Time and time again we’re asked the question: “Can I do Tough Mudder without training?” We understand. Who wants to take on something they might not be able to complete? The answer to that question is yes by the way. It is possible to complete Tough Mudder without training (though maybe not Europe’s Toughest Mudder…), however it’s going to hurt and it’s going to be hard. The better question is: “How to train for Tough Mudder”, why not give yourself the best chance of enjoying every second and dominating every obstacle, all it takes is a little training.
With a range of formats that begin with a 5K course and end with a 24 hour OCR challenge in the form of World’s Toughest Mudder, it’s clear that not everyone will be on the same training plan. However, a few key factors will always remain true.
Best Training for a Tough Mudder Course
We’ve scoured our training guides and interrogated our coaches – here are the top five ways to train for a Tough Mudder obstacle course:
1. High-Intensity Interval Training
It doesn’t matter which Tough Mudder course you find yourself on, whether it’s 5k or 8-10 miles long the set up is pretty much the same. Obstacle, run, obstacle, run, obstacle (you get the gist) which results in a combination of explosive exercise and rest.
This is where HIIT training will become your best friend, as it mimics the action you’ll do on course, improves your strength and burns calories.
2. Get your head in the game
A lot of what you’ll find out on course will push you mentally, as well as physically. How do you prepare for facing your fears? Well you don’t, but what you can do is treat yourself with a little kindness. Didn’t make it to the gym today? That’s okay. Had a disappointing run? At least you went on one.
Tough Mudder events are all about getting out of your comfort zone, trying something new and having fun with other Mudders along the way. Even if you’re training for a competitive event don’t let that distract you from what’s important.
3. Warming up and cooling down
It isn’t just strength and stamina that will get you over tricky obstacles, flexibility is key too. Don’t forget to warm up and down effectively before and after your workouts to keep your body loose.
Struggling to touch your toes? Add in some yoga or pilates sessions to your training regime and you’ll be contorting your body into peculiar shapes in no time.
4. Endurance and stamina
So you want to hit the gym to lift weights, so you can swing across Funky Monkey like…well a monkey? That’s great. But when you hit mile 6 and start flagging you’re going to wish you mixed it up a bit.
Routine is the enemy when it comes to improving your stamina so make sure you’re mixing up your workouts; a bit of HIIT, a bit of cardio, some weights. Variety is the spice of life after all.
If you’re training for Europe’s Toughest Mudder, you will have already factored endurance training in (we hope) and if you’re trying out the Tough Mudder 5K and think this doesn’t apply to you…well it probably doesn’t. So moving on.
5. Full body training
A Tough Mudder course will force you to use every muscle in your body as you climb over Hero Walls, pull other Mudders up Pyramid Scheme and dangle from Kong.
Need some guidance and support? We’ve got a huge back catalogue of workouts for you to use, including 20 weeks-worth of training and targeted workouts to boost your cardio and strength.
Need something to train for? Grab your Tough Mudder ticket today and get ready for the 2021 season. We’ll see you in the mud.
