How to Train for an Obstacle Race – and Not Die

Domenic Angelino

A Guide for Lifters

Do you have a hard time with cardio but are you a beast with weights? You can still sign up for an obstacle race! Here’s how to prepare for one and not suck.

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Obstacle Races, People Who Hate Cardio

Obstacle racing is both exciting and frightening. Whichever one you choose – Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, etc. – will require you to be both strong and aerobically fit. It is difficult to meet all demands because most people train for cardio or lifting.

“I’m strong but don’t do a ton of cardio.” No worries. You don’t have to make it difficult. You don’t have to make your training complicated.

First, you need to establish a game plan that’ll up your aerobic fitness. If you’re already pretty strong, just maintain that strength in the gym and focus on cardio. Here are some steps to assist you.

1. Increased Capillarization to Improve VO2 Max

There are many ways to improve your aerobic fitness. These mechanisms will ultimately influence what is called your VO2max. This is the maximum amount of oxygen that you can absorb and use.

Performance is dependent on oxygen. Your body can produce more ATP (the energy currency) if you have more oxygen in your muscles during aerobic activity. Higher levels of ATP mean you can sustain an activity for a longer period.

Increase capillarization is one way to improve your VO2 max. Capillaries are your smallest blood vessels. They’re the ones responsible for transporting oxygen-rich blood to working muscle tissues. Your VO2 max will increase and your aerobic fitness will improve.

Researchers examined the impact of different cardio types on muscle capillarization in a 2022 meta-analysis (1). They found that increases in capillarization don’t normally occur for aerobically well-trained people. Increased capillarization tends to occur if you’re not aerobically well-trained.

The type of cardio you do will determine how much capillarization occurs. Capillarization is moderately improved by steady-state cardio of moderate intensity. High-intensity interval Training (HIIT), however, improves capillarization significantly.

Practically, it means:

• As long as you’re training at a moderate intensity or higher, you’ll eventually reach your potential of total capillarization in aerobically trained muscles.
• It is possible to optimize the rate for increased capillarization before it reaches saturation.
• Once your total capillarization is pretty leveled off, you can focus on inducing other important adaptations that’ll improve your obstacle race performance.

The above will show that the conditioning process for an obstacles race will be much faster if interval training is done at high intensity. Have fun and choose any type of training. Programming for HIIT you find enjoyable. As long as your cardio bouts are performed at greater than 85% of your max heart rate (220 minus your age), you’ll reap the benefits.

If you’re under the age of 60, you can expect to see the greatest increase in capillarization over the first 8-12 weeks of regular HIIT. For 8-12 weeks, keep going. If you’re 60-plus, you should expect similar results in around 16-20 weeks.

2. Increase Your Steady State Running Distance

After you’ve significantly improved your VO2 max, the next step is to familiarize your body with running the actual race distance. This is the phase in which you should slowly build up to running the entire race.

These races can be very different. This means that the programming you choose will be based on your starting point and distance. No matter what race you choose, the goal is to increase your running distance.

If you want to finish the race without feeling too bad, train longer than the race distance. This is very important. It is crucial to understand that your race performance will be different from what you did during training. Plus, you’ll be doing more than just running during the actual race, so the aerobic demands placed on your body will be much higher.

Keep increasing your distance until you are able to comfortably run between 133% and 150% of the race’s distance during training. If you’re short on time or just want to get through the race, aim for 133%. 150% is the goal if you have more time and are looking to do better.

3. Replicate the Demands

Your final step in preparation is to practice runs that simulate the demands of the race. Each race will have different obstacles.

There are two possible ways to structure your practice runs. If you don’t have access to a nearby track or an assortment of training equipment (like dumbbells, medicine ball, etc.), then:

• Plan to run 110%.
• Divide the distance by the number obstacles encountered during the race.
• Do 20 Burpees During the practice race, you should run at each distance interval.

If you have a track nearby and a range of portable training equipment, this is the place to be.

• It is recommended that you run 110% of your race distance.
• Divide the distance by the number obstacles encountered during the race.
• Identify an exercise that most closely replicates the demands of one of the race’s obstacles at each of those intervals (for the tire flip, do a dumbbell clean and press).
• Do 20 reps for each exercise at each distance interval.

Do at most 2-4 practice runs before you race. You can do more if you have the time but at least two practice runs before the race. This will help improve your performance on the day.

4. Do The Thing

As race day approaches, make sure you’re adequately rested. Your performance will be affected by fatigue from training. The last two weeks of the race should be spent in an active rest mode that is low-intensity and low-frequency. Walk a few kilometers 2-3 times per week. You can reduce fatigue and minimize the risk of detraining by taking a short period of active rest before the race.

You could also make one last. “practice run” It should be done around 4-5 days before your race. However, only do it if there is a low level of fatigue. If not, it’s fine to skip it.

Do your best on race day. Your first one will be challenging, but it’ll tell you what to do differently on the next one. You don’t have to feel disappointed about where you were placed. Your training will support your cardiovascular health. This is not a bad thing.

Refer to

Refer to

1. Liu Y et al. The Effects of exercise training intensity and duration on skeleton muscle capillarization in healthy subjects: A meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Oct 1,54(10):1714-1728. PubMed.

The spartan races can be deadly. Ran 2. Both beat me down. Warrior dash was nothing. The terrain race was challenging but didn’t beat me down. We are all different.

I’ve run two Spartan Beasts (14miles) in the mountains and going for regular runs didn’t cut it. I find it difficult to do obstacles. I settled on walking a lot.

These 5K runs are a great way to get on top of the terrain. Flat runs don’t come close to replicating the true demands…. Training runs should be hills—lots of them, and steep ones if possible. Many areas of uneven terrain. Spartans are farmer’s-carry-heavy too…so practice all manner of those. If you’re in the gym, grab a single, heavy dumbbell or sandbag and walk on the treadmill at as steep an incline as it will go. If you’re reasonably fit, you can probably finish, but if you want to be competitive you need to dial it in, push your training, and be ready to suffer.