We're moving! I mean literally, not in a sense that I am starting a new website or anything.
For those of you who follow me consistently, my wife is finishing up her PhD at the end of October, so she has taken a great new position starting at the beginning of 2013. This means that we, as a family, are moving to be closer to her new job. What this means for the rest of you, is that I will be filming my videos from a brand-new location!
We are moving into a brand-new house on December 13th 2012. This lines up fairly well with my schedule as I will be taking a bit of time off after the World's Toughest Mudder on November 17/18th.
I have a list of fitness goals and programs I wish to try, including Insanity: The Asylum Volume 2, as well as Beachbody's bulking program Body Beast, but all of that will be dependent on how the move goes and how I wish to set my training schedule for my next Tough Mudder.
Yes, you heard that correctly, I am going to be doing the Toronto Tough Mudder in May 2013. My wife was really inspired by my last Tough Mudder outing, so she wishes to do it this time, so we are going to do it together.
So, I will need to get that home gym up and running in no time at the new house!
That is fine, however, since it is a new house, the gym will be in the basement...the unfinished basement! I have been pondering what I wish to do with the basement once I move in, but in reality, I am probably just going to set up a temporary workout dojo for now, so my wife and I can train, and then set out plans to finish it sometime next year.
My dad is a basement-finishing guru, so, I am hoping he is going to help me not only finish my basement, but also lend me his tools. Dad, if you are reading this, thanks in advance!
So, what this also means for all of you, is that you get to see my full thought process as I design and implement my home gym plans. I have some pretty good ideas already, and will continue to brainstorm over the next few months, but if any of you have any suggestions, feel free to throw them my way.
I will be documenting my thought process as I go, with plenty of updates right here on my written blog, and of course on my Youtube channel. I am not a carpenter, nor do I wish for my blog/vlog to turn into a "home makeover" type theme, but it should at least be of some interest to some of you who are looking for ideas on how to design a home gym, so stay tuned!
Quote of the day: "You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."
~ Henry David Thoreau
Here is the written summary of the video I posted yesterday. I figured I would post the written summary for any folks who wish to refer back to this list, either for themselves or for others. Enjoy! Hey Everybody Tyler here again with some HUGE news! Beachbody coaching is coming to Canada on Monday October 1st, 2012! For those of you who know me, or have been following my online, you will know that I have been waiting for this opportunity for quite some time now. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a few years now, so I am glad to announce that I am FINALLY going to become a Beachbody coach, and I am looking for some passionate, motivated individuals who wish to build a team with me! My goal is to be the biggest coach in Canada! Having said that, I don't want to just alienate myself from the rest of the world. As much as I love Canada, and wish to help as many Canadians as possible, I have also gotten to know many passionate, dedicated individuals from the United States and abroad who are also excited and willing to help folks achieve their goals just as much as I am. So, in order to spread the word, and to recruit some of you, dedicated, passionate individuals who may be looking for a coach, I am giving you my Top 10 Reasons to Make Me Your Coach, so, on with the list! #1 CSCS Certified I am CSCS Certified! I have my undergraduate Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry: Pre-Medical. This degree allowed me to qualify, write, and attain my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association in the United States. What is CSCS you ask? Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCSs) are professionals who apply scientific knowledge to train athletes for the primary goal of improving athletic performance. They conduct sport-specific testing sessions, design and implement safe and effective strength training and conditioning programs and provide guidance regarding nutrition and injury prevention. Recognizing that their area of expertise is separate and distinct, CSCSs consult with and refer athletes to other professionals when appropriate. This certification is the ONLY strength and conditioning certification recognized by the NCAA, MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL. How does this help you? My knowledge base in exercise science can help me assist you in many different ways including explaining the training principles and theories behind the programs offered by Beachbody. I can also assist you to tailor or modify programs to suit your exact goals and needs! #2 Lifetime Athlete I have played competitive sports my entire life and played soccer at University-Level on scholarship Growing up, I have played a wide range of sports, from hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, track, and most recently "mud runs". Fitness and an active lifestyle is what I am all about. I love the fact that an active lifestyle is such a large part of my life, as it brings me great joy. My goal is to help others see the love for an active lifestyle as well! #3 I Use Beachbody Products I have been using Beachbody products since 2008. I started out using P90X, and have later branched off to use Insanity, Insanity: The Asylum, Tony Horton's One on One series, and of course P90X2. I have used the products consistently over the past 4 years, so that experience, as well as my educational background, I can educate you on the ins and outs of the programs to help you achieve your goals! #4 World's Toughest Mudder I am competing in the World's Toughest Mudder 2012! Over the past several years, my fitness level has increased due to using Beachbody products as well as pursuing my own fitness strategies. This year, I took part in my first ever Tough Mudder event. I managed to finish in the top 5% of my race, so I was invited to participate, and compete in what is known as the "World's Toughest Mudder"! For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is an 8-10mile obstacle course, filled with diabolical things like electricity, ice water, quarter pipes, etc. The goal is to do as many laps of the course as you can. Oh yeah, and the event is 24 hours long... Oh yeah, and it takes place in New Jersey... In November... #5 Honest Reviews I review products fairly and honestly, letting you know what I personally feel is worth your time and money. I have nearly 800k youtube views from my reviews of Beachbody products. I get compliments all the time on how much folks enjoy my fair and honest attitude towards the programs. Moving forward, I will continue to be honest with how I feel about products and programs that interest you! #6 Passion for this Industry I have a real passion for the health and fitness industry. I have worked in a Pharmacy setting that services assisted living and long-term care facilities. I have experienced the state of health many individuals deal with on a day to day basis. This is one of the many pieces of fuel I use for my motivation. I wish to live a long, happy, and most importantly, healthy life. I wish to share this passion with all of you! #7 Blogger I am an avid health and fitness reader/writer. Not only am I reading about health and fitness ALL the time, I am writing about it too! In case you haven't seen it already, go and check out my blog over at trobbinsfitness.blogspot.com. There you will find close to 300 archived blogs that I have written. These blogs are there for your use and personal gain. I would suspect there is something useful there for nearly everyone!
#8 Experience I am an actual personal trainer, with extensive experience training folks of ALL ages, ALL skill levels, and ALL levels of fitness. I have worked with and trained middle aged women. I have worked with trained children. I have worked with and trained athletes of all levels. I have the experience behind me to assist me in helping others. I know that any health and fitness plan starts with a goal. Once I learn YOUR goal, I can start to design and tailor a program that will help you get to where you want to be! #9 Team Ripped I am joining forces with TeamRipped and Coach Wayne! Maybe you know who Coach Wayne is, maybe you don't. If you DON'T know who he is, let me enlighten you. Coach Wayne is the Top Beachbody coach of 2011, and leading the way in 2012 as well. By joining my team, you are not only joining me, but you are joining one of the top Beachbody teams in the world! #10 Contest If the 9 points before now haven't enticed you enough, let me tell you one more. I am giving away a FREE copy of Insanity: The Asylum Volume 2! That's right. Throughout the month of October, anybody who signs up through Team Beachbody, with myself listed as their coach, will be entered for a chance to win a FREE copy of Shaun T's Insanity: The Asylum, Volume 2! This does not mean that you have to sign up as a coach under me. Any and all coaches and general customers who are registered through Team Beachbody, with myself listed as their coach, by the end of October, will be entered in the contest. At the end of the month, I will throw all the names in a hat, and do a draw and award one person the winner! Well there are my Top 10 Reasons to make me YOUR coach, folks. I am not messing around here. As I said, I have been chomping at the bit to get this opportunity, I am here to help all of you! If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at t.robbins.fitness@gmail.com You can also find my on Facebook at facebook.com/TylerRobbinsFitness Or on my blog at trobbinsfitness.blogspot.com I look forward to hearing from all of you soon!
Quote of the day: "Yesterday does not equal tomorrow. Forget the past and move towards your goals."
~ Tony Robbins
For those of you who know me, or have followed me online for the past little while should know that I have been waiting for this for some time. Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns as we move forward and I build our team!
Quote of the day: "They conquer who believe they can."
