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Fitness & Health

27th Mar 2015

The Fitness expert’s guide to training for Tough Mudder 2015

Follow these tips and you'll be fine

JOE

Fitness expert Pat Divilly has all the advice you need to prepare for one of the biggest events of the summer.

July might seem a while away but it’s right around the corner and as Tough Mudder is set to make its return to Ireland this summer, it’s time to start thinking about training in the lead up to what is ‘probably the toughest event on the planet’.

Tough Mudder is back this July with all new obstacles set to thrill the thousands expected at the Loughcrew Adventure Centre in Oldcastle, co. Meath.

Tough Mudder is a team-oriented 10-12 mile (18-20 km) obstacle course designed to test physical strength and mental grit.

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With the most innovative courses inspiring over 5,000 people to enter in its first year to visit Ireland last year, Tough Mudder promises to haunt anyone who has skipped their training.

Fitness expert Pat Divilly is here to help those participating with his top tips for training for the Tough Mudder event.

Pat is aiming to raise much needed funds for Console Ireland by getting a world record-beating team of people together to enter Tough Mudder this year.

For more information, please visit the Tough Mudder website or Pat Divilly’s website and be sure to follow Pat’s tips below before you start preparing your body for one of the toughest tests it will ever face.

Physical requirements

When we break down the Tough Mudder event there are a few key areas of fitness we need to focus on.

Cardio

The Tough Mudder race will typically be 20-22kms, about the distance of a half marathon. That can put some people off and I understand that because I hate distance running more than anyone!

But an adventure event is different as it is broken up with obstacles and a great sense of camaraderie.

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I encourage all of my Tough Mudder team to work toward completing a 10km run in 60 minutes in the lead up to the event. If you can do that, you’re set.

With more than 12 weeks to go, if you start running 20 minutes 2-3 times a week and add 3-4 minutes to your run every week for the next 12 weeks you’ll be in a great position.

Strength

Along the 20km Tough Mudder course there are obstacles. There’s climbing, crawling, jumping and more.

On top of building up a cardio base you need to be looking at increasing strength training, particularly in the upper body. You can do that by working on bodyweight movements like push-ups, pull-ups, bear crawls and lunges.

Alongside your 2-3 weekly runs, add in a number of sets including push-ups, pull-ups, lunges and bear crawls.

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Again, with 12 weeks to go you would want to be increasing the number of repetitions you are performing every week. Tiny improvements consistently over 12 weeks will lead to massive changes.

These two areas – building up a base level of strength and cardio – are a great starting point before moving toward more advanced movements and sprint training closer to the event.

No time like the present to get started!

To read why JOE has signed up for Tough Mudder 2015 and why you should too, click here.