So you finally felt brave enough to sign up for the Spartan Race event of your choice, you paid your entry fee and now you are left with the daunting realization that you have to train for the damn thing. You can get your running shoes on and start to prepare yourself for the distance of the race. You can start to build functional strength and the ability to move your bodyweight around in the gym. You can pummel yourself at boot camp classes to push you to your limits and beyond.
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What to expect with the Spartan Race.
All are good ways to prepare you for the Spartan Race onslaught that will be waiting for you when you turn up to the muddy circle of hell you signed up for. At ConFitdent we like good ways of doing things, but we LOVE great ways of doing things – so we came up with a circuit that combines all 3 of the previously mentioned methods of training so you can fit one hardcore session a week into your existing routine to prepare you for Spartan Race.
Warrior Fuel: Check out our Spartan Race diet and meal plan.
Spartan Race Training: Aspis Circuit
Named after the shield that would have protected a Spartan warrior in battle and be used to create an impenetrable phalanx with their brothers in arms, The Aspis Circuit is designed to make your fitness sturdy, robust and hard to crack in the face of the challenge that awaits you at the Spartan Race.
Ten gruelling rounds of bodyweight training are separated and punctuated by ten runs that add up to a distance close to the Spartan Race you have chosen to participate in.
You will run, jog, walk and crawl your way through this Spartan Race circuit doing your best to beat your previous weeks finishing time, the final hurdle being a round of Burpees to failure. There is no way to plateau with this circuit, just try and finish quicker and fire out a few more burpees each week. You have to get through 9 other exercises and a sack full of runs before you get to that point though.
Spartan Race Training: The Exercises
Your ability to lift and move your own bodyweight will be key to your performance in a Spartan Race, as this is the case, our circuit hits your body from all angles concentrically, eccentrically, isotonically and isometrically. Try saying that sentence after Burpees.
Press-Up
The first obstacle that awaits you is the king of bodyweight exercises. We recommend a wide stance press up for stability but you can perform any variant you feel comfortable with.
Squat
As if your legs did not have enough to deal with you all the running in front of you, now you are going to have to squat. Get your hands on your head like a prisoner and go deep.
Pull-Ups
At some point on the Spartan race course you are going to have to pull your own body weight up. If you cannot do many pull ups, now is the time to build your strength with some negative reps. Get in the up position and take 10 seconds to lower yourself. This will build the amount of reps you can do.
Bear Crawls
This will prepare you for getting on all fours, just remember not to arch your back to much and try to keep as neutral a spine as possible.
Bicycles
A strong core will help you on all sorts of obstacles but this exercise comes into its own for taking you to your limit and helping you manage your pain. Keep breathing.
Mountain Climbers
This is another great exercise for testing you endurance and making the body work as a unit. You are going to need it to practice teamwork in order for you to make it to the finish.
Lunges
Your legs are not going to stop working for the duration of your race and they will need to go above and beyond the call of duty to get you through this. Doing some lunges will help them go the extra mile.
High Knees
This fairly innocuous aerobic exercise will feel like a form of torture by the time you reach it in the circuit. This will test your ability to deal with lactic acid while avoiding crying in public.
Plank
Every muscle in your body will be feeling the burn as you reach the penultimate round of bodyweight exercise, so it is only right that every fibre of your being should have to work to keep your spine straight and your belly off the floor during this plank round. BREATHE.
Burpees to Failure
The final hurdle is insurmountable. You do not do this for a set amount of time and have the satisfaction of hearing the beep of your stopwatch telling you that you made it. You are going to do this to failure. It is only over when you have submitted and are a shaking heap on the ground. Congratulations, you just beasted yourself.
Intensity and Tapering
The distance of each run in the circuit and the length of each round is dictated by which Spartan Race you are training for in the former, and which week of the workout you are on in the latter.
Below you will find 3 tables, one for each of the main Spartan Races, showing you the length of the rounds and distances of each run. The Spartan Race horror, Spartan Death Race, does not feature in this workout as it is a law unto itself and if you have entered it then you already know what you are doing! You will notice that each week of your Spartan Race training that the distance and round length increases, the exception being in the fourth week where the intensity takes a step back to deload. This is so you can start from week 1 again after every 4 week cycle, to allow your body to recover and build back up to hitting the highest intensity weeks in the cycle without losing your adaptive gains or putting too much strain on your system.
Always deload down to week 1 the week before your event so you have had some quality training before the race but without wearing yourself out before it happens! It is also highly advisable that your training regime is complimented with more training geared towards the big day, you will see a few suggestions of what to include in this in our previous article: The Confitdent guide to Spartan Race. Good luck!
Spartan Race: Sprint Training
Perform the following obstacles at intervals with a run in between each obstacle, starting off with the run. If you can run on incline, we would highly recommend it.
Press ups- Squats
- Pull Ups
- Bear Crawls
- Bicycles
- Mountain Climbers
- Lunges
- High knees
- Plank
- Burpees to failure
Week 1
- Each obstacle should be performed for 30 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 300m (almost 0.2 miles)
Week 2
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 400m (almost 0.25 miles)
Week 3
- Each obstacle should be performed for 60 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 500m (0.31 miles)
Week 4
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 400m (almost 0.25 miles)
Spartan Race: Super Spartan Training
Perform the following obstacles at intervals with a run in between each obstacle, starting off with the run. If you can run on incline, we would highly recommend it.
Press ups- Squats
- Pull Ups
- Bear Crawls
- Bicycles
- Mountain Climbers
- Lunges
- High knees
- Plank
- Burpees to failure
Week 1
- Each obstacle should be performed for 30 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 800m (almost 0.5 miles)
Week 2
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 900m (almost 0.6 miles)
Week 3
- Each obstacle should be performed for 60 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 1km (0.62 miles)
Week 4
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 900m (almost 0.6 miles)
Spartan Race: Spartan Warrior Training
Perform the following obstacles at intervals with a run in between each obstacle, starting off with the run. If you can run on incline, we would highly recommend it.
Press ups- Squats
- Pull Ups
- Bear Crawls
- Bicycles
- Mountain Climbers
- Lunges
- High knees
- Plank
- Burpees to failure
Week 1
- Each obstacle should be performed for 30 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 1km (almost 0.62 miles)
Week 2
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 1.2km (almost 0.75 miles)
Week 3
- Each obstacle should be performed for 60 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 1.5km (1 mile)
Week 4
- Each obstacle should be performed for 45 seconds with burpees until failure ending your circuit
- Each run should be 1.2km (almost 0.75 miles)
HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK SHOULD WE DO THE WORKOUT?