If you’ve decided that you’re interested in completing an obstacle course race, you need to prepare your body and mind for the ordeal ahead. These are extreme sports, and they require a significant amount of preparation in order to minimize your risk of injury. However, not all training programs are created equal, and if you think hitting the gym a few days per week will get you in shape for what’s coming, you’re in for a big surprise. The best option is a fitness boot camp. Why is that?

Reason #1 – It Mirrors OCRs

Both fitness boot camps and obstacle course races share a similar heritage – they’re both descended from military training. OCRs feature many of the same obstacles on their routes that military service members have to face during their basic training. Boot camps feature many of the same exercises and the same philosophy found in military training. It’s a perfect fit, like a hand in a glove.

Reason #2 – It Focuses on the Important Aspects

Working out in a gym, or through any plan other than a boot camp, really, means that you’ll be following traditional moves. In order to train and prepare for an OCR, you have to break out of that conventional mentality. It’s not only important for proper physical training, but also for mental training for what lies ahead. Power lifting will be of very limited use on an obstacle course.

The foundation of boot camps is functional fitness and building overall fitness. They don’t focus on honing your performance or strength in just one area. By combining a broad range of exercise types, focus durations and intensities, you’re able to build a stronger, more capable body all around. You’ll need that in order to overcome those obstacles, many of which require the use of several muscle groups in order to get past them.

Considering that most OCRs last two to three hours, gym workouts and other plans that last less than an hour cannot do enough to prepare you. Boot camps, on the other hand, last for a full hour. In addition, classes are taught at such an intensity that you’ll be able to maintain performance for longer than an hour on the course. For example, an hour in boot camp training roughly translates to 90 minutes in other workout programs.

There’s also the fact that boot camp training includes a very broad range of exercise types, rather than focusing on just one. Explosive jumping through activities like leap frogs help you master getting over walls on the course. Resistance training prepares you to handle challenges like pushing wheelbarrows, or carrying logs down the course. Running will help melt body fat and increase your cardiovascular stamina, which helps ensure that you can keep moving throughout the entire OCR.

Reason #3 – Injury Reduction and Avoidance

Injury is not only possible when competing on in an obstacle course race, but for those unprepared, it’s likely. You can reduce the potential for injury by engaging in varied training programs and workout routines like those offered through a boot camp. Dynamic, nontraditional movements help you prepare for the rigors of such a course, and mitigate the risk for injury.

With a boot camp like CFC’s, you’ll work different muscle groups each day throughout the week. That helps build all around fitness and reduces the chance that you’ll injure yourself on the course. You’ll also find that it helps you get stronger and fitter faster than if you were doing it on your own.

Obstacle course races can be immensely enjoyable, but you need the right mindset, and to be in the best possible shape to compete. Be sure you’re ready by contacting Custom Fitness Concepts today, 877-598-0530. We look forward to helping you improve your fitness with one of our custom workout programs.