With that in mind, and thinking towards progressing this summer, I decided to take my baseline on-obstacle time today in a small playground test. I selected the parallel bars, because I knew I could keep moving back and forth on it without having to let go. The bars themselves are about 3-3.5" in diameter, which is larger than any Spartan obstacle I've seen, but that probably would make my test time shorter than my actual Spartan on-obstacle time. In addition, I walked a mile afterward and immediately re-tested, just to see what happens on subsequent obstacles in a race-day situation. Highly recommend this sort of testing for other OCR folks!
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
On-Obstacle Time Testing
A really useful and oft-overlooked metric for OCR racing is: how long can I stay on an obstacle without falling off? Sometimes grip obstacles can take a bit of extra time, and it becomes a race against the clock to finish the obstacle before our grip fails us. Ideally we'd all have at least 45 seconds of time before we'd need to even start thinking about our dismount.
With that in mind, and thinking towards progressing this summer, I decided to take my baseline on-obstacle time today in a small playground test. I selected the parallel bars, because I knew I could keep moving back and forth on it without having to let go. The bars themselves are about 3-3.5" in diameter, which is larger than any Spartan obstacle I've seen, but that probably would make my test time shorter than my actual Spartan on-obstacle time. In addition, I walked a mile afterward and immediately re-tested, just to see what happens on subsequent obstacles in a race-day situation. Highly recommend this sort of testing for other OCR folks!
With that in mind, and thinking towards progressing this summer, I decided to take my baseline on-obstacle time today in a small playground test. I selected the parallel bars, because I knew I could keep moving back and forth on it without having to let go. The bars themselves are about 3-3.5" in diameter, which is larger than any Spartan obstacle I've seen, but that probably would make my test time shorter than my actual Spartan on-obstacle time. In addition, I walked a mile afterward and immediately re-tested, just to see what happens on subsequent obstacles in a race-day situation. Highly recommend this sort of testing for other OCR folks!
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Playground Training Ideas (Caught On Film!)
Here are some videos I've taken in the last couple weeks of various things you (yes, you) can do on your local playground! Equipment may vary, but use your imagination, and maintain social distance!
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Gym-Free OCR Training
If you're like me, you are NOT going to a gym anytime soon. Going to a gym is an extremely risky activity in the age of COVID. There are simply too many droplets happening in close, indoor quarters to make indoor group exercise worth it. Fortunately, there are ways to get creative and train for obstacles in your own yard and/or neighborhood. Always check current guidelines for your area to make sure these public resources are available.
At Home
It might be worth risking a trip to the hardware store to get a few items for your backyard.
1) Sandbag. You can get a 50 lb bag of sand in the garden section easily.
2) Bucket. Get yourself a 5-gallon bucket. You can put the bag of sand in it. Two obstacles in one!
3) Rope. A climbing rope that is about 1-1.25" thick is lovely. If you get a 30' rope you can use it for a few other things (more on that later).
4) Spear. I got a spare garden tool handle that comes with a hole in the tip, then a box of huge nails that would fit in it (husband had to cut off the head of the nail with a saw). Used a two-part metal epoxy to affix the nail in the hole and voila. Spear for $10 and ten minutes of labor. You can throw the spear at anything you want (please, something that is not alive), but a foam archery target costs about $40.
5) Adjustable monkey bars. If you look for steel pipe nipples (not making this up), and can drill two holes in the top for eye bolts so you can hang them, you can make yourself a great set of monkey bars. Hang them from whatever you've got (if you have a high deck with space underneath, or a pergola, these are good options) with solid rope or straps that can hold a decent amount of weight. You can make a decent facsimile of monkey bars that are responsive like Beater, which is always fun.
6) Long eye bolts. If you have a drill and some balls (softballs or baseballs for best results), you can make attachments for a multi-rig.
Other items you can get in other places:
7) Rope attachment for multi-rig. Turns out a cable machine attachment can do the job for cheap.
8) Sled. Like for winter play. If you get a sled you can make your own plate drag quite easily by loading heavy things on there. Attach your 30' rope to it and pull away.
9) Gymnastics rings. Easy enough to add to your multi-rig for about $30.
10) Traverse walls. If you are savvy enough with woodshop to build yourself a wall, you can do a lot. Z-walls or even Olympus could be constructed in your backyard. I'm still working on an Olympus so I can't speak too much on the subject, but if you've got the space and the tool skills, go for it.
11) Climbing walls. You might already have something climbable in your yard. I can get a reasonable facsimile by scaling the high deck outside my house.
12) Monkey bars. If you have a place to mount these, you can buy a set of them for about $30.
Playgrounds
Besides the obvious grip obstacles to be found (such as monkey bars or lateral bar traverses), never underestimate the value of CLIMBING ON STUFF. Try going up the slide without using your hands. Try scaling the slide pole. Cargo nets, bouldering walls, all kinds of stuff can be found in playgrounds that can help you train. Just play. (Try to do this when kids aren't around.)