~ John Dryden
I am now 3 days into my World's Toughest Mudder training schedule and I am experiencing those familiar signs of a change in training. I am sore as hell, I am sleepy, and I am hungry almost all the time!
The idea behind training periodization, or as some folks like to call it, "Muscle Confusion", is to alter your training enough, in order to cause a constant state of change. In other words, change your training program frequently enough so that you don't get bored, and your muscles/body doesn't 'plateau'.
For an individual who wishes to achieve or simply maintain a general state of fitness, periodization is great because it forces you to change up your fitness plan so that you aren't getting bored mentally, but also so that your body is not adapting to a program, causing a slowing or inhibition of 'gains'.
From an athlete's perspective, however, periodization is used to 'build' your body to be really good at something. For example, a football player's goals should include some size, strength, and speed. It is tough to build all three of those at once, so you break your training schedule down into 'periods' so that you can maximize you benefits for one specific goal at a time, and then build on that progress as time passes.
For myself, I just recently came off of a strength phase. I was lifting weights and doing a little bit of cardio, so to the average person, I am 'staying fit'. So why is it that I am now so damn sore?
During my strength phase, I was lifting heavy stuff, with low repetitions. I was generally aiming for 6-8 (sometimes 10) repetitions. The goal was to make my muscles strong, or in other words, able to generate great amounts of force. (Note, not to be confused with power, which is generating force as fast as possible)
Now that I have built a decent level of strength, I am transitioning my muscle fibers to be more aerobic. You see, training in the lower repetition range, my muscles become great at generating force, as I said before. They do so by means of the anaerobic energy system, recruiting large amounts of muscle fibers for every single repetition.
Now that I am training with more 'endurance' in mind, I am aiming for 12-15+ reps on every single resistance exercise set, in order to increase the efficiency of the muscle fibers. Once you get to that 12 rep range, and a little beyond, your muscles are forced into using more aerobic means to generate energy.
This means that the load or resistance is less, placing less strain on the muscles, or in other words, recruiting less muscle fibers on every repetition. The less muscle fibers recruited during each rep allows the muscles to crank out more reps.
Type 2 muscle fibers are more anaerobic in nature. They are there to generate force. However, you can transition them into being slightly more aerobic in nature, which is great for endurance athletes, or in this case, running the World's Toughest Mudder.
So, to get back to my original thought, even though I was lifting weights before, now that I am targeting a completely different energy system, my muscle fibers are transitioning, causing my soreness, my fatigue, and therefore burning more calories and needing more food. Excuse me, I am heading to go get a snack!
Quote of the day: "I walk slowly, but I never walk backward."
~ Abraham Lincoln
Well, my World's Toughest Mudder training is underway. I feel as though I need to take the time and thank all who have gotten me to this point.
It has been a crazy year. If you told me at the beginning of 2012, just weeks after my first son was born, that I would compete in Tough Mudder Toronto, qualify for World's Toughest Mudder, train for it, and have tremendous support along the way from friends, family, and the community, I would've called you crazy.
Ever since I made mention of this event to my family, and how I was just sort of thinking about doing it, they have all jumped on board to make sure that this happens!
My sister is the one who initially got the ball rolling by arranging the newspaper article. My parents have helped me with some of my costs associated with WTM, not to mention traveling all the way up to Barrie to cheer me on with my wife Nicole as I competed in Tough Mudder Toronto.
And of course my wife, who has supported me all year long during all of my training. She hasn't complained at all when our grocery bills went up thanks to my increased calorie consumption. Or the many days when my alarm would go off at 4:45am so that I would be up in time to train that day. She has even been there to try and massage my sore muscles when I have been too damn sore to even sit in a chair comfortably.
The support I have received from my family has been absolutely amazing, and has really helped push me along to train a little bit harder, and compete a little bit further. But I have to admit, one thing that has surprised me tremendously, is the support I have received from folks that are essential strangers to me.
I would like to thank Ken F., Mark G., Bruce S., and Bayne U. who, at the time I am writing this blog, have donated money to me yet I have never even met them in person!
