Your Complete Guide to Running a Spartan Race + a Free Four Week Training Program

Spartan Race Training

Have you ever wanted to complete a Spartan Race?

Have you wanted to do it while having fun, staying safe and not dry-heaving at the end? Then you are in luck! Today’s guide will help you prepare for a Spartan Race safely and in a fun, sustainable way.

Spartan Race Training near Me

First off, if you want some help preparing for your Spartan Race, you can find out more about my personal training here.

Which Spartan Race is Easiest?

The Spartan Sprint Stadium Series Race is probably the easiest race. It is 3 miles in length. It also takes place in a stadium rather than on uneven, wet terrain. I would start with this race if you are a beginner, if you have never done a Spartan Race before, or you are just starting to get into shape.

The Spartan Sprint Series is a great race to get started! I had a client start with that race, and she was so hooked afterward she decided to venture towards longer and harder races. Had she started with a longer race, I am not sure that would have been the case.

Are Spartan Races Dangerous?

Spartan Races carry a moderate degree of danger. It is possible you will fall, slip, twist an ankle or blow out a knee during the Spartan Race. Because you will be doing trail running on uneven surfaces, as well as obstacles, it is possible to sustain a musculoskeletal injury.

I would not recommend this kind of race if you have joint instability or injuries.

To minimize your risk, talk to your doctor before embarking on a Spartan race. Working with a certified trainer can also help you prepare for the physical demands of the race.

You can also pick and choose your obstacles. If you worry about a particular obstacle causing injury, you can simply substitute burpees to lower your risk.

How Hard is the Spartan Race?

The Spartan Race is hard, especially if you are not in good shape.

Some races are harder than others. Longer races on hills or tough terrains are really tough. Shorter races are generally easier.

Your attitude will also determine the difficulty. If you aim to just complete the Spartan Race, pace yourself, and take breaks as needed, it will be a lot less difficult. If you plan to compete, the Spartan races will be much more difficult. Competing means pushing yourself to the brink of your abilities.

How Many Burpees do you Have to do in a Spartan Race?

You may have to do 30-100 burpees in a Spartan race.

You may have burpees as an obstacle, where you must perform them. Otherwise, you only need to do burpees if you cannot do an obstacle. The penalty might be 15 or 30 burpees per penalty.

Is Spartan Race Harder than Tough Mudder?

Tough Mudder is more of a team challenge, while Spartan is more of an individual challenge. If you find you do your best work alone, the Spartan Race might be easier for you. If you gain energy from a group, you might think the Tough Mudder is easier. Both races are physically and mentally demanding.

Can you Wear Headphones during a Spartan Race?

Technically, you can wear headphones during a Spartan Race, but I would not recommend it. You want to be aware of your surroundings. You also want to hear if someone is passing you. Your headphones could also fall out and become a trip hazard.

Can you Skip Obstacles in the Spartan Race?

Technically, you could probably skip obstacles if you just want to complete the Spartan race. It is definitely cheating, and you probably won’t feel good about yourself if you do not finish the entire race. So, I would not recommend cheating and skipping obstacles. Cheating goes against the ethos of sport, doing your best and giving the prize to the true winner.

Spartan Race Training Basics

To complete a Spartan Race, you need strength, endurance, and muscle endurance. You should also have some practice with the events.

Strength vs. Endurance

Your body is not wired to perform at elite levels at two ends of a physical ability spectrum. That’s why you rarely see elite sprinters also dominating the marathon.

Spartan Races require some level of balanced development between force output and capacity.

Shorter obstacle course races may require more emphasis on strength and speed, while longer events may require more endurance.

What qualities are needed to perform well at Spartan Races?

Most races require strength and endurance, mental toughness, skill at the obstacles, and pain tolerance.

Strength endurance, or the ability to display high levels of strength repeatedly, is more important for you than one rep max strength.

However, it is also important to note that strength endurance cannot be developed without a firm foundation of strength first. Traditional strength training can be useful to build a base level of strength for Spartan.

The type of endurance needed to excel at a Spartan Race will also differ based on the characteristics and length of the event.

You will need really good cardiovascular conditioning to tolerate all the running. A highly developed aerobic system will also enhance the quality and recovery from all training.

You will also need to power through 30-90 second bursts of high intensity activity like climbing a wall or jumping over a box.

You can develop your cardio capacity first and then work on anaerobic power closer to your race.

Non-Traditional Implement Training

You need to be able to handle non traditional exercises during the Spartan race. You need to practice rope climbs, sled pulls, bear crawls and more to prepare for game day.

You should not start these exercises until you have a firm foundation of strength!

Grip Strength

You also need good grip strength to do loaded carries, rope climbs and farmer walks during a Spartan race.

You can use farmer walks, plate pinches, and hanging on the monkey bars to build grip strength in training.

Core Stability

You need great core stability to handle the non-traditional exercises in a Spartan race.

Try exercises like planks, roll outs, dead bugs and side planks before progressing to more dynamic core movements.

Make sure to focus on good core positions during all your training and learn how to brace properly for Spartan events that require you to lift and carry loads.

How Long Does it Take to Train For a Spartan Race?

If you are a beginner and you have a very low level of fitness, I would give yourself one year of training at least 3 times per week to get ready for a Spartan Race.

If you are a serious competitor, you can take six months to get ready for a race. You will need a more nuanced plan to help you peak at the right time.

How do I train for a 10k Spartan Race?

You need a great cardiovascular base before doing a 10k Spartan race. You need long runs, aerobic intervals, race simulations with obstacles to get ready for this long and grueling event.

4 Week Spartan Race Training Plan

You can use this four week plan to prep for your first Spartan event. You can use this plan every week before your race. The week of your race, stop training on Wednesday and just go for an easy run on Thursday. This gives your body some extra rest for your event on Saturday.

On Monday, you should do a basic strength training session working the full body. You can try deadlifts, squats, push ups, hamstring curls, inverted rows and planks.

On Tuesday, try an easy 45 minute recovery run.

On Wednesday, take a rest day.

On Thursday, try a running workout with obstacles every half mile or so. You can try obstacles similar to what you will see in competition. Try to mimic the length of the run you will do on race day.

You can rest on Friday.

On Saturday, you can do a long run for about 90 minutes at an easy pace.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this article on Spartan race training. If this article helped you in your quest to do a Spartan, please let me know in the comment section below.