Overcome every obstacle with this OCR workout
For many, obstacle course racing (OCR) is the perfect crossover sport, testing your physical strength and endurance and your mental fortitude and courage. For others, it’s just a fun way to get active and do something new (and dirty!).
These events generally combine running with different obstacles, from monkey bars, rope climbs, swings and wall climbs to mud pits, tunnels, river crossings and platform plunges into dams or rivers, among many others.
Most races cater for thrill seekers at every level with shorter distance events that offer fewer, less daunting obstacles, with some events like the Muddy Princess offering a unique opportunity for a “girls’ dirty day out”.
This 5km obstacle mud run is a fun event for all women, regardless of their fitness level, as long as they can crawl, walk, run, climb, laugh and play. There is no timing or rankings – it’s all about having fun!
Physical benefits
Beyond the fun, teamwork and camaraderie, OCR is a functional form of exercise that offers numerous physical benefits. You’ll run between obstacles for a great cardiovascular workout and the pushing, pulling, climbing and crawling will develop full-body strength, coordination and mobility.
So, whether you’re a serious athlete looking for a new challenge or you’re simply keen on having some fun with a group of friends, OCR has something for everyone.
Whatever your reason to participate, it is beneficial to prepare for this all-encompassing challenge because it requires a balance of strength and endurance. So how do you do that?
OCR training should start with a pretty general and non-specific approach to develop a good foundation of strength and fitness while being highly specific in other areas. The elements you should include are running, sprinting, climbing, pulling, balancing, various forms of suspended activity and agility training.
If you are preparing to race the Muddy Princess or any other OCR event, you can mix and match the following exercises to cover all the bases.
Cardiorespiratory fitness:
- Long easy run
- Sprint intervals or hill repeats
Grip and pulling strength
- Rope climbs
- Bar hangs
Bar work
- Pull-ups
- Chin-ups
Specific strength
- Bar walks
- Bear crawls
Functional strength builders
- Sled pulls (or kettlebell swings if your gym doesn’t have a sled)
- Tyre flips or barbell snatches (if your gym doesn’t have a tyre)
Bodyweight exercises
- Jump lunges
- Burpees
Putting it all together
Try to combine one running component with one or two climbing/pulling exercises, and one or two strength development exercises per session.
Perform them as intervals, circuits or Tabatas, keeping rest to a minimum between stations. This structure best mimics conditions in OCR events, as you’re constantly changing between activities on the course, which should be reflected in your training.
Intervals and circuits are the best way to combine strength and endurance exercises to get you ready for whatever race organisers throw at you. Perform these workouts 3-4 times a week and you’ll soon be able to arrive at the most demanding obstacles during a race, with the energy and strength needed to scale it with ease.
Having fun and teamwork is at the forefront of Muddy Princess events, which take place at Riversands Farm Village in Gauteng on 17 November, Sandringham Farm in Stellenbosch on 1 December 2024 and Sugar Rush Park in KwaZulu-Natal on 2 March 2025. Visit www.muddyprincess.co.za for more information and to secure your tickets.