I also need to give a very special shout-out to Kreator Equipment and Services. They are a business located here in my home town of Orangeville. I learned about their tremendous amount of support that they have given back to the community around them when I went in to meet with them regarding a sponsorship for myself. They have been incredibly supportive of me and my efforts/interests to compete in the World's Toughest Mudder. Their sponsorship has open up many new doors for me in terms of properly preparing for this event. So I thank them!
From the family members, names, and businesses listed above, to the other supporters that have offered a helping hand from my home town, I am forever grateful of the support I have received, and will continue to receive leading up to WTM.
All I can hope to do, is to represent my home town of Orangeville, and those who have supported me, by training and competing as well as I can. Now if you excuse me, I have some training to get to!
Quote of the day: "My strength lies solely in my tenacity."
~ Louis Pasture
The pinnacle obstacle at any Tough Mudder event. It is not the most physically demanding, but this one tests you mentally. Are you ready to get shocked?
To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect with the "live" obstacles at Tough Mudder. I have been 'shocked' a few times in the past, when I have gotten my finger too close to a light socket or other similar misadventures, but nothing could prepare me for the sensation you get from Electroshock Therapy!
I wouldn't necessarily say that getting shocked like this 'hurts', at least not in the way getting kicked or punched does. It is unlike any other sensation I have felt before. At least when you are being punched or kicked, you usually see the object coming towards you and then striking you, and you have that external soreness localized to the spot you are struck.
In this case, when being shocked, it's almost as if you feel it from the inside, out. It's like having all of your muscles suddenly tense up at once. Your vision goes a bit blurry, and you feel like you're going to fall down...or maybe you do fall down.
(My experience with Electroshock Therapy can be seen starting at the 4:41 mark)
I wouldn't say there is anything you can do or train to prepare you for this obstacle, unless of course you want to go grab a cow fence (not recommended). Just come into the event mentally ready to do anything it takes to get you to that finish line!
Quote of the day:
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
I just want to put out a disclaimer now, that I am not deliberately trying to brag about my success in this event, just trying to give my readers perspective.
This obstacle, will no doubt give some folks trouble getting up. It requires a combination of speed, power, and upper body strength to conquer. I was able to make it up and over on my own, on my first try, but not everyone will have the same success.
(You can see me conquering Everest at the 4:24 mark of this video)
The difficult part about Everest, is that at Tough Mudder Toronto, this obstacles was placed near the end of the race. For those that competed in this event know that there were plenty of ski hills to climb, so by the time you got to Everest, your legs were shot...at least mine were. That is why you see me take a second to catch my breath before attempting this.
You need a bit of speed and lower body explosiveness (and timing) to get some momentum running up the quarter pipe, and jumping at the right time to get your hands on the ledge. For me personally, once I was able to get my hands on the ledge, I was able to pull myself up with little problem at all. Again, as I have said in previous blogs, my training helped me with an obstacle like this specifically as I used lower body plyometrics combined with upper body training (pull-ups/chinups).
To train for an event like this, make sure to include some lower body plyometrics to improve your 'springiness' and explosiveness so that you can not only generate some speed up the ramp, but to also get a good jump. Whether or not you are then able to pull yourself up will be dependant on your upper body strength and/or help from others.
Other factors involved here include the timing of this obstacle. If this comes soon after an obstacle where you get wet and muddy, then this may become significantly more difficult as you would then have to try and combat a lack of footing.
Quote of the day: "Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time."
~ Josh Billings
Hold Your Wood is a physically-demanding obstacle on the Tough Mudder course. Pretty simple though, pick up a piece of wood, on your own or with a friend, and carry it for a desired amount of time!
This obstacle requires total-body strength and conditioning as you are required to lug a heavy log around. You may be required to carry the log uphill, through water, through mud, etc. so some upper body strength, as well as core strength will by beneficial.
Greased Lightning is definitely one of the more 'fun' obstacles on the course, unless of course the climate you are competing in is cold, then you may not want to be sliding into ice cold water.
There is not a whole lot to this obstacle. Essentially it is a large slip and slide for adults! Tough Mudder Toronto participants were lucky enough to have this obstacle towards the end of the course. I remember getting really excited when I saw it, as the race was held in August, so I was pretty hot towards the end, so it was nice to be able to dunk in some water to cool off.
