Scaling walls, crawling through mud, climbing ropes, and sprinting across rugged terrain. Obstacle course racing is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and it’s gaining popularity around the world. The sport is grueling, demanding, and intensely satisfying if you prepare, train, and know what to expect. Only The Essentials of Obstacle Race Training can ensure you will be ready. Authored by David Magida, founder of Elevate Interval Fitness and member of the Spartan Race pro team, and Melissa Rodriguez, former contributing editor for Mud & Obstacle magazine, this in-depth guide breaks down the events, obstacles, common difficulties, and strategies for negotiating all challenges. Most important, it presents the tools and the plan to prepare—physically and mentally—for the unforgettable adventure that awaits. Inside you’ll find 100 of the most effective exercises for grip strength, mobility, balance, power, strength, and endurance as well as 28 workouts you can immediately start to use. You’ll also find advice on conquering course challenges, preventing injuries, and selecting events and mental strategies for focusing, concentrating, and overcoming fear. Through experience and expertise, Magida and Rodriguez have created the most complete, accessible, and effective guide to the sport. Whether you’re competing for your first or your hundredth event, preparation and confidence are key. With The Essentials of Obstacle Race Training, you’ll conquer every challenge.

DIVThis book from Matt B. Davis offers a down-and-dirty overview of the most popular races before tackling the most important concerns for any racer: preparation and training. /div

The beauty of obstacle course racing is that it gets you out of your everyday routine and lets you experience life. If you are stuck in a cubicle or trapped in an urban jungle—congested traffic and crowds are your daily obstacles. Running an obstacle course race gives you the chance to get back to nature—to roll in it, get dirty, and tap into your primal self so you can experience life—in the raw, unedited and real. Margaret Schlachter, the creator of Dirt In Your Skirt blog, is one the foremost competitors in obstacle course racing today. She put together this simple guide to make your obstacle race experience everything it's supposed to be—a test of your true self. She describes first-hand her personal training methods in learning to climb a rope, scale a wall, flip a tire, throw a spear, and carry a sandbag. More importantly, she provides guidance on how to get yourself mentally and spiritually prepared for the big day—and how to dig deep within yourself during a race to find the last ounce of strength to carry you across that finish line. Every weekend thousands of competitors run obstacle races all over the world. Winning or losing is secondary. More important for them is the ability to meet the physical and mental challenges and achieve personal success by completing the race. Obstacle Race Training is an invaluable resource that enables each and every competitor to experience the maximum level of success that they are capable of.

The first how-to guide to help readers prepare for and conquer a new and growing form of distance racing popping up all over the country, written by bestselling fitness author James Villepigue. Obstacle Race Training Bible provides readers with one-stop access to everything you need to know to prepare for and successfully complete a Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash, or any of the other international or regional obstacle races that are taking the world by storm. All of these races combine running various distances and terrain with hard-core obstacles that are both physically and mentally challenging: climbing through pitch-black flooded tubes and over walls, carrying logs uphill, traversing monkey bars, crawling through mud and under barbed wire, leaping over burning hay bales, swimming in ice cold water, navigating through live wires, and more. This combination of running and obstacles is what gives participants a very different kind of challenge than they get with a 5K, marathon, or triathlon. It's a combination that also requires a very different approach to training and preparation, and that's what this book provides. Coverage includes: Profiles of all the major races: running distance, obstacles involved, completion percentage, fitness level required, etc. Obstacle overviews, including photos of what they look like, the mental and physical challenges involved, and the most effective strategies for completing them Obstacle-specific exercises that condition participants for the strength, stamina, flexibility, and mental toughness needed to complete the obstacle 8-week training programs designed for complete novices, elite athletes, and everyone in between Important information on what to wear, nutrition during training, and race day strategies

Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) pushes athletes to their limits as they race over, under, and across a variety of challenges. But as popular as these races have become, there are few resources available to help OCR competitors improve their performance. Training for Obstacle Course Racing: A Practical Guide for the Busy Athlete provides elite-level instruction for the non-professional athlete, from beginning to experienced racers. Topics covered in this book include: Selecting and maintaining equipment Techniques for conquering specific obstacles Developing a training plan Strength and conditioning Developing a sound and safe nutrition plan Common injuries and injury prevention Preparing for competitions Most OCR athletes must be able to effectively balance strength and conditioning workouts, obstacle training, family, work, and recovery. This book is designed for just that purpose, helping athletes develop programs for their specific needs, whether training for health and wellness or winning the race.

A complete guide to training for and competing in obstacle course races: workouts, nutrition, equipment, techniques, and mental preparation.

FITNESS TRAINING. This new book presents the continued evolution of functional training. Ten sections present everything a strength coach or personal trainer may need to understand modern training theory. Boyle updates the reader on the current thinking in core training, back pain, and on how the hip musculature works. Further material on cardiovascular training, and what has worked for the athletes training in his facility continues the journey. In the second half of the book, the author discusses training strategies, including exercises equipment and tools in use on the gym floor, how he develops speed, and a section on his single-leg training methods. Finally, he puts the entire package together with program design, covering the basic objectives of a sound program, and showing you exactly which programs to use in a variety of circumstances.