Training For A Spartan Race

[Ken_L]

A friend asked me to help him train for a Spartan race in a couple months. He tried one a while back but lacked the strength to compete. He is a marathon runner with excellent conditioning but very little strength. I am thinking about a couple minor changes in the standard novice LP to help prepare him for the race. Burpees, sand bag atlas stone carry, and chins will be added, one on each of the 3 days. The sand bag will replace deadlifts once a week. The plan will have a bench emphasis since I think that will be more beneficial than the press for the race. Here are my first thoughts.

First 2 weeks
Tues: Squat, Bench, Deadlift
Thurs: Squat, Press, Deadlift
Sat: Squat, Bench, Deadlift

After 2 weeks
Tues: Burpees, Squat, Bench, Deadlift
Thurs: Squat, Press, Sandbag Atlas Stone Lift/Carry (Rouge 150lb bag)
Sat: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Chins (band assisted)

He can run a couple miles latter in the day on Saturday to maintain cardio. One hurdle will be getting him to eat! In general runners are stick figures and would fit right in on a feed the......... commercial.

I would appreciate any suggestions!

[industrialplaid]

Which course is he training for? The mid-distance one is 8-10 miles, and it gets longer from there, up to 30 miles. Running a couple miles on the weekend is not going to prepare him for this.

[Ken_L]

He will be doing the Sprint which is the shortest one, 3-5 miles. He is already conditioned for running and just needs to maintain. Running twice a week should be sufficient so that it will not interfear with training. What he lacks is the strength to complete the obsticals. In the last Spartan race he was in he had to do a lot of burpees for missed obstacles.

We started this morning with burpees for a warmup followed by squats, bench, and deadlift. The first session went well and he was able to learn the basic movements. On squats he worked up to 105lb, 95lb on bench, and 135lb on deads. Deads could have gone higher but we need to work on form a little more first.

[poser]

I would think that adding some chins in the program prematurely would help tremendously with the obstacles since many of them require climbing up and/or over something. Closer to the race, it might not be an idea to do a little skill building with rope climbs since technique is paramount.

[Pawn]

Do you have some stats for your friend? (Height, Weight, Age, Lifts?)

[pgoreham]

You said to do well in the Spartan race they need strength and to be come better at the obstacles you accomplish this in two ways.
1. For strength do the SS NLP
2. To be come better at obstacles train the same way the SS coaches recommend training for strongman. Identify the skills needed for your competition and train those specifically. So for an obstacle course race, identify if you can, the actual obstacles in the race and train for them specifically as skills or with assistance exercises. If an obstacle requires climbing a rope train that. If an obstacle requires money bars train that.

You have weighted carries. I would recommend removing those because weighted carries are not likely part of the obstacle course and a barbell will be much more efficient for gaining strength and as you said they don't need conditioning work.

[Ken_L]

I would think that adding some chins in the program prematurely would help tremendously with the obstacles since many of them require climbing up and/or over something. Closer to the race, it might not be an idea to do a little skill building with rope climbs since technique is paramount.

I was planning on the standard lifts for 2 weeks in order to learn the movements. After that chins will be added along with sandbag carries. I have a 150lb and a 200lb rogue atlas bags. Rope climbs are a good idea. I hadn't thought of that and I already have the rope.

[Ken_L]

Do you have some stats for your friend? (Height, Weight, Age, Lifts?)

Age 48
Male
Height ~6'1"
Weight: 210
Lifts: No prior experience, started today. Squat 105, Bench 95, Deadlift 135

[Ken_L]

You said to do well in the Spartan race they need strength and to be come better at the obstacles you accomplish this in two ways.
1. For strength do the SS NLP
2. To be come better at obstacles train the same way the SS coaches recommend training for strongman. Identify the skills needed for your competition and train those specifically. So for an obstacle course race, identify if you can, the actual obstacles in the race and train for them specifically as skills or with assistance exercises. If an obstacle requires climbing a rope train that. If an obstacle requires money bars train that.

You have weighted carries. I would recommend removing those because weighted carries are not likely part of the obstacle course and a barbell will be much more efficient for gaining strength and as you said they don't need conditioning work.

Thanks,

I have never participated in a Spartan race and have watched a few on youtube to get an idea of exactly what it is and to know what to program.

1. SS NLP is first priority right now, he needs a base of strength.
2. I do have some of the obstacles available to use. I work at a college that has an adventure ministry in the summer so I plan to get him on a climbing wall, ropes course, and monkey bars after he can do a few chins.

As for the weighed carry I know that there is an atlas stone carry on the course. He said that this was the hardest obstacle and that he could not even pick it up, so a little technique and practice is needed.

[FatButWeak]

I second the SS Linear progression program. Your friend is way too weak and heavy. Drop all pretense of "training" chins and all that other stuff. I know of what I speak. It will just be a distractiion. Also at 6'1 and 210 pounds - bein as weak as you say he is - he must be pretty doughy. Thats not a good formula for chins. Just run the LP as long and hard as possible. Gte him to eat steak to recover. The "skills" needed for those races arent too hard to figure out on the fly. But if you dont have the necessary strength, forget it. It wont happen.