Your workouts need some spicing up? Nothing a little blood, sweat and mud can’t handle.
That’s the appeal of obstacle course races like Tough Mudder, which offers spectacle but also a different challenge than, say, training for a marathon.
And yes, you have to train. Thankfully, the wellness streaming platform Openfit just debuted a program that’ll quickly get you ready for this year’s crop of obstacle course races.
Openfit’s T-MINUS 30 is a month-long, at-home, almost zero-equipment bodyweight circuit training program created by Hunter McIntyre, a trainer and winner of multiple Tough Mudder X championships; he was also picked as one of the top-50 fittest athletes by Sports Illustrated in 2017.
Every compound move in the 20+ video workouts here is designed with “some aspect of the obstacle course in mind,” as McIntyre tells us. In my admittedly brief testing of the program this week, McIntyre does explain a lot of the exercises in terms of obstacles you’d see on the course.
(And yes, you can totally use the courses just to help you get fit, build strength or lose weight — you need not go signing up for any races.)
To start, you’ll want to run a mile and record your time. Then, simply press play; you’ll need a mobile device or a TV with streaming capability to access the workouts, along with one set of dumbbells (15-25 lbs for men, 6-12 lbs for women).
Each week during the 30-day program, Openfit will expand on your base routines, getting longer and more challenging with each go-around.
You can also sort through programs and workouts by your particular need (strength, cardio, glutes, no equipment, etc.), and switch up your workout schedule depending on what event you’re training for. There’s also a calendar for optional but recommended run and grip-strength training.
Not into a mud-caked workout? Openfit also offers barre, yoga and more generalized 10-minute core/conditioning workouts, along with seven extensive diet and nutrition plans to follow during your workout schedule. Price-wise, it’s $59 for six months and $99 for a year.
Plus, the fitness tips on the site (“22 of the Best Whole30 Approved Foods at Trader Joe’s,” “7 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes”, “How to Power Down After a Late Workout”) offer practical and realistic advice no matter what level of fitness you’re planning.
Admittedly, part of the appeal of obstacle course races comes from community. And that’s where McIntyre sees another advantage to Openfit and T-MINUS30. “There’s live motivation and personal training from me and support from our Facebook community of people doing it together,” he says. “It’s overall a lot better than the info you can find if you Google ‘how to get in shape for an obstacle race.’”
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If you need more OCR training resources, EPIC is a nationwide center for OCR enthusiasts that also has its own workout app. They helped us design an obstacle course workout that we still use. And of their former managers runs FitEvents, a compendium of every single OCR and endurance race you could possibly be interested in … even if one’s called the “Bonefrog Challenge.” And here’s a schedule for this year’s Tough Mudder.
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
