You see on social media that your friends have just completed another obstacle course race, happy and fulfilled despite appearing dirty and exhausted. You look back to your childhood and wonder, “was it really that fun to play in the mud?” Nonetheless, you are interested in entering the next Spartan race with your friends.
So, you ponder the question of how to motivate yourself to resume workouts, shedding those extra pounds from months of little activity, and regaining “race form” to join in the fun. Perhaps you have a gym membership that has lost its appeal due to a combination of the mind-numbing repetition of gym routines and pressures to balance your workouts with the other demands of life - your job, other interests, and especially sacrificing family time. There are many reasons why traditional workout programs rapidly lose their appeal - you feel something new is required to jump start your motivation.
Keeping your weight in check also becomes more relevant when you look at the calendar and realize that the holiday season is just around the corner. You suddenly become more mindful of the possible additional pounds you might gain from all the family dinners, office celebrations, reunions, and get togethers.
The good news? You can start preparing for a competitive obstacle course race and actually shed a few pounds at the same time. All the continuous running, crawling, pulling, pushing, and even hanging during training will burn a whole lot of calories and fat, enabling you to lose weight.
Whether you are still considering signing up for your first race or have just signed up for one, we can get to work with you immediately to help you get race ready. The goal is to enhance your strength, speed, endurance, balance, and coordination while losing those extra pounds.
Here are five ways Obstacle Course Race training can help burn those calories away and get you in tip-top shape in no time.
Commit to a workout plan and schedule
Training for an obstacle course race requires you to undergo a mixture of strength training and cardio training. If you have prior experience in lifting weights or running to gain muscle and lose fat, then you already have an advantage over those who will just be starting out. If this is all new to you, don’t worry. Following a great workout plan will help familiarize yourself with the exercises and make you comfortable with stop and go activities, which is similar to what you will be doing in an actual race. Your weekly training will therefore be divided into days for building up your strength, and days for running.
Following a workout plan will also allow you to vary the training intensity based on your progress. The intensity of your workouts can be increased to strengthen your endurance and be able to burn more calories in the process, wherein fat is used as your primary energy source. At the same time, your trainer can lower the intensity of your workouts so that you will have ample time to rest and recuperate for more intense activities.
Another important thing is for you to show up regularly at the training facility. If you want to get stronger and lose weight, you have to work on it consistently until the routines become a habit and later on are as natural as eating, waking up, and resting.
Run and burn calories
The word ‘race’ in obstacle course competitions highlights the running aspect of the sport and the need to have cardiovascular training. If you’re not into marathons, that’s okay since the course does not require running long distances. The running is more important in getting you as quickly as possible in bursts from one obstacle to another. Having running activities in your weekly workout will also improve your metabolism and burn calories.
Some great cardio workouts you can try are gear-shifting sprints and hill climbs:
- Shifting gears – this is excellent training when you are starting out because it’s very simple. Run at a steady pace for two minutes, then increase your speed for another minute, and finally sprint with all you’ve got for the next 30 seconds. Repeat this pattern three more times.
- Hill climbs – look for a road similar to a hill and sprint up coming from the bottom. Use your time in going back down the road as your recovery period. Try doing it in rounds of three and add rounds as you progress.
Lean and mean machine
Do you want to develop huge muscles in your arms, chest, back, and legs? Sad to say, strength training for obstacle courses focuses on the opposite of that. Instead of building up your muscles to make you look bulky, the exercises are formulated to give you that lean and mean look full of toned muscles.
One important thing you should remember: how much you actually weigh is equal to how much weight you are going to carry around the obstacle course during training and the actual race. Therefore, if you want to be competitive and finish the course as fast as you can, the goal is to lessen your body fat and decrease your weight.
As such, building your strength in training is always relative to your actual weight. This enhances your ability to move your body weight in whatever direction and position throughout the course. You should anticipate body weight exercises in your workout plan such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges. The obstacle training facility will also help you get used to climbing walls, crawling, and hanging on ropes to make you stronger.
Training + healthy diet = weight loss
Eating healthier food will help you recover faster from your training and in turn, allow you to do more intense training. Many people now use diet apps which could also help you monitor your meals, calorie intake, and weight loss progress. However, the goal is not to become too conscious with your caloric intake, but more about identifying different types of food that aren’t really helping in your weight-loss journey. This usually includes fried food, fast food, and other snacks which have a lot of sugar content. Go instead for protein-rich food like meat, chicken, fish, and beans to help you build more muscle.
Likewise, make the choice to add fruits and vegetables in your daily diet to strengthen your immune system and protect you from diseases. Do you want to get a flu or fever in the middle of your training only a few days before the actual race? Multivitamins and other nutritional supplements may also help keep you in good shape and ready for the next workout.
Moreover, a medical study published earlier this year in New Zealand supports the benefits of combining physical activity and healthy eating towards significant weight loss. Among those studied were adult patients with metabolic problems including increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess body fat around the waist, among others, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Overall, the key finding was that patients who increased both physical activity and improved eating habits experienced more weight loss and other health improvements, as compared to patients who only increased physical activity or improved only their eating habits.
Be part of a team
Committing to a workout plan and schedule, different cardiovascular and strength training workouts, or a healthy diet may seem daunting in the beginning, much less sustaining it for months. However, obstacle course race training members keep motivated through the support, help, and encouragement of fellow members. As part of a community of fitness enthusiasts, you can expect to gain new friends who would be more than willing to help you in your weight-loss journey.
Your motivation to get stronger and faster will improve steadily as fellow members push you harder in your training. There is nothing like going through physical and mental exercises with a group of friends rooting for you. This makes overcoming challenging exercises and achieving new personal bests more rewarding.
There are many personal accounts available online sharing successful weight-loss journeys upon deciding to train for their very first obstacle course race. Many people have marked this as the crucial starting point in their lives to finally get in shape. Aside from losing a bunch of pounds and looking dramatically different from when they started, becoming healthier and forming lasting friendships have also made their training experience much more fulfilling.