There really is nothing you can do to prepare for this event, unless you wish to set up a large slip and slide in your backyard to get used to sliding into a pool of water!
Quote of the day:
"Stop thinking about what could go wrong and think about what could go right!"
Tough Mudder Toronto had this event titled as "Log Jammin'", although the Tough Mudder website has it listed as "Log Bog Jog". Either way, this obstacle may surprise a few people with its difficulty.
The obstacle is designed to be a somewhat structured pile of logs where you must either climb up and over, under, or even through. There are arrows on the logs pointing you in the direction the organizers wish for you to travel.
This obstacle was towards the end of the Toronto course, so I was actually fairly winded and ready for a break. I made my way through the logs with virtually no problem, but it definitely took some extra effort to get up and over some of these log piles.
To train for this event, I would recommend some total-body strength training as you will need leg, core, and upper body strength to get through this one. You should be fine completing it on your own, but a helping hand here or there never hurts!
Quote of the day: "Success as I see it, is a result, not a goal."
~ Gustave Flaubert
The purpose of this blog is to clear a few things up regarding my World's Toughest Mudder training schedule. I have had a few questions from folks regarding the finer details of my training, plus I wanted to add a few details, so here goes.
Repetition Goals
I just finished a 'strength phase', where my goal was simply that - to try and maximize the strength of the muscles. To achieve this, I increased my resistance and aimed for lower reps. Three weeks for a strength phase could've been a bit longer, but I am sort of on a limited time-frame now, so I made due with what I had.
The three weeks was still productive, as I was able to reach some personal bests in many different exercises, so I am arguably at the strongest point I have been at. So now, my goal is to make my strength 'functional'.
All of my resistance routines will be aiming for a 12-15+ repetition range. Pushups and pullups will naturally reach these repetition goals, as with bodyweight exercises, you are aiming for maximum reps. "Assistance" exercises (bicep curls, triceps extensions, etc.) are a bit of a trickier breed because you really have to focus-in on an ideal resistance to hit your desired rep goal. Trickier, but doable!
There shouldn't be too much strength loss (if any) during the 7 weeks I will be training in the higher repetition range. Not only that, but my goal is to train my muscles in that 'endurance' range so that they can be more efficient at producing energy by aerobic means.
Also, since I will be using P90X2, virtually ALL exercises aim to involve multiple joints, along multiple planes at once. This improves the overall total-body coordination as well as improve core stability and joint stability. All of this will not only improve performance, but will also reduce risk of injury.
Double Runs
On my original schedule, I don't have more than one workout scheduled for any given day. This, more than likely, will not stay this way. I am leaving my double workouts up to how I feel on any given day. If there is a day when I feel great and have some extra energy to burn, I will head out for a second run.
One of the best tips I received from last year's World's Toughest Mudder winner, however, is that the most momentum and progress can sometimes be gained from those workouts when you "just aren't feeling it!" So, there will be some days when it will be cold, rainy, and I am in no mood to workout, but I will head out anyways because those are the mental battles that I must also train, and win, in order to do well at the WTM.
Quote of the day: "Quality is not an act, it is a habit."
~ Aristotle
I can honestly say, there is nothing that can really prepare you for the "live" obstacles at Tough Mudder...unless you have been electrocuted before that is!
I personally found Electric Eel to be just as bad/crazy, if not more crazy than Electroshock Therapy. I felt like at least with Electroshock Therapy, if you feel yourself getting zapped, you can try and get the hell out of there faster. On the other hand, Electric Eel forces you to slowly slide along your belly under these live wires, so it is a much 'slower' experience!
When I ran the Tough Mudder Toronto event, this obstacle was not a pool of ice water, rather just a pool of water. To be honest, I think I would've actually preferred ice water, as it may have taken my mind away from the zapping a bit.
When you approach this obstacle, you have to climb into the water, on your belly, and pull yourself under these rows of live wires through the water. I think I must've hit a live wire from every single row, as I got zapped at least 6 or 7 times on this obstacle. Hopefully the folks watching weren't too disappointed with the language spewing from my mouth...
