Training plans

Who it's for

You can jog for 20 minutes and want to finish a 5 km race with 10–20 obstacles without walking every hill.

Weekly structure

Three sessions, never on back-to-back days.

• Session A – Run: 20–35 min easy jog, building 5 minutes every two weeks.
• Session B – Strength circuit: 3 rounds of 10 squats, 8 push-ups, 10 lunges, 20 s dead hang, 30 s plank.
• Session C – Trail mix: 30 min on grass or trail with 6 × 30 s uphill efforts and bear crawls.

Weeks 1–4

Focus on consistency. Hang from a bar or tree branch at every session and add 5 seconds each week.

Weeks 5–8

Run in your race shoes on wet ground. Add a 10 kg carry (rucksack or bag) for 2 × 100 m. Week 8 is lighter: two short runs and rest two days before race day.

Who it's for

You have finished a 5 km obstacle race and can run 10 km. You want to race a 10–20 km course and fail fewer obstacles.

Weekly structure

Four to five sessions.

• Long trail run: 60–100 min easy, hilly where possible.
• Intervals: 6–8 × 3 min hard with 2 min easy, or hill repeats.
• Strength: deadlifts, pull-ups, split squats, farmer's carries — 3–4 sets of 5–8.
• Grip & skills: dead hangs, towel hangs, monkey bars, rope climbs.
• Optional: easy recovery run or swim.

Phases

Weeks 1–4 build base volume. Weeks 5–9 add intensity and race-specific work (bucket carries, burpee sets after runs). Weeks 10–11 simulate the race with run–obstacle–run bricks. Week 12 tapers to 50% volume.

Who it's for

You race regularly, run a half marathon comfortably and aim to finish with an intact band (no failed obstacles) or a podium.

Weekly structure

Five to six sessions totalling 6–10 hours.

• Two quality runs: threshold (e.g. 3 × 10 min) and VO2 max (e.g. 5 × 4 min) or hill repeats.
• One long run: 90–150 min on hilly trail, with fuelling practice.
• Two strength/grip sessions: heavy lifts, weighted pull-ups, rig traverses with fatigue.
• One brick session: 1 km hard run into obstacle or burpees, repeated 6–10 times.

Phases

Base (weeks 1–5), strength and threshold (6–10), race-specific (11–14) with full simulation, taper (15–16). Deload every fourth week by cutting volume 30–40%.