Two of My Favorite Exercises For OCR & Hybrid Training
Mike Deibler 
These are two of my favorite strategies to include in any program for obstacle course races or hybrid events.
When training for a race like a Spartan Race or Hyrox, it is best to have a program written specifically for that race.
This is why writing programs is so important versus following workouts. A program leads you to work on specific skills needed for each race AND help you peak specifically for that race.
So if you are trying to get your best DEKA STRONG time and train for a Spartan Ultra, you can't have one program that will help you peak for both.
In a perfect world you would set up a program specifically for one race and mind and go all in.
But in the real world, you probably have multiple races that you are working towards and will have overlapping programs. Training for different events at the same time is not ideal, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.
When training for both OCR and Hybrid events together, it is essential to find exercises that will work on skills needed for both types of races.
So when you find exercises to incorporate that will assist for both, you will want to include those exercises regularly. Two strategies that I often use are 1 and 1/2 rep exercises and isometrics.
Both of these strategies increase time under tension which can be great for building threshold tolerance. You may not be familiar with the term but I bet you know the feeling.
Picture climbing a huge hill in a Spartan Race. Maybe you have been at the bottom of Killington looking up. You know exactly how your legs are going to feel at the top. This is so tough because with something like a hill climb, your quads and calves are under constant tension. This builds up metabolic waste products that make it hard for muscles to contract. Plus they are constantly using energy, so it drains glycogen stores faster.
Or maybe you are pushing a sled during a Hyrox. The same thing is going on here. Of course it is a different environment, but the physiology in the muscle is very similar.
The good this is you can train your body's ability to handle this kind of stress with threshold training. You need to find exercises that put constant tension on the same muscles for longer time under tension.
There are many drills that can help with this, but two really easy ones to incorporate are 1 and 1/2 rep exercises and isometrics.
Here is a video showing two examples that would be a great fit for hill climbs and sled pushes.
Give these a try in your workout and see if they help you get ready for your next race.
If you need more help getting race day ready. Make sure you check out my mini course OCR and Hybrid Simulation & Tactical Training. It will show you exactly how to prep for your next race with these power workouts.
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If you didn't read my last blog post check it out here. Learn the right way to train for obstacle course races.
Categories: : Hybrid Training, OCR Training