There really isn't anything in particular you can do to train for this event, unless of course you wish to go pee on a cow fence or something. But seriously, this is one of the obstacles on the course to test your mental grit. Sure, the shocks feel 'weird', but I wouldn't necessarily say they are painful, at least not painful in the same way it would feel getting kicked in the face.
The sensation you get is unlike anything I have ever experienced. You just get this instant 'pulse' from your inside, out. Actually, the very first shock I received, I remember thinking, "Oh, so that's what that feels like!"
Jump in the water and embrace the electricity, you'll feel like one badass tough guy/girl once you are done!
Quote of the day:
"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog."
There are new phrases or 'buzz words' coming out regarding our poor state of health again. Phrases like "Type 3 Diabetes" and "Brain Diabetes" will soon be making their way into the mass media I'm sure. Although, I guess it is entirely possible for these phrases to be passed over and not used, as they come with a pretty frightening outlook.
Scary premise isn't it? Not only is an aging global population hurtling its way towards a potentially catastrophic epidemic of type-2 diabetes, but we could be facing an even greater threat known as Alzheimer's Disease.
The potential personal and societal suffering caused by this two epidemics (I guess you could classify them as 1 epidemic still, as they essentially have the same cause) is astronomical, yet there seems to be very little being done about it.
I have thought this one over on both sides of the political spectrum, as with any other topic that arises regarding diet and exercise.
Yes, everyone in the free world should have the right to do as they please. You should have the right to eat what you want, do what you want with your free time, obey the rules and laws, etc. What right does the government have to tell you what you can or cannot do, correct?
Sure, but think about things from another perspective. I believe that we have structured a society that has allowed companies and corporations to take many 'liberties' with these rights and freedoms, and choose to sell whatever products they wish, even if that comes with a health risk to their customers.
Then flip that coin over again. Everyone has a choice to make with what they put in their mouths right? It is up to each and every individual to decide what they should or shouldn't be eating. It's kind of like wearing your seat belt in a car. Whether you wear it or not is at your discretion (for the most part). If you choose to not wear your seat belt, you are doing so at your own risk.
Yes, but what if there are actually some companies and products out there who mislead you into thinking that you are perfectly safe not wearing that seat belt? There are many individuals who choose to believe nearly everything they are told.
At the end of the day, there are always going to be arguments from both sides of this fence. Some folks believe that they should be able to do as they please, without any 'government figure' telling them what they can or cannot do. There are also folks who believe that it is the responsibility of a governing body to help us make smart, educated decisions.
I feel I am actually somewhere in the middle, sitting on the fence I guess. I think there is a definite need for a lot of folks out there to get the proper guidance to make smart, informed decisions. Having said that, the final decision as to what you consume comes down to you.
Type-2, and now 'type-3 diabetes' are real and pose a very potential threat to hundreds of millions, if not billions of people worldwide. Try and take precautions to help yourself by leading a healthy lifestyle filled with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Quote of the day: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
Some folks may find the bars slippery, especially if this obstacle comes soon enough after a muddy one. Having said that, I didn't really have any problems getting through this one at all.
Upper body strength, along with a good amount of core strength are the keys here. If you can, practice your pullups and chinups to build some upper body and grip strength. If you can't do pullups, that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker here, but I would work on your grip strength by doing exercises like "Farmer's Walks"as well as practice some monkey bar work at your local playground.
Also, if you feel like you may fall from the bars while doing this obstacle, have your wits about you, you do not want to land funny in the pool below. I overheard some folks talking about the broken/sprained ankles that occurred from folks landing funny in the water.
Quote of the day: "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great makes you feel that you, too, can become great."
Boa Constrictor in my opinion is one of the least physically-demanding obstacles on the course, but that does not mean that it does not require a bit of strategy.
The description sums things up fairly well. The obstacle is set up to get your wet and muddy. First, you slide down a narrow tube (go head first). As you exit the tube, you enter a pool of muddy water. Now the temperature of this water will be entirely dependent on the climate you are competing in (obviously).
I ran the Tough Mudder Toronto event which took place in August, so the water was quite warm. If you are participating in New Jersey in October, however, you may be entering some pretty cold water!
