Free weekly-updated OCR training plan.
Designed by Thomas Solomon PhD.
Scientist. Athlete.
Running coach. Nutritionist.
Exercise Physiologist. Personal Trainer.
Running coach. Nutritionist.
Exercise Physiologist. Personal Trainer.
Run. Hang. Carry. Repeat.
A structured, periodized, scientific, and educational exercise training plan to help obstacle course race (OCR) or Spartan race newbies or fun-runners improve their fitness and learn how to train smart.
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IMPORTANT: If you have never exercised before, this training may not appropriate for you. By voluntarily opting to complete the fitness tests and use the free sessions, you do so at your own risk and you are confirming that for the last 3-months you have engaged in at least 30-minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on at least 3-days per week, and that you are medically-cleared to participate in structured exercise. If there are any reasons that increasing your activity levels may impose a health risk (existing injury, illness, or cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease), you should consult your GP before joining this training. If you incur any illness or injury you must stop exercising and consult your GP immediately.
FITNESS TESTS:
Before joining this free weekly training for the first time, complete the following 3 fitness tests. The results will help ensure you are working at the correct absolute intensities during the sessions, which will help maximise your performance gains. "Fitness test" weeks recur during the training cycle to see how things are improving and to re-calibrate your absolute training intensities. If you are re-joining the training after a break (due to illness, injury, or apathy), please repeat the tests.
Start with Run Warm-up (see suggestion here), then:
Race 3 km as fast as you can.
Run 7.5 laps of a 400m running track or find a flat, uninterrupted route using Mapmyrun (or set a 3km distance function on your GPS watch). Compare your finish time against the pacing table (see chart here) to see what your training paces should be.
Finish with 5-mins of EASY running followed by Cool-down exercises (see suggestion here).
Start with Grip Warm-up (see suggestion here), then:
Dead-hang on a pull-up bar with a closed-grip (thumbs wrapped), record time to failure.
This time will be used to determine your hangtime in the grip training sessions. Finish with Cool-down exercises (see suggestion here).
Start with Circuit Warm-up (see suggestion here), then:
Wide-arm pull-ups to failure, palms facing forwards, closed-grip (thumbs wrapped), chin-over-bar, no kipping.
Study this video for correct pull-up form.
Record the total number of unbroken reps you can complete.
Finish with Cool-down exercise (see suggestion here).
NOTE: if you cannot do a pull-up, start with these:
→ Scapular pull-ups. Progressing to
→ Self-assisted pull-ups. Progressing to
→ Band-assisted pull-ups. Progressing to
→ Machine-assisted pull-ups.
It will take time but STICK AT IT! Doing this progression, combined with the exercises prescribed in the circuit sessions, will help build the strength you need to eventually nail your pull-up.
NOTE: all Warm-up and Cool-down exercises are described in a section further down this page.
Once you have completed the fitness tests, you are ready to rock!
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The training plan above is structured around two macrocycles each with three mesocycles:
Macrocycle 1: Base-phase (Dec to Feb), Transition-phase (Mar and Apr), Race-phase (May and Jun).
Macrocycle 2: Base-phase (Jul), Transition-phase (Aug), Race-phase (Sept and Oct). November is a "rest phase".
Every training block within a mesocycle runs in 4-week cycles: "stress", "stress", "taper", "recovery".
IMPORTANT: When running on hilly/mountainous terrain or doing uphill efforts, these estimated "flat terrain" paces are useless and should not be used as targets. In such circumstances, ignore pace and use the RPE scale along with the Breathing and Talk test descriptions (see section above) to exert the correct level of effort.
When going up steep inclines on an "Easy" run, it is very likely that you will have to lower your pace to a hike in order to keep the intensity low. That is totally fine! Even Jon Albon, Kilian Jornet, Lindsay Webster, and Courtney Dauwalter hike when the grade gets steep.
