Spice Up Your Fitness Routine!
Looking for a way to spice up your fitness routine? Want motivation and accountability? Wondering how to test your fitness?
Challenging yourself with a Spartan Race, or signing-up for Spartan SGX at TnT Metabolic Igniters, might be just what you need!
What is Spartan Racing?
In the past few years there has been an emergence of obstacle course racing (OCR) opportunities. These are primarily endurance-based events, however, they also incorporate elements of strength and power. Obstacle course races have been praised for challenging both your mental and physical fitness by utilizing novel and intriguing obstacles. Accordingly, they are a great option if you are looking to enhance, challenge, and/or test your fitness level. A Spartan Race is one of obstacle course race option where the race and its obstacles are meant to replicate the conditions that the Spartans in Ancient Greece would have experienced.T
The Spartan Race
In Spartan Races specifically, there are different race lengths which feature varying numbers of obstacles
- Sprint (5+ KM, 20+ Obstacles, 40 min Average Fastest Finish)
- Super (12+ KM, 24+ Obstacles, 80 min Average Fastest Finish)
- Beast (20+ KM, 30+ Obstacles, 3 hours Average Fastest Finish)
- Kids race (0.8 Km-3.2 Km), Ages: 4-13 (with different categories within this division)
The Spartan Categories
The different Spartan categories allow you to race with people of similar ability and who have similar goals
- Elite (10% of all racers)
- Age Group (10% of all racers)
- Open (80% of all racers)- This can be done in an individual or team format. Teams are fun as you can support and help each other throughout the race, don’t fret if you don’t have a team as the OCR community is very supportive and friendly!
The Obstacles
Some of the obstacles that you will find on a Spartan course include mud, ropes, barbed wire, walls, and fire. These obstacles will require you to climb, crawl, creep, push, pull, carry, jump and run/walk. As such, you can count on the obstacles testing all of the components of fitness, hence you will need to be prepared physically and mentally for anything! It is advised that you complete comprehensive training prior to the race. Nevertheless, if there happens to be an obstacle that you are unable to complete, just pay the 30-burpee penalty and move on, no big deal!
When it comes to the obstacles, good technique will help! Seeing as Spartan Races challenge the whole-body, it is wise to learn the proper technique for obstacles and not simply rely on brute strength. Rather, good technique can help you conserve your energy and strength throughout the race.
What is Spartan SGX at TnT Metabolic Igniters?
TnT Metabolic Igniters is very proud to have the only two Spartan SGX certified coaches in Alberta and as such we will now be offering Spartan SGX at TnT Metabolic Igniters.
Spartan SGX at TnT Metabolic Igniters is a program that offers specific training for Spartan Races. Our program includes pre/post-race nutritional guidance, clothing recommendations and coaching to help you strengthen your personal assets such as determination, confidence, and persistence. On top of this, our Spartan SGX Coaches, Shari and Tammy, will prepare you by focusing on main Spartan pillars, which include;
- physical endurance,
- physical strength,
- athleticism (ability to change momentum and direction),
- recovery,
- nutrition, and
- mental preparedness (including mental endurance, strength, and grit)
In this life-changing class you will have the opportunity to learn, try, train, and test yourself on our indoor and outdoor obstacles, we have over 15!
As you can tell, we are very excited to introduce this new fitness option to Lacombe and the surrounding communities!
Check out our Spartan SGX at TnT Metabolic Igniters page for more details on our upcoming training and race dates!
References
Mullins, N. (2012). Obstacle course challenges: History, popularity, performance demands, effective training, and course design. Journal of Exercise Physiology, 15(2), p. 100-128.
Spartan Race, INC. (2018). Spartan race faqs. Retrieved January 16, 2019 from https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/faqs?article=46162