Once you enter the water, you will want to keep you head and body low, as you will have barb wire directly above you. This forces you to stay low in the water and get nice and dirty!
The toughest part of this obstacle, in my opinion, is the tube leading up and out of the water. The inside of the tubes are smooth. So, trying to climb up the inside of a smooth tube while you are wet and muddy makes for a challenging time.
For most folks, I am going to guess that you will not be able to get on all-fours, due to the narrow tube, so you will have to try and get your grip the best you can and pull yourself up with your upper body. I would be completely guessing here, but I would say the incline to climb inside the tube would be about 15-20 degrees.
To train for this event, and similar to other obstacles in Tough Mudder, you will need a good combination of core and upper body strength.
Quote of the day:
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Last year was my first time doing a Birthday Challenge. Inspired by Jack Lalanne, I have read about, and thought about doing a Birthday Challenge for a few years now, but finally got around to doing one last year.
I remember the day fondly. I had turned 27 on Friday, November 25th 2011, and decided to celebrate my birthday Saturday morning with a long, drawn-out workout hitting goals that I set out for myself with a '27' theme.
After a few hours' worth of work, I completed my last set up pullups and was astonished at how well I did. Some of my goals were relatively easy to reach, but I have to admit that the pullups/chinups were the one category that scared me the most.
In the end, however, I felt incredibly proud of what I had accomplished. For those out there looking for something to do to make your birthday memorable, I highly recommend doing a Birthday Challenge for yourself.
Choose something that will challenge you, and work hard to achieve it! Sure, it doesn't necessarily have to be something physical, you could watch 30 hours of tv in a row to celebrate your 30th, for example. I figured that a birthday challenge, for me at least, should be something that I do to challenge my mental grit and physical strength/stamina in a way to thank my body for getting me to this age.
You only have one mind and one body. Together, they get you to where you want to go, so why not 'thank' it by challenging both. You may find that you will end up with a pretty rewarding feeling in the end.
Which leads me to this year...
I remember finishing my challenge last year, immediately thinking, "How can I top this next year?" What are some other goals/aspirations I have in mind that I would like to do to challenge myself? I remember wanting to add some distance running to the mix, but figured it may be a bit too cold and/or snowy in November to add some outdoor endurance work. Well, bring on the World's Toughest Mudder!
Suddenly, I am looking at quite the event to challenge myself. Sure, it is a week early, but competing in the World's Toughest Mudder this year is most certainly going to be the way I celebrate another year on this planet!
I guess the only problem I will have after this event is trying to figure out what to do next year...
Quote of the day: "Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you." ~ Jack LaLanne
Needless to say, I have put a lot of thought into this training schedule, and although it may still change, this at least gives me a starting point.
You can refer back to the training I did for Tough Mudder Toronto, although this schedule will be remarkably different. Regular Tough Mudder events run anywhere between 10-12 miles, and generally have around 20-25 obstacles. The goal in that event was to essentially get through the course as quickly as possible.
Now, I really do not want to brag, but I spent a lot of time strength training my entire body, so I really had no issues whatsoever with the obstacles at Tough Mudder Toronto. I completed every single obstacle, and did every single one on my own.
Having said that...
World's Toughest Mudder 2011, was an 8-mile course, with 40 obstacles. One of my first and foremost points of focus will be overall total-body strength. Although Tough Mudder is keeping the event a secret until event day, I think it will be fairly safe to assume things will be at least somewhat similar.
This means that since the goal is to complete as many laps in 24 hours as possible, combined with the fact that there are so many obstacles, increased in difficulty, I will be training 2 main energy systems.
Total-body strength will be needed to complete the numerous obstacles on the course. Not only that, but there will be endurance running involved...potentially lots of it. Sure, the course is only 8 miles, with plenty of obstacles along the way, making the course much more segmented, but I don't plan on doing just one lap, so I will want my endurance and stamina levels to be high so that I can compete well into the competition.
Finally, it is one thing to be strong, but it is something completely different to be functionally strong. What I mean by this is that, although you may be able to bench press a bunch of weight, or hurl weight up and over your head, unless your joints, ligaments, and tissues are ready for a number of variables, you increase your risk of injury.
