ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?A MUDDER TRAINING GUIDE

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WHAT IS TOUGH MUDDER?Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course challenges designed to test your all-around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. With the most innovative obstacles and over one million participants globally to date, Tough Mudder is the premier obstacle course series in the world.

Tough Mudder is more than an event; it’s a way of thinking. It’s about pushing yourself to the limits and helping others to do the same. It’s not a race, it’s a challenge. If we timed you, what would be your motivation to stop and give someone a hand? When you run a Tough Mudder, you’ll meet new people and overcome challenges when you get through the course—together. Running a race gets you busted knees and

If you’re freaked out...you must be doing it right.Bobby Nicholson

a medal you’ll never wear again. At the end of a Tough Mudder, you get an orange headband to proudly wear to work on Monday morning, a beer, bragging rights and membership into Mudder Nation. And it gives you an excuse to get all your friends together and start a tradition.

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FUNKY MONKEYSure, monkey bars were easy when you were 5 years old, but you’ll need an iron grip for Funky Monkey. These bars have been greased with our finest mud, and if you slip, you’ll fall into a pit of muddy water below. The bars are on a steep incline upward for the first half of the obstacle and they descend downward for the second part. Think you have what it takes to master this animal of an obstacle? Then try it backwards.

HOW TO TRAIN• Old school pull-ups. Practice

with a pull-up bar at the gym or test your skills at the nearest playground.

• Bent Arm Pull-Up Hang (bring your chin over the bar): 15 seconds each. Do 4 rounds.

• Pull-Ups (with your hands close together, attempt to get your chest to the bar): Do 4 rounds of 10 reps.

• Sit-Ups: Do 4 rounds of 20 reps

AT THE EVENTKeep your arms bent at a 90-degree angle and bicycle-kick your legs to gain momentum. The best way to get across it to keepswinging to propel yourself forward.

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EVERESTConquering Everest takes major grit and teamwork. Sprint up this quarter-pipe obstacle and enlist the help of other Mudders to pull you over the beastly summit. Everest is coated in mud and grease, a combo that might send you right back from where you came. Suck it up and keep climbing. The view from the top is worth it.

HOW TO TRAIN• Slippery mountain climbers• Sprints• Bent Arm Pull-Up Hang (bring

your chin over the bar): 15 seconds each. Do 4 rounds.

• Pull-Ups (attempt to get your chest to the bar): Do 4 rounds of 6 reps.

• Lunges

AT THE EVENTTry getting up Everest yourself: sprint up the quarter-pipe, jumpat the last minute and reach for the edge. Otherwise, call out to other Mudders to catch you as you run up the quarter-pipe and reach the top. If you have the strength and speed to make it up on your own, help out your fellow Mudders and stick around to pull a few of them up.

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ARCTIC ENEMAThis obstacle is all about mental grit. Many athletes use ice baths for recovery, but you’ll have a difficult time relaxing your muscles in this frigid dumpster. First you must bravely jump into Big Mudder’s floating iceberg abyss. Once submerged, find the mental and physical strength to swim through the ice, under a wooden plank and pull yourself out on the other end before you become hypothermic.

HOW TO TRAIN• Lots of cold showers.• Morning swims in your local

pond/lake.• Running underwater.• Mental Discipline.

AT THE EVENTThe last thing you want to do is hesitate here. Take a deep breathas you climb into the icy water. Use the center barrier as a guide to pull yourself through to the other side. Move quickly and don’tstop moving - the faster you are the better off you’ll be. It’s likeripping off a bandage: you just gotta do it and get it over with.

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Fire In Your HoleOnly Legionnaires can take on the beast known as Fire in Your Hole. This stunner stands high above the course and has a drop that’s nearly vertical. Every step you climb up to the top of the obstacle serves as a reminder of how hard you’ve worked and how far you’ve come. Conquering it is proof that you Bleed Orange. Fire in Your Hole is so badass, we tend to save it for last.

HOW TO TRAIN• Do one Tough Mudder event.

Do another one and gain access to Fire in Your Hole.

