We’re approaching the holiday time and what’s better than the Summer days to get outside and train for the races coming from September.
The Trifecta is pretty much the ultimate achievement for a Spartan. Finishing a Sprint, Super and Beast — all in one year — is a Herculean feat for sure.
To help you with training, we want to remind you of the tips from Spartan SGX Coach Yancy Culp, a member of the Trifecta tribe and a true believer in the importance of loving the process, about how to train for a Trifecta. From the Sprint passing by the Super and landing in the hard terrain of the Beast, thick the checklist, we promise you will drastically reduce the amount of burpees due on the course.
1. Don't Be Intimidated. "If you can walk and breathe, you can finish a Sprint”
2. Train for the Basic Obstacles. You have 3 rules to begin your Spartan Trifecta journey: practice these 10 exercises, avoid these common mistakes, and perfect your burpee technique. From beginners to advanced athletes, a burpee is always behind a corner when you're on the course.
3. Gain Confidence in Going the Distance. Run three to four days a week, and make sure to practice two of those workouts incorporate OCR strength training that exhausts your lower body, upper body, and core. That way, you’re training your body to finish the distance even when it’s fatigued.
4. Build Your Grip and Pull-Strength Endurance. There’s one thing in particular that causes 99% of all obstacle failure: not being able to support your own bodyweight as you traverse across them. The solution is to train your grip and pull strength like your life depends on it. Hang from things and pull yourself up on things.
5. Master the Twister With Hand Progressions. Grip and upper-body strength are key for this obstacle. Test yourself by seeing how long you can hang on a bar after running for four minutes.
6. Increase Your Distance With Elevation. Now you’re ready for a Beast. A half-marathon is a pretty big distance, especially when you take into account the terrain of a Beast. If you don’t live in an area where there’s natural elevation, train on a treadmill with an incline to mimic the various courses’ hills.
7. Practice Those Heavy Carries. You likely will never "fail" at a heavy carry, but they will definitely slow you down if you don’t train appropriately. Carry a sandbag or a weighted bucket (or whatever you have to mimic the strain it will cause on your body). Increase the weight 20-30% over the course of your training in preparation for the Beast’s hills
8. Master the Tyrolean Traverse. What's an insider training secret to cross this epic obstacle off your list without getting a penalty? Get on topof the rope, so that it’s supporting your bodyweight. One of your legs should be hanging down like a rudder in the water, with the other leg behind you — curled up — with your shoe resting on the top of the rope. That’s the driving force that helps push down the rope.
9. Make your Grip Even stronger. Practice the farmer's carry, because all you need is something heavy that you can hold in your hand. Every day, carry it for a longer duration, starting with 200 meters and working your way up to a mile.
10. Pick a date. Commitment is the first step to training. Trifecta is earned not given and now you’re ready.
Read the full article how to train for a Trifecta.
