If you are training for a Spartan race why not try this workout to help you smash the Spartan race?
In the topic of conversation a personal trainer asked what I am working towards. I told him how I do obstacle races and I aiming to improve my time at the next Spartan Yorkshire race.
He gave me this handy little circuit to try out that I wanted to share:
5 reps of weighted rope pull
Get your battle rope it can either be attached or loose. Get into a squat position and pull the weight through.
Either twist it round (as above), or run to the weight and pull it back to the starting position.
Start with a comfortable weight as it gets very hard on the last set.
This is great for building that arm strength and getting a grip on ropes.
15 reps of box jump
Pick a reasonable height that you can safely jump on, it probably wants to be about 2/3 of the height you can normally do fresh.
This is great for improving leg strength to help jump over indentations in the course such as tree branches or giving you extra lift when you have to work your way over a tall barrier.
Crawl across the gym and back
As most obstacle races have some form of crawling this is good to practice. You may feel a bit silly doing this in the gym, but you shouldn’t because you’re a spartan and you want to get better.
There are two ways of crawling – the military way as low as possible using elbows and knees to power along.
Or up on hind legs with arms out in a press-up position. Bring one leg in and then the other, moving your arms forward so you keep the balance right.
Because I found that the barbed-wire crawls where not that tight with Spartan Yorkshire I am focusing on the latter.
This is great for coordination, I find that I am getting faster each time as I become more confident with the movement.
15 burpees into pull-ups
The staple of the Spartan workout and it really is a bitch. Use the regular burpee movement (above) underneath a pullup bar. Then as you jump and strech your hands in the air grab onto the pull-up bar and work your way up.
The burpee is used as a warm-up and a punishment when a racer is unable to do a certain obstacle. Personally it is a lot easier & generally quicker to be able to do the obstacle rather than take the penalty.
I hope with my training I will avoid the burpee punishment, but it is useful for that all round body strength, giving the lungs a final workout before the rest.
The pull-up is a nice little extra – I find my burpees jump can be a little pathetic so having a bar I need to jump up for makes sure it stays nice and strong.
As you will be getting pretty tired its a good way of testing your ability to hold onto the monkey bars when exhausted.
1 minute rest between sets. Repeat up to 5 times
So there you have it. I have been doing this for a few weeks and it is a really good workout, I feel really pumped after the workout and usually compliment it with either heavy weights or cardio to push my body in different ways.
So time to Spartan up! Aroo!
Perfect Manifesto 