We hear you Mudders, in recent years it’s become pretty trendy to hate cardio, and as the war continues between those who believe resistance training is king and those…who don’t it can be tempting to ignore it all together.
But you definitely shouldn’t. As with everything in life, a bit of everything is best and incorporating cardio into your workouts will improve your cardiovascular health and strengthen your heart.
Cardio will help you complete Tough Mudder
Although Tough Mudder is filled with fun obstacles and lots of mud, there is also an element of running, jogging or walking as you move between obstacles. Planning on walking the whole thing? You’re going to want to warm up after a dip in Arctic Enema – The Rebirth and a jog is the best way to get the blood moving again.
Over the last fortnight, our Lucozade Sport Made to Move Ambassadors have been focusing on cardio exercises which will build the strength and endurance needed to keep you moving along the course. Last week’s workout combined cardio with bodyweight exercises, which is a great way to get maximum results in a short period of time.
Although going for a long run is a great way to build your cardio, realistically time is a barrier for most. So circuit training is ideal if you are short on time.
Our Lucozade Sport Made to Move Ambassadors have constructed the below 15-minute workouts, which will give you the explosive power to support your body weight while navigating tricky terrain and also build the stamina needed to take you around the course. Work through both sets of exercises alternatively to give yourself a well rounded cardio plan that will have you earning your next headband twice as fast.
Week 1:
Workout Structure
Exercises: 5
Work for: 30 seconds
Active rest (jogging on the spot): 20 seconds
2 x burpees, run 5 metres and back (repeat)
Squat jump into lunge jumps, run touch down and back (repeat)
5 sit-ups, run touch down and back (repeat)
10 mountain climbers, run touch down and back (repeat)
2 x press ups, run touch down and back (repeat)
Week 2:
Workout Structure
Exercises: 6
Work for: 20 seconds
Rest for: 20 seconds
Ply squad jumps, high knees
Press ups, heel flicks
Leg raises, jump twist
Ski jumps, high knees
Toe touches, heel flicks
Flutter kicks, jump twist
Remember Mudders, while it is good to push yourself and see progress, make sure you stop any exercises if you feel uncomfortable or in pain.