For that reason, I am including many of the P90X2 workouts into my training schedule. P90X2, for those of you who are not familiar, takes basic resistance training to the next level, by introducing many new variables to challenge the body.
For example, pushups done on medicine balls create destabilized surfaces for your joints, forcing your body to adapt and stabilize best it can. This improves the overall athleticism, while also decreasing risk of injury.
Finally, I am currently in, and completing, my own strength phase, acting as both a bit of a recovery period from my training all year, but also maintaining/increasing my strength. I am not doing a lot of cardio right now, with more strength training to improve my overall total-body strength.
Once I then move into more functional training with P90X2, I will also increase my endurance training, and then the final push will be to tie everything together and really up my endurance.
From what I have seen of the course in New Jersey, where World's Toughest Mudder is being held, there shouldn't be hills like there were at the Tough Mudder Toronto event. I am sure there will be changes in elevation, but I don't believe they will have numerous Black Diamond ski hills to traverse like TM Toronto's course did.
Despite that, and adding to what I was discussing before, I will be adding in more endurance distance running this time around. LSD running (Long, Slow, Distance) is great for improving the body's aerobic metabolism efficiency. What this means, and may be especially important for an event like this, is that the longer my body burns stores of body fat, the less likely I will be to 'bonk' and run out of energy.
Also, the more efficient I can run through the course and not exhaust myself with the running alone, the more energy stores I will have available to me to complete the obstacles.
I actually found a blog post created by the winner of 2011's WTM. His blog has prompted me to consider a few variables while creating my schedule. Firstly, distance running will be key. As I said before, the greater my running efficiency is, running between obstacles, the more strength/energy I will have available to me to complete each obstacle. The winner from last year has competed in the Boston Marathon a number of times, so he is no stranger to distance running.
Secondly, recovery is also key. Rather than trying to cram a long workout into every single day of the week, I am going to intensify each workout yet also take scheduled days of recovery to allow my body to heal correctly. Remember, the growth, change, repair, and improvement of the body happens during the recovery periods.
Finally, one cannot discount the involvement the core has in an event like this. The winner from last year explicitly said that core strength is crucial to succeeding in this event. So, you will see my schedule is essentially broken up into three types of training days. Running, total-body resistance, and recovery.
So without further ado, here is the schedule:
September
9 - Chest & Back
10 - Plyo Legs
11 - Shoulders & Arms
12 - Core/Recovery
13 - Chest & Shoulders
14 - 5.5km run
15 - Off
16 - 7km run
17 - Yoga/Recovery
18 - 7km run
19 - Yoga/Recovery
20 - 7km run
21 - Yoga/Recovery
Functional Strength Phase 1 (September 22nd - October 12th)
Emphasis on functional, strength-based movements. Some plyometric leg work. Ramping up endurance work.
Day 1 - P90X2 V Sculpt and X2 Core
Day 2 - 8km run (week 1), 10km run (week 2), 12km run (week 3)
Day 3 - UBX (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps) and P90X+ Abs/Core+
Day 4 - Yoga/Recovery
Day 5 - 8km run (week 1), 10km run (week 2), 12km run (week 3)
Day 6 - P90X2 Base & Back and X2 Ab Ripper
Day 7 - Off
Recovery Week (October 13th - 19th)
Recovery week will consist of some light cardio training, along with some light resistance training.
Functional Strength Phase 2 (October 20th - November 9th)
Emphasis on functional, strength-based movements. No more lower-body plyometrics, but more endurance training.
Day 1 - Run: October 20 - 12km, October 27 - 13km, November 3 - 14km
Day 2 - P90X2 Chest, Back and Balance and P90X2 X2 Core
Day 3 - Run: October 22 - 14km, October 29 - 16km, November 5 - 18km
Day 4 - Shoulders & Arms and P90X2 X2 Ab Ripper
Day 5 - Yoga/Recovery
Day 6 - Run: October 25 - 12km, November 1 - 14km, November 8 - 10km
Day 7 - Off
Quote of the day: "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."
~ Robert Collier
