Finding a "Fitness Test" Workout

I have discovered a fabulous format for an obstacle race workout at my local lake trail. This particular loop is 1.25 miles and has 4 large metal rigs with monkey bars, dip bars, and box jump platforms that can give you a versatile workout. Today's workout was not super versatile, but it was super effective.

Loop 1: speed round, jog as much as possible; do every pass of monkey bars, then continue immediately. 16 minutes.

Loop 2: get a 20-lb sandbag, carry it around the loop. Drop it for every pass of monkey bars, then continue immediately. 19:50.

Loop 3: another speed round, same as loop 1. 16 minutes.

Loop 4: weighted, same as loop 2. 19:25 (faster than loop 2!).

Total workout time: 1:11:15 for 5 miles.

This workout will serve as an excellent fitness test. Not only does it test basic obstacle race skills, it also requires a fair amount of stamina. The plan is to do this same workout every now and then, with the hypothesis being that my time would improve every time I do it. This workout format is an excellent skeleton to apply to my Trifecta training as well. I can add calisthenics, burpees, broad jumps, crawls, or other "obstacles" to the loops easily. Carrying the sandbag around the lake will make the much shorter carries of Spartan races feel easier.

I highly recommend regularly (every other month, at least) doing a standard fitness test workout. It's a great way to gauge your progress and keep you motivated!