On Sunday, April 8th, 2018, community members gathered at the Countryside YMCA, in Lebanon, Ohio to take part in the Spartan Strong Workout Tour.
Inside the largest YMCA in the country, nearly 100 participants were led by SGX-certified coaches Andi Hardy and Dustin Webb through a two-hour body weight workout. Andi and Dustin were also assisted by fellow SGX-certified coaches – Katie Powell, Patrick Harner, and Tom Burns – as well as by members of the Spartan Street Team and Brand Ambassadors during the event.
With a focus on training both body and mind, coaches worked to educate participants so that they would be able to retain the skills and movements learned and take it home to continue their personal workout success. With this in mind, coaches taught the top 5 fundamental exercises a Spartan can do to prepare for their race (or to pursue better health and fitness in general); these included, pushups, pull-ups, squats, lunges and of course, burpees.
The workout itself incorporated variations of these movements to create a challenging cardio and strength workout. No doubt participants’ heart rates were elevated and muscles were burning through the bear crawls, jump squats, and inch-worm-pushups. Due to cold temperatures, the workout was held mainly indoors, with just a short break to run outdoors.
Throughout the event, coaches worked together to keep participants engaged, empowered, and safe with modifications, while ambassadors rallied participants by offering encouragement, capturing moments for social media, and at times, jumping into the workout themselves.
Aside from the physical benefits, the workout also provided an opportunity to make new friends and connections in the Spartan community. The crowd was a mix of seasoned racers and those who have yet to take on their first Spartan race, and together we learned that you are never too old or too young to improve your fitness or to join the Spartan community.
For seasoned racers, the workout tour is a great way to continue training and to connect with new Spartans in their local area. For first-timers or those new to obstacle course racing altogether the workout tour is not only an amazing workout, but even more so, an incredible introduction to the resources and community tied to OCR. Overall, the Spartan team provided a great, accessible, and challenging workout for participants of all fitness levels and created an environment of camaraderie and confidence.
Wondering what it takes to prepare for a Spartan race? The workout tour is the perfect starting place! The event costs $10 per participant and in return you receive a workout to remember, advice from SGX certified coaches, connections to the Spartan community, race and merchandise discount codes, a ‘Spartan Strong’ technical tee shirt, and various other swag depending on the event. For example, Ohioans walked away with Clif bars, Spartan stickers, and access to photos from the workout.
Missed the tour in Ohio? No worries! Spartan is offering over 30 more Spartan Strong Workout Tour events this year, which you can view here – https://www.spartan.com/en/training/workout-tour/workout-tour
*All photos in this article are courtesy of Shan Powell with Rise Up Spartans and additional photos from the event can be found on the Rise Up Spartans Facebook page.
Happy Training!