School Tracks
Look with new eyes at your local school track. Many of them may have large tires laying on the football field. In my area, all the schools have had tires showing up lately, and it's been a godsend. You can also bring your 30' rope to the track, tie it to a tire, and drag it around if you're feeling saucy. Running up and down bleacher stairs are a fun Stadion-style option. At the front of the bleachers area, I realized that the chainlink fence forms a "close enough" experience of Olympus that I call it Nolympus. It's a way to move laterally with the feet at a steep pitch, while taxing the grip with the hands.
Another great thing to do is hop fences - there's always a 4' chainlink fence that you can jump over. The football field also provides ample space and grass to practice low crawls and rolling. Getting into a format of running a lap, then doing an obstacle (hell, bring your sandbag), can keep you race-day ready. If you want to get filthy for a true race experience, there's always a roll in the long-jump pit available.
Hiking Trails
One of the smart ways to train on trails is to keep your eyes peeled for downed trees that appear secure. You can use them as balance beams, or hop over them/hurdle them. You can use a small log as a weight to carry around until you get bored. Puddles? Stroll through 'em! Mother Nature is a fantastic workout buddy that requires no social distance. But please, maintain social distance when you see others on the trails.
At Home
It might be worth risking a trip to the hardware store to get a few items for your backyard.
1) Sandbag. You can get a 50 lb bag of sand in the garden section easily.
2) Bucket. Get yourself a 5-gallon bucket. You can put the bag of sand in it. Two obstacles in one!
3) Rope. A climbing rope that is about 1-1.25" thick is lovely. If you get a 30' rope you can use it for a few other things (more on that later).
4) Spear. I got a spare garden tool handle that comes with a hole in the tip, then a box of huge nails that would fit in it (husband had to cut off the head of the nail with a saw). Used a two-part metal epoxy to affix the nail in the hole and voila. Spear for $10 and ten minutes of labor. You can throw the spear at anything you want (please, something that is not alive), but a foam archery target costs about $40.
5) Adjustable monkey bars. If you look for steel pipe nipples (not making this up), and can drill two holes in the top for eye bolts so you can hang them, you can make yourself a great set of monkey bars. Hang them from whatever you've got (if you have a high deck with space underneath, or a pergola, these are good options) with solid rope or straps that can hold a decent amount of weight. You can make a decent facsimile of monkey bars that are responsive like Beater, which is always fun.
6) Long eye bolts. If you have a drill and some balls (softballs or baseballs for best results), you can make attachments for a multi-rig.
Other items you can get in other places:
7) Rope attachment for multi-rig. Turns out a cable machine attachment can do the job for cheap.
8) Sled. Like for winter play. If you get a sled you can make your own plate drag quite easily by loading heavy things on there. Attach your 30' rope to it and pull away.
9) Gymnastics rings. Easy enough to add to your multi-rig for about $30.
10) Traverse walls. If you are savvy enough with woodshop to build yourself a wall, you can do a lot. Z-walls or even Olympus could be constructed in your backyard. I'm still working on an Olympus so I can't speak too much on the subject, but if you've got the space and the tool skills, go for it.
11) Climbing walls. You might already have something climbable in your yard. I can get a reasonable facsimile by scaling the high deck outside my house.
12) Monkey bars. If you have a place to mount these, you can buy a set of them for about $30.
Playgrounds
Besides the obvious grip obstacles to be found (such as monkey bars or lateral bar traverses), never underestimate the value of CLIMBING ON STUFF. Try going up the slide without using your hands. Try scaling the slide pole. Cargo nets, bouldering walls, all kinds of stuff can be found in playgrounds that can help you train. Just play. (Try to do this when kids aren't around.)
School Tracks
Look with new eyes at your local school track. Many of them may have large tires laying on the football field. In my area, all the schools have had tires showing up lately, and it's been a godsend. You can also bring your 30' rope to the track, tie it to a tire, and drag it around if you're feeling saucy. Running up and down bleacher stairs are a fun Stadion-style option. At the front of the bleachers area, I realized that the chainlink fence forms a "close enough" experience of Olympus that I call it Nolympus. It's a way to move laterally with the feet at a steep pitch, while taxing the grip with the hands.
My Nolympus demonstration
Another great thing to do is hop fences - there's always a 4' chainlink fence that you can jump over. The football field also provides ample space and grass to practice low crawls and rolling. Getting into a format of running a lap, then doing an obstacle (hell, bring your sandbag), can keep you race-day ready. If you want to get filthy for a true race experience, there's always a roll in the long-jump pit available.
Hiking Trails
One of the smart ways to train on trails is to keep your eyes peeled for downed trees that appear secure. You can use them as balance beams, or hop over them/hurdle them. You can use a small log as a weight to carry around until you get bored. Puddles? Stroll through 'em! Mother Nature is a fantastic workout buddy that requires no social distance. But please, maintain social distance when you see others on the trails.
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