallow muddy water, as well.

Take a single cold shower per day to accommodate your sensory nerves to the cold temperature. Not only will cold showers prepare you for the obstacles, but will help relieve some pain and potential swelling after a tiring workout session, as football players use ice baths after practice.

The climbing component to the events sometimes will involve the help of others running the race. But if you train effectively, you will be able to complete most tasks on your own. The best way to prepare for any climbing events is to take advantage of your gym’s rocking climbing wall. Begin at a novice pace and progress as you become more confident. If your gym does not have a rock-climbing wall, do not scale the bricks of the building wall outdoors. Simply adding some extra sets of pull-ups and lat pull downs will suffice.

Prepare for the electric shock wires

Perhaps the murkiest event has nothing to do with water or mud, but electric shock wires. Participants have a hazy, rough estimate on just how these hanging shock wires will feel on moist bare skin. However, just as there are creative ways to train for swimming, climbing, jumping and trudging through rough terrain, there is a way you can prepare for the jolts of electricity as well.

The purchasing or borrowing of a TENS unit will prepare you for the handful of shocking events. TENS units are devices used to block pain receptors for patients with orthopedic injuries such as muscle strains and joint sprains. Pads connected to the device are applied to the affected area and slowly adjust the settings to a slightly uncomfortable but not painful feeling. As the area accommodates to the electricity, the strength can be turned up slightly. For training purposes a participant can apply to TENS unit to various muscular areas, set the device to a pulsating setting and turn up the power until the threshold of uncomfortable but not painful is reached. To use this device as a training tool, safety must be advised. Always have settings turned all the way down before applying pads. Never apply pads to face, pacemakers, metal implants, genitals or organ areas. Pregnant women should not use TENS units.

The more time you have to train, the better 

It is important to keep in mind that if you are planning to participate in a Tough Mudder, the more time you have to train, the better. In the instance you have one month to prepare, focus solely on becoming more powerful through these exercises or ones similar. Emulating as many obstacles as possible during training helps to mentally prepare you for the unique and challenging courses.

READ HIIT Training Works To Improve Your Stamina

To reduce saturation of water in clothing, wear light breathable gear such as Under Armour heat gear or similar gear from other apparel companies. Taping and bracing is recommended for participants susceptible to injury to competition. Remember, Tough Mudders typically run between ten and twelve miles, essentially making it the distance of a half marathon.

Eating a well balanced diet is important and will help build muscle during strength training. Stretching before and after each training session will increase flexibility and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

Preparing anaerobically and aerobically for this competition will give you the best chance at competing at a high level. These exercises and creative training recommendations won’t guarantee you a first place finish after one month of training, but will guarantee you a competitive edge during your Tough Mudder.