what is obstacle course racing better than crossfit

Is CrossFit good training for Spartan race?

A great founding tenet of CrossFit is to “Regularly learn and play new sports.” This gets you out of the gym and lets you interact with your fitness in new ways, giving it a depth you do not get in the gym. A great new sport and test of fitness that also likes to expose you to your weaknesses is the Spartan race.Mar 20, 2019

Is CrossFit good for OCR?

CrossFit and OCR are both high-intensity workouts for adventurous fitness buffs. OCR is a great way for restless CrossFitters to get out of the gym and escape their routines. A well-designed CrossFit routine can be a perfect training tool for an OCR event.May 7, 2020

How much does a professional obstacle course racer make?

Even Brit Jonathon Albon — who made more than $82,000 as an obstacle-course racing (OCR) professional in 2016, including a $50,000 one-day payout on the top World's Toughest Mudder team — is getting a part-time job “to give my week some structure and help my Norwegian learning,” he told GrindTV.

Who is the best obstacle course racer?

March Top 10 OCR Athlete RankingsRankTrendAthlete1–Jon Albon2–Ryan Atkins3–Thibault Debusschere4–Thomas van Tonder6 more rows

How much money do Spartan racers make?

Elite Beast Championship (Men & Women's) Total = $100,000. The Top 20 Men and Women will all receive prize money and a Spartan Annual Race Pass.

How do you become a Spartan Pro?

How to Qualify for a Spartan Elite Heat:One or more top 3 finishes at Spartan OCR events in the Elite and/or Age Group category within the previous 24 months.One or more top 10 finishes within the Elite category at any regular season Spartan OCR event within the previous 12 months.More items...

How much do elite Spartan racers make?

Any Spartan in 2018 who takes 1st place in all three Spartan World Championships in the Elite category will take home $1 million USD. "It won't be easy," said Spartan CEO Joe De Sena.Jun 30, 2018

What is the best obstacle race for beginners?

The 5k Foam Fest is the easiest, all the way down to Spartan Race Sprint as the hardest “beginner-friendly” races. If you're looking for a good reason to get muddy and experience a challenging obstacle course race (the cool kids say “OCR”), our best suggestion is to start with Warrior Dash or Rugged Maniac.Sep 15, 2015

What race are Spartans?

The Spartans were a minority of the Lakonian population. The largest class of inhabitants were the helots (in Classical Greek Εἵλωτες / Heílôtes). The helots were originally free Greeks from the areas of Messenia and Lakonia whom the Spartans had defeated in battle and subsequently enslaved.

What is Spartan Death race?

The hallmark of the Spartan Death Race, which requires athletes to run distances of up to 50 miles on hilly trails in rural Vermont, is the assortment of challenging, quirky, and sometimes absurd tasks required of its participants. The race's tasks center on a theme, and this year's theme was religion.Jul 4, 2011

What is OCR in CrossFit?

Luckily for you, CrossFit® is designed to make you comfortable with the uncomfortable, and every WOD that you have ever done has helped to prepare you for any OCR trail you want to enter!

What are the requirements for a race?

Each race will require and develop all of the following aspects of your fitness in training and on race day itself: 1 Strength 2 Speed 3 Agility 4 Core strength 5 Adaptability 6 Endurance 7 Mental strength

How much running is required for OCR?

Most OCR courses tend to be roughly around 80% running and 20% obstacles. This means that if you want to do well then you need to have a good base of endurance and decent running technique. It’s also a good idea to build up your endurance with longer runs. If you have the chance, go for trail runs over hills, mountains and rough ground, as this will help your body adapt to tougher conditions.

Why is a strong core important in OCR?

The variety of obstacles that you will face require pulling, twisting, lifting, jumping and swinging in different ways through all three planes of motion. A strong core will enable you to attack and conquer all objects with confidence.

Why do you wear knee sleeves?

Protecting your joints is a must. Knee Sleeves are a great way to keep your knees warm throughout the full race and reduce the risk of injury. They will also shield your ligaments and joints from the stress of steep downhills and relentless pounding of running on rough, uneven surfaces for longer distances.

WHAT IS OBSTACLE COURSE RACING?

All of us have our own individual bias when it comes to how we define OCR, but I think it’s helpful to see that “OCR” really encompasses a broad spectrum of styles and events. And thus, it allows for many different types of athletes and skill sets.

BICEPS WIN RACES

Strength obstacles can generally be broken down in to two categories; absolute strength and relative strength. Absolute strength requires lifting or carrying or pushing or pulling an object of fixed weight; relative strength is based upon a person’s body weight, and would include things like hanging and climbing and traversing.

THE OBSTACLE COURSE SPECTRUM

At one end of the obstacle course racing spectrum are races like American Ninja Warrior and Alpha Warrior. They are composed of mostly upper body, relative strength obstacles, and they require very little speed between obstacles. The speed component required is the speed needed to complete each obstacle.

THE DISTANCE DRIFT

We have probably all seen the Facebook arguments on how races are getting longer and more brutal, in terms of terrain, heavy carries, etc… This year’s NBC Supers were approaching Beast length in terms of the time it took to complete the courses.

MOVING FORWARD?

One could argue that we should only talk about the existing OCR races, and that all athletes should just be judged using the current formats. I suppose that is fair for the time being. After all, that is what “OCR” is at the moment.

Why is obstacle course racing so rewarding?

Obstacle course racing can be rewarding for people of a variety of strength because they involve a little bit of everything: agility, upper-body strength, body-weight movements, adaptability, endurance, and teamwork.

What is mud run?

They are a solution to the simultaneous chaos and monotony of everyday life. They are a catalyst to changing the way you train, eat, think, and live.

How to do OCR?

A do-it-yourself OCR-focused training session may look like this: Head to a park, run a half mile off road, then do 20 burpees. Get up, run to a playground, and cross the monkey bars. Bear crawl through mulch, climb up and over picnic tables, do push-ups off benches, then run another mile before finishing up with some air squats for maximal burn.