Spartan Race Training with Body Beast
I remember when the
Body Beast Workout Program was first launched, I was very hesitant on doing the program because it was geared more towards people who were interested in Body Building and Physique Modeling. But the more I looked into the program, it was a lot more than that. It was a program that catered to weight loss, toning up, gaining lean muscle, and even gaining strength for Spartan Races. Not specific to
Spartan Race, it is perfect training for any Obstacle Course Racing event which requires a lot of strength to conquer the obstacles. There are different workout schedules to follow depending on your goals, but if you are training for a Spartan Race, then you may have to change it up a little to make sure that you are using the program for not just strength, but also for athletic performance.
I'm not gonna lie, but since I've been doing Body Beast, I rank it up there as one of my favorite workouts along with P90X and Insanity Asylum Workouts, I'm totally addicted to it! What guy do you know doesn't like lifting weights? And that's the thing, it's easy to want to lift more weight with Body Beast, but if you are focused on becoming a faster OCR (
obstacle course racing) athlete, then building too much mass with Body Beast will hinder your speed and ruin your PR times. So you now ask "
why would I want to do Body Beast then?"
Here are some benefits to using Body Beast for Obstacle Course Race Training:
- Helps you gain strength
- Easy to follow workouts, just add some cardio conditioning (examples below)
- Workouts can be done at home or gym
- Totally customizable depending on your goals
So let's talk about each of these benefits.
Helps You Gain Strength
I think that this is the main benefit for using
Body Beast for a Spartan Race or OCR. But just like any lifting program, the question is,
how much is too much? Just to keep it simple, if your goal is not to become a Body Builder, then it's really not necessary to lift really heavy. The next question is,
how much is too heavy? Well this all depends on you. With Body Beast, a lot of the workouts have anywhere from 3 to 5 complexes, each complex can have a set number of reps per exercise from 8-15 reps including super sets. If you cannot finish all of your reps, then you are probably lifting more than you should. I mean you should always push yourself to add more weight, but remember, we're just building strength and lean muscle, not MASS. Of course the more you continue doing Body Beast, you will soon see that your strength gains go through the roof, just be careful not to build too much mass or else it will again slow your running pace down when you are at a Spartan Race.
Easy To Follow Workouts
That's what I like about Body Beast, because just like the Daily Spartan and Crossfit WOD's, you know exactly what you need to do because it tells you what to do. The only thing about Body Beast is that it is all about lifting (most of the time), and hardly focuses on Cardio Conditioning. So what do you do? You add it in between the Body Beast sets. Here's are some examples:
Ex. 1
During Body Beast Total Body (which is a Full Body Workout) there a 4 circuit sets. The first set includes: Pull ups, Push ups, Squats, and Crunches (2 rounds). What I do is after I complete the circuit of 2 rounds, I will pick up a sand bag and run up some stairs, or if I don't have stairs, then I will just run around the block for 100-400 meters. Other things that you could do in between sets are (depending on the workout):
- Burpees
- Jump Squats
- Running without Sandbag
- Bucket Carry
- Jump Rope
- Insanity or Insanity Asylum Exercises
Ex. 2
During a Body Beast Back/Bis Workout, this workout consists of about 8 sets, each set includes 1-3 exercises with 3 to 4 rounds of lifting reps (from 8-15 reps). After each set, you could add some cardio conditioning such as running, high knees, box jumps etc. Just be careful not to work the same muscle groups every day. If you can only workout 3X per week, then I would do Full Body Workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, then maybe do some running, core focused, and even yoga in between those days. If you need help with this, message me and I would be happy to assist =).
From Home or Gym
I workout at both home and the gym, but I also love doing work outdoors!
Body Beast is perfect because you can workout at home, then go outside to do your added cardio conditioning and athletic-based exercises to cater to your Spartan Race goals. The gym works the same way especially if you are using an outdoor gym, or gym with outdoor access. My gym has an athletic training area, so I will go back and forth from the weight training area to the green training area.
Just another Spartan Race Success Story using Body Beast
Body
Beast helped me build my legs for those elevated hikes carrying sand
bags. It also helped with the atlas carry, Hercules hoist to where I can
lift heavier weight with less effort. ~Jeremy
Totally Customizable
Although Body Beast has their own workout schedules, and it's highly recommend that you follow it according to your goals, it can still be customizable. For Spartan Racers and OCR Athletes, the workouts should be more customized to your athletic goals, and cardio conditioning and athletic-based exercises should be added in between sets to get the full benefit of Body Beast for Obstacle Course Racing. If you are not skilled with creating your own workouts, then I can assist you with showing you how Body Beast can benefit your OCR strength and running game.
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So I hope this helps you understand some benefits of using the Body Beast Workout Program for Spartan Race and other Obstacle Course Racing events. As always, listen to your body, use proper form, and have fun!
Stay active my friends! =)
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