Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) has exploded in popularity the world over in the past four years. Just in the United States, over 2 million men and women participated in obstacles races or mud runs in 2012. OCR harkens back to what we used to do as kids on the playground, run around, jump over stuff, climb things, and get dirty while doing it.

Although still in it’s infancy, the sport is gaining ground, with races popping up all over the country and athletes becoming professionals in the sport. Margaret “Dirt in your Skirt” Schlachter gave up her day job last July to ‘go OCR pro’ on a full time basis. And Hobie Call (http://www.hobiecall.com) is “the Man’ when it comes to Spartan races, having placed 1st in 22 out of the 31 races in which he competed over the past year. You know a sport is serious business when there’s a magazine dedicated to it: Obstacle Racing Magazine (hotlink: http://www.obstacleracingmagazine.com).

A mix of trail and cross country running along with road racing intermingled with random, crazy obstacles that test your agility, speed, endurance, strength and overall chutzpah.

How to Train:

Preparing for an obstacle race or mud run requires you channel your inner child along with your rebellious nature. It’s about letting go, having fun, and pushing yourself to limits you never knew you had.

Training is best done on a course that includes a mixture of running, climbing and crawling. The race terrain should vary and the challenges will include monkey bars, cargo nets and ropes, hurdle jumps, water obstacles and wriggling your way through some serious mud pits.

Training courses are modified to fit beginners to hard-core OCR participants, allowing each to build stamina, strength and speed.

Tips to Get Race-Ready:

• Race with a team of friends or family.
• A positive mental outlook is just as important as your physical readiness.
• Don’t train to the point of stressing yourself out.
• Put your body through a similar workout regimen as the race you’re running.
• Perform circuits of running and include sets of burpees, jumping, push-ups, pull-ups, crawling and climbing.
• Above all, have FUN!

Benefits of Obstacle Course Fitness:

As with all sports, there are many physical (and mental) perks to OCR. Besides incredible stress relief, social interaction, and having a whole heckuva lotta fun, Obstacle Course Racing benefits your fitness in these ways.

• Cardio
• Flexibility
• Balance
• Overall body strength
• Core strength
• Endurance

OCR RACES

• Tough Mudder
• Muddy Buddy
• Spartan Race
• Iron Warrior Dash
• GoRuck Challenge
• Superhero Scramble
• Hero Rush
• Epic Race Arena
• Foam Fest 5K
• Big Sur Mud Run
• Hollister Ranch Romp

Lifestyle Fitness has the first OCR training course in the Monterey Bay Area. The perfect place to train, get guidance and personalized, professional training input, whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro. Already have your own team of race ‘warriors’? We can create a training plan to match your group’s needs, or you can join an existing Lifestyle Fitness training group.

Contact Lifestyle Fitness to find out more about our OCR training programs.

The post Channel Your Inner Tough Kid with Obstacle Course Racing appeared first on Lifestyle Fitness.

What To Expect

OC 101 is a 90 minute group training session that includes instruction and demonstration of over 14 different commonly used obstacles found at Obstacle Course Races (OCR), such as the Spartan Race. It also includes hands-on learning in which participants will get to experience obstacles firsthand. Amount of hands on experience for each client will depend on number of participants and skill level of each group. OC 101 is a group training session, not an open course.

The obstacles participants will practice include monkey bars, spear throw, 5’6” and 8’ climbing walls, cargo net crawl, knotted and natural climbing ropes, transverse wall climb, tire runs, Tractor tire flips, Hercules Hoist, Zig Zag balance walk, log hops, cinder block pulls, and sandbag carries, to name just a few.

What To Wear

Wear comfortable workout clothes and supportive running shoes. Since the course is held in an outdoor setting, we recommend dressing in layers to ensure you’re prepared for whatever Mother Nature dishes up that day. Keep in mind that climbing ropes, walls and crawling can be abrasive to bare skin. Wearing gloves for climbing ropes and monkey bars is a personal preference and produces mixed results. We offer a changing room should you wish to change clothes. The dirt on the obstacle course is soft and will find it’s way down shirts, pants and inside your shoes. We recommend bringing a towel to dust off dirt and a second pair of socks and shoes.

What To Bring

Besides yourself and your stamina, please bring the following:

• Water to drink
• Hand towel
• Completed Informed Consent form & Par-Q form (if paid through website & didn’t email forms back)
• If you plan to pay the day of the class, please arrive a minimum of 15 minutes early to do required paperwork.

More Details

Date: Saturday, July 20th, 2013
Time: 1-2:30pm
Cost: $40 per participant
Location: Orchard Lane, Salinas, CA

On-Going OC 101, 201 & 301 Course Specifics

OC 101 is scheduled on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

OC 201 is offered Sun/Tues/Thurs at 5pm. The first OC 201 class will be offered Sunday, July 21st at 5pm. OC 201 is a training session that incorporates strength, endurance and skill training using many different training tools and formats.

OC 301 is offered Saturday at 10:45am & Sunday Evenings at 6:15pm, beginning Saturday, July 27th, 2013. OC 301 is unstructured, providing an open course for those who have OCR experience and just need “play time” to polish their techniques.

The post Kick Off Class July 20th! Obstacle Course 101 Training appeared first on Lifestyle Fitness.