- Spartan Race Training
UPDATE: Other articles in this series on this site are:
- The Vermont Spartan Beast – Summary and Lessons Learned
- Spartan Training Plan – Draft
- Vermont Spartan Beast – Photos and Details
Some of you may have seen some recent discussion over at the forum on The Spartan:
http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/forum/goals-and-motivation/spartan-race/
This is one of those intense “races with obstacles”. Cameron is doing one this month in SC and I’m doing one in August in VT. The obstacles might be any variation of:
- fire pits
- 8 foot walls
- mud pits
- log carries
- ponds
- gladiators
- barbed wire crawl-unders
- etc.
I’ve got a team of 5 of us for the VT and each person is in different shape. For example, one guy is strong as an ox but little running endurance whereas another guy has no problem with distance running but needs to work on upper body strength.
Our VT race is 12 miles. So clearly endurance and strength are both needed.
So the question arises: how to train for this?
I’m going to be posting our training plans, in draft form and then in refined form, because I think WorldFitnessNetwork readers can learn from this even if you have no desire to do a Spartan race. While these races gear a little more towards endurance, the strength and power components are there too.
My biggest concern is that I am nearing completion of a fat-burn phase I had planned, and was about to enter into a hypertrophy phase. But training for this will change that a bit. But I need to make sure I do not lose any muscle while training.
I’ll post the training plans in a couple days but in the mean time, any questions?
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.Related posts:
- The Vermont Spartan Beast – Summary and Lessons Learned
- Spartan Training Plan – Draft
- Vermont Spartan Beast – Photos and Details
Tags: spartan
June 9th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
I’ll post mine when I get the chance too….
June 9th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
FYI, Rudy and myself have registered. Our team name is “First Time Virgins,” if anyone wants to join us. Our race time is 10:00am.
June 10th, 2011 at 5:45 am
Our VT team is TRI Federation (I’ll explain the name farther down the line). If anyone wants to do it in VT, I’ve got $10 off coupons.
June 10th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
How come I didnt get any coupons… T__T
June 10th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Love you Cameron, but my coupons are only for the VT event (“The Beast”).
June 10th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
O.o I have another secret admirer…. yay!!! :D Looks like I won’t be alone forever anymore.
June 11th, 2011 at 7:03 am
ha!
July 4th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
The Spartan Sprint held in Georgia was a blast. I had been running and felt pretty good about my training up to the event. You are correct. It will test your strength as well. I saw many suffer on the bucket carry. A bucket full of dirt is a good deal to some.
January 19th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Anyone looking to compete, not just complete a Spartan or obstacle course race should check out http://www.racedaydomination.com
This program was created specifically for obstacle athletes looking to DOMINATE their next event.
February 21st, 2012 at 10:22 pm
i recently found about the spartan race and i want to train so that i may be able to expreience it hands on. You must understand that i am a beginner that is motivated and is willing to dedicate herself to get to that point where i can make it to the spartan race i need help training can you please let me know how to get started. i have so many people that are negative and not supportive. But i will prove them wrong!
February 22nd, 2012 at 6:33 am
Fantastic Brenda! Are you doing a spartan Sprint? or Super? or Beast? And what has your training been like in the past year and the past month? When is your race? What is your approximate height and weight? With that info, I can give you a few pointers.
March 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I’m competing in my first Spartan Race 3/25/12. I’m doing this just for me not for the competition. I can see myself getting into the competitive end down the road but I just have something to prove to myself.
I just heard about it 3-4 days ago. The more I read about it the more it seems like it’s solely about the competition. Am I wrong on this or am I going to feel like a schmuck for signing up?
Good luck to everyone!
March 3rd, 2012 at 3:09 pm
@Kip – no, there are many people at different levels. My first Spartan I did without trying to compete and it was a lot of fun and a lot people did likewise. Recently, I did one in Feb in Arizona and there were a wide range of results. But in this one I tried to compete (I was pleased to place #14 for my age group and the top 12% overall.) I’ve been meaning to write that up but work has kept me too busy.
March 3rd, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Kip,
I assume you mean the one in Charlotte that weekend? If so, we have a team doing that race. Our heat is 11am on Sunday (The Sat. race is officially sold out). I look forward to the possibility of meeting you. If you would like our team information let me know, i’ll get it for you if you want to register on our team.
On the “schmuck” issue. Little secret, I have REALLY slacked off the past several months in cardio. The super spartan last year DESTROYED my cardio motivation. (Not the race… my other issues in it; read the article if you haven’t) I’m using this one, since it’s shorter, and closer as a test to try and reignite my flame as it may seem…
Either way, I look forward to seeing you at the races!!!!
May 11th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
anyone doing the Spartan Sprint in Texas next Saturday? May 19th
May 14th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Me and a buddy are doing the Spartan Sprint in Texas next Saturday. I feel good about my traing, but I’m coming from Minnesota and have been training in 60 degree weather. Any tips (other than hydrating) or am I worrying about the 90 degree weather forecasted? It seems like we’ll be wet for most of the race, which should help.
May 14th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Also, any advice about race week. Just did an hour long kettle bell class (Monday am). Thinking I should go light the rest of the week.
May 14th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
@rbrown – yeah, I’ve now done several of these and I follow the same pattern and am always happy: work intensely up to the week before. Almost to the point of overtraining. Then my last workout is a leg workout 7 days before. I take 2 days off, then do a light run (like 3 mi, which for me is light) on day 3 [4 days before the event] and maybe a light upper body circuit that day too. Lots of good stretching. I then take a day off [3 days before] but start really reducing carbs. 2 days before, I’m still very low carb, and go for a nice fast walk (30 minutes or so) and lots of good stretching. The day before I start have a lot of good carbs (oatmeal, some pasta, etc.). The morning of I eat a high protein and high carb breakfast (e.g. waffles, tons of egg whites) about 4 hrs before the event. Then a protein bar (carbs and protein) 1 hr before. The hardest thing is managing bathroom time (smile).
May 21st, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I also recently found out about the Spartan Race. There is a Spartan Sprint in November in Boston that I am going to sign up for. I had a baby and have not done much since, but before having him I was in great shape; trail running, training for a marathon (got up to 17 miles of jogging before I got pregnant),and weight training. When I was pregnant I pushed too hard and ended up on bed-rest for a few months. Then after my son was born I was still unable to do anything still because of pregnancy complications for another few months. Needless to say I wouldn’t classify myself as in shape what so ever right now. I am assuming that giving myself until November from May will give me more than enough time to get back into shape and be ready for the 3 mile race, right? I would like to complete the Trifecta as well, starting with the Sprint in November. Seriously, any tips on training, good sites to visit for work out ideas, or pretty much anything you can advise would be greatly appreciated.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:43 am
@Lindsay – it sounds like you have enough background fitness experience to get in great shape by November. But I think the Boston spartan sprint is different from other spartans – that one is just 1 mile. That’s the shortest “sprint” ever. I’ve only done 8 and 13 mile spartans (I’m going for the trifecta though, and will do a 3-miler in August in Amesbury MA). A lot of spartans and obstacle racers love crossfit – but if you sign up for their WOD (workout of the day, per their website) you’ll get a sense of the types of workouts. I’m not sure how I’d train for a one-miler because it’s over in 10 minutes. But for the longer races an important question is if you are training to compete or training to complete.