• Bent Arm Pull-Up Hang (bring your chin over the bar): 15 seconds each. Do 4 rounds.

• Plank Holds (with elbows touching the floor): 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Do 8 rounds.

• Calf raises (standing with your toes on a step): 10x on both feet, 10x on each foot, 10x on both feet).

AT THE EVENTRemember the first time you went off the high dive as a kid? Yea, it’s kind of like that. But instead of diving, you’ll be taking a gut-dropping plunge through fire and into a cold, muddy pit of water. Watch your step as you climb up the ladder. Once you get to the top, lie down flat with crossed arms. Let your body drop. Yell your favorite victory chant.

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PyrAMID SCHEMEAs the name suggests, it’s all about forming a pyramid and lifting your fellow Mudders to glory. Even if you have superhuman strength and can make it up alone, resist the urge to take a running start to get yourself to the top—use teamwork instead. Try and boost up a couple of your teammates first, so they can lie down on top and pull others up the face. Or get to know your teammates better: climb their shoulders.

HOW TO TRAIN• Air Squats: Do as many reps as

possible for 20 seconds on, then take 10 seconds off. Repeat 8 times.

• Pull-Ups: (with your hands close together, attempt to get your chest to the bar): Do 4 rounds of 10 reps.

AT THE EVENTDecide whether you’ll mostly be a puller or a booster. If you’re going to pull other Mudders up Pyramid Scheme, ask a fellow Mudder if you can climb his or her shoulders to get to the top and pull people up. If you’re going to boost people, wedge yourself in at the base and help others climb up the slippery face by boosting them up or letting them climb your shoulders. Either way, you’re only getting to the top with teamwork.

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Family FeudDesigned to get even the tightest families arguing, Family Feud pits husband against wife, mother against daughter and father against son. Is that your eight year old son trying to knock you off? Looks like you raised the boy right. If he knocks you off, an extra scoop of ice cream after the event is clearly deserved. And if he doesn’t, make it two extra scoops.

HOW TO TRAIN• Build up your leg balance by

doing squats on a Bosu ball. Keep squatting until you can smell your quads burning.

• You need a solid core to fend off buoys and keep your balance. Try plank holds with your elbows touching the floor. Do 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 8 rounds.

AT THE EVENTDon’t pause too long—keep moving quickly and no one will get you. Don’t look at the buoys but keep your eyes focused ahead. Walk across the bar sideways—not straight ahead. It will be easier to deflect the buoys being launched at you by people you thought were your friends.

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HOW TO TRAIN• Prepare for the height

constraints with our Tough plank series.

• Plank Holds (with elbows touching the floor): 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Do 8 rounds.

• Mountain Climbers: 15 on each leg. Do 4 rounds.

AT THE EVENTUse your arms to pull yourself forward through the slop. Keepyour back down and your core strong.

KISS OF MUDEat dirt as you crawl commando-style under barbed wire set just high enough for you to squirm under. This obstacle is true to its name – you have to belly-crawl through mud in order to avoid getting snagged by the barbed wire above. On some courses, Kiss of Mud is set on an uphill, amping up the level of difficulty. Don’t like the taste of fresh mud? Wash it down with an icy cold one at the finish line.

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HOW TO TRAIN• Broad Jumps• Jump Squats: Jump as high as

you can. Do 5 rounds of 10 reps.• Leap Frogs: Place your feet

slightly wider than hip-width apart, and lower yourself into a squatting position until your knees are as close to a 90 degree angle as possible. Jump forward from this position. Focus on form and stay relaxed. Quality is better than speed or quantity.

AT THE EVENTThe best way to get across the murky water is to take two quick steps on each island. The key here is agility, not speed. Jump lightly or you’ll sink hard. Think like a cat. The islands will sink if you land too hard or stay on them for too long. Just like life, this obstacle calls for focus and balance.

ISLAND HOPPINGPreviously reserved for World’s Toughest Mudders®, this obstacle requires more speed and agility than any other on the course. You’ll be hopping from one floating island to the next as fast as you can without falling into the muddy water beneath you.

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WANT TO LEARN MORE?www.toughmudder.com