How To Train For Tough Mudder

Exercise | Fitness

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Jenny Cromack

It’s mud/obstacle race season, many of our personal training clients and gym members are taking part in these ever popular events so we thought we would write a blog about How To Train For Tough Mudder. 

Training for the Tough Mudder, or any other of the popular mud and obstacles runs there are these days,  cannot be achieved by simply completing a couple of gentle jogs around your park, whilst watching the birds and contemplating the big questions in life! I’m going to talk about  how to train for Tough Mudder and what you need to focus on and train towards. This How To Train for Tough Mudder guide is a 16 week pyramid guaranteed to get in you mud-race season shape!

training for a tough mudder

 

Weeks 1-4 (Base of Pyramid)

During the first 4 weeks of our How To Train For Tough Mudder guide you need to:

1. Develop your aerobic fitness – this is essentially getting your body ready to train.

2. Start building up your work capacity in the gym through resistance training. This is achieved through working in the 6-8 rep range and limiting rest periods to 60s between exercises. The focus here is not getting stronger, although you will, but essentially you’re getting the body ready to train. A typical week would look like the following:

  • Monday– Easy 5 mile run
  • Tuesday- Gym session circuit 8 rounds – 6-8 reps @60-70% 1RM (10 exercises with 60s rest between) include, back squat, bench press, pull up, dumbbell lunge, dumbbell shoulder press, bent over dumbbell rows, deadlift, and olympic variations if competent
  • Wednesday– Rest
  • Thursday– Easy 7 mile run
  • Friday– Gym session circuit 6 rounds – 10-12 reps @55-65% 1RM (10 exercises with 60s rest between) include, back squat, bench press, pull up, dumbbell lunge, dumbbell shoulder press, bent over dumbbell rows, deadlift, and olympic variations if competent
  • Saturday– Long Walk (aim for 2 hours)
  • Sunday– Easy 9 mile run

If you’re completely new to exercise then the runs may need to be shorter or a mixture of running/walking. 

Weeks 5-8 (Starting to Train)

The Tough Mudder by nature requires you to have a good aerobic base due to the duration of the event, however you will have to complete numerous sections using the ATP-PC system (such as pull ups or jump stations) and recover from those intervals rapidly whilst often on the run. This actually means that time served developing your anaerobic systems would be a significantly better use of time. Here come the intervals!

You’re going to start need improving your running economy, strength (so that each obstacle requires a lower level of maximum effort), and most importantly develop a system that allows you to recover at the speed of light. Its time to start strength training!

Don’t believe that you have to work in the “endurance rep range” to prepare for these events, if you’re able to squat 2x your body weight, I guarantee you’ll run faster, more efficiently and  for longer longer than someone that has spent months doing thousands of reps of squats. Let the running develop your engine, let the weight sessions build the car around it. Here’s a sample week:

  • Monday– Interval Session -5x 1600m, run each interval as fast as possible,  recover for  1/2 time an interval takes
  • Tuesday- Base strength resistance session – 3-5 sets, use the following bank of exercises – back squat, front squat, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, pull ups (varying grips) bench press variations
  • Wednesday– Rest
  • Thursday– Interval Session  – 10x 800m, run each interval as fast as possible, recover for 1/2 time an interval takes
  • Friday– Base strength resistance session  – 3-5 sets –  use the following bank of exercises – back squat, front squat, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, pull ups (varying grips) bench press variations
  • Saturday- Steady state 6 mile run
  • Sunday– Resistance session – 10 sets, 3 reps of back squat and pull up (85-92.5% 1RM)

Weeks 9-12 (Getting Quicker)

You should start to notice some massive gains in fitness and strength by this point, so now it’s time to work on your pace and start to combine your new found elements of fitness. Running at a pace where you feel a little sick and lifting weights that are one rep away from failure are the theme of this stage. You’re at the half way stage of How To Train For Tough Mudder…..keep focused and you will reap the rewards as you kick butt on the course!

  • Monday– Interval Session  – 16 x 400m at – 30% your 3 mile running pace), rest for the time it takes to complete 400m
  • Tuesday- Speed strength resistance training – 5 sets of 3 reps for 5 exercises. The first 3 exercises are explosive exercises  – barbell squat jumps, hang snatch, deadlift with bands, the last 2 are strength based – push press, speed pull ups.
  • Wednesday– Rest
  • Thursday– Interval Session – 12 x 600m at – 25% your 3 mile running pace, rest for the time it takes to complete 600m
  • Friday– Speed strength resistance training, – 5 sets of 3 reps for 5 exercises. The first 3 exercises are explosive – barbell squat jumps, hang snatch, deadlift with bands, the last 2 are strength based  – push press, speed pull ups.
  • Saturday- Tempo Run – 5 miles at max pace
  • Sunday– Tough Mudder simulation – only do 1-2 of these in the 4 week period. Run x 1 mile, 20 squat, 20 press ups, 10 pull ups (rest 60s) repeat x 4

Weeks 13-16 (Peak Of the Pyramid….almost there!)

The first two weeks of this How To Train For Tough Mudder will combine short sprint training and lots of plyometrics, helping change the strength and power into pure force development from the previous 12 weeks. The last 2 weeks you’ll start to wind down training and taper before the race. Plyometrics will assist in strengthening the ligaments, improving their stretch reflex and power potential. All key factors in achieving a fast Tough Mudder time, and importantly keep your joints and limbs safe during all the jumping, landing, scrabbling etc.

The intervals are short and intense, long rest periods will be common here, if you have completed the last 12 weeks training YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND TIME BUILDING FITNESS it has already been done, you need to get quick. The early weeks look like below, during week 15 reduce the volume by 50% during week 16 reduce the volume by a further 30%. Maintain the intensity!

  • Monday– Interval Session  – 15 x 200m each interval as fast as possible, recover  for 3-5 x the time it takes to run the interval
  • Tuesday-  Plyometric Work -box jumps, depth jumps, bounding 80-100 contacts + pull ups/ squats 8x 2
  • Wednesday– Rest
  • Thursday–  Interval Session  – 20 x 100m each interval as fast as possible, recover for 3-5 x the time it takes to run the interval
  • Friday– Plyometric Work – box jumps, depth jumps, bounding 80-100 contacts + pull ups/ squats 8x 2
  • Saturday- Tempo Run 3-5 miles as fast as possible
  • Sunday– Hamstring Rehab Focus – nordic hamstring curls 10 sets 3 reps

There you have it 16 weeks to glory, you’ll be able to enjoy the race, complete most of the obstacles, obviously if you can’t do a pull up that needs to be a focus, likewise if you have hamstrings that are as strong as mushy peas focus on them. Have fun!

We hope you find this How To Train For Tough Mudder (and other obstacle/mud events!) useful!