How to Crush Your Spartan Race With Strength Training

Why is it Important?

I have witnessed firsthand many competitors who were great at running, but struggled immensely with the obstacles. Unfortunately for them, their finish time was not what they had hoped due to being unable to maintain their running pace because of the amount of burpees they performed.

 

An often overlooked, but vital component of a spartan race is strength. Many obstacles require moving the body over a barrier, up a rope, under a wire, etc. No matter how fast you get to the obstacle, if you are not strong enough to complete it, you will have to complete 30 burpees. We all know that nothing hurts a good race time like completing multiple sets of 30 burpees. Therefore, it is essential that strength is a focus of your training. I’m not taking away from the importance of cardio endurance, but only shedding light on the fact that to be successful at an obstacle course race like a Spartan, multiple facets of fitness must be trained.

 

How Many Days a Week Should You Strength Train?

 

The amount of days you should train strength is dependent upon a few factors:

1. How many days a week you can exercise
2. Your current strength levels
3. How much time until race day

If you’re currently in the beginning phases of your training, it is advisable to strength train twice a week. That way you can dedicate the other 4 days to improving your aerobic system. If you know you can complete the distance of your spartan, but are more worried about failing multiple obstacles, then you may want to add in an extra strength training day, or some strength training on a shorter distance day.

Identifying what You Need to Work On

Everyone has varying strengths and weaknesses. This will have some impact on what components of strength you need to focus on. For example, if an individual struggles with rope climbs, training the muscles that are associated with pulling motions will be of the most benefit. So first, it is important to identify what your weaknesses might be.

If you have never completed a spartan race, this can be quite difficult. Almost all Spartan obstacles are related to relative strength, or how well you can move your body. If you are proficient at push-ups and pull-ups, then that is a good indicator that you will be successful with obstacles like wall climbs and rope pulls.

It is very important to note, it is essential that you master bodyweight movements before loading up on weight. Bench pressing 300 lbs will not help you complete a spartan if you cannot push yourself over the last wall.

What are the Components of Strength I Need to be Successful in a Spartan Race?

Spartan races will challenge a multitude of skills: jumping, pushing, pulling, carrying, climbing. crawling, and throwing. Even if you have yet to complete your first Spartan race, there are 5 components of fitness we know to be present at every race.

These are not all of the components, but the top 5 I feel racers struggle with the most:

1. Aerobic Capacity – ability to get from point A to point B without stopping i.e. The length of the race.
2. Grip Strength – ability to hold heavy things without dropping them i.e. Lifting an atlas stone.
3. Grip Endurance – ability to hold things for an extended period of time i.e. Carrying a bucket loaded with gravel.
4. Pushing – ability to push your body off the ground or over an object i.e. Push-up during burpee, climbing a wall.
5. Pulling – ability to pull yourself over an object, or pull an object a designated distance i.e. hercules hoist, seated sled pull.

 

5 Exercises To Maximize Your Success

The following 5 exercises are designed to help you improve in different aspects of a spartan race.

• Weighted carry/Farmer walk – This exercise targets grip strength and endurance. It is performed by carrying two kettlebells, dumbbells, buckets, etc. for a designated distance. The more weight you can carry, the easier obstacles like the “Bucket Brigade” will become.

• Pull-up – This exercise targets all the muscles associated with pulling motions. It will help with climbing walls, cargo nets, hoisting sandbags, pulling sleds, etc. If you cannot perform a regular pull-up, you can do a modified one by having your feet touch the ground.

• Push-up – The push-up is a useful exercise for several components of a Spartan race. Once you grab a wall, you have to push yourself over. The same can be said for any obstacle that requires moving your body over it. If you do happen to fail an obstacle, you have to push yourself off the ground 30 times during a burpee. If you don’t have the muscle endurance to push yourself off the ground that many times, then your Spartan race performance will suffer.

• Burpee – At some point during your Spartan race there is a good chance that you will end up doing at least 30 burpees. Training this exercise and then running immediately after will give you a feel for what it is like to fail an
  obstacle on race day.

• Lizard crawl – I have seen many competitors lose valuable time crawling under barbed wire, through mud, etc. This exercise is great for coordination, core strength, and learning to stay low while maximizing efficiency. It may look easy, but crawling exercises are hard to maintain form when performed
  in a fatigued state.

 

Putting it all Together

• Assess your cardio fitness to see if it is where it should be to complete a spartan race (read this if you are not sure what it should be).

• Identify which areas of strength you need to improve.

• Identify how many strength days you can commit to a week.

• Incorporate the strength exercises listed into your training regimen to help you dominate any obstacle at a Spartan race.

What strength exercises have you found that carry over to spartan races well?

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About the Author

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I am a personal trainer because I believe everyone should be their best self. Every individual has the ability to achieve this, but many need someone who can unlock their potential. I take pride in my ability to help clients push themselves to places they have never been before and achieve their every goal. Running a 5k, losing 10 lbs, completing a marathon or Spartan Beast, no matter the challenge, every individual possesses the inner strength to complete their goal.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
-Steve Prefontaine

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