Training for Spartan Race Sprint or Warrior Dash is one of the best ways to develop total fitness, gain muscle and lose the fat.  Before training for these obstacle races you need to incorporate all kinds of training regiments to successfully compete.  Although there are different types of Spartan Races in varying lengths and obstacles, in this article my focus is on the 5k obstacles, and these include the Spartan Sprint and Warrior Dash.

It’s Longer Than You Think

Just because you think you can run 5km in 20 mins doesn’t mean you’ll do the same time during an obstacle course.  It’s an obstacle course. So, you’re actual run time will be interrupted.  Sometimes you’ll run into line ups, other times you’ll make a few attempts to complete a specific challenge.

Hills, Hills, then More Hills

To add further pain, most courses are setup on very steep and long climbs with equally long descends.  Your quads, and even your lower back will feel the pain. Like many others I’ve witnessed, you’ll be crawling up the hill on your knees and hands if you lack proper training.

Build Some Strength

Your conditioning might be good, but if you don’t have the muscular strength to climb ropes or walls, you’ll have a hard time getting through the course.

So, before you embark on a training regiment for Spartan Race or Warrior Dash ensure the program helps you develop strength, sprint speed and duration, and cardiovascular conditioning.

Image courtesy of Flickr user irunflint