Athletes are often looking for progressive ways to enhance their training especially when it can save time. I found out about the Agogie Resistance Training pants at an Expo last winter and figured, “if they might be able to help then why the heck not!” More traditional athletes like football and basketball player typically utilize these pants to improve explosiveness; however, as an ultra obstacle course racer, I had a different idea of how to use this tool.
I have completed six World's Toughest Mudders and one of the biggest problems racers face at WTM, I mean other than Thermoregulation ?, is wetsuit induced fatigue. Once the sun goes down and you put in that neoprene your pace will significantly slow and the added resistance will only add to your muscular fatigue. In order to get used to the effects of wetsuit you could attempt to train in it but then you have to combat the tendency to overheat when you aren't actually in the water. The Agogie pants now provide a more feasible option.
Agogie Resistance Training Pants Design
The Agogie pants are lycra pants that use two front and two rear sewn-in elastic bands on each leg to provide resistance to normal movement. The pants also have stirrups and a drawstring to help hold them in place. The key to their effectiveness is the fact they provide resistance without affecting your usual biomechanics. This allows muscular and neurological changes to be made without an accompanied alteration in movement patterns.
Testing
I have used the Agogie during both over-speed training as well as during runs of four to eight miles with beneficial results in both. However, for a person who is training for World's Toughest Mudder where the additional resistance of the neoprene wetsuit during a good part of the race can greatly affect performance I feel these pants would be an especially good training tool. Up to this point, I had yet to conjure up a way to mimic the effects of running in a wetsuit without actually wearing the neoprene which, as I mentioned before, is not an easy thing to do while running strictly over land due to the fact you would likely overheat. The Agogie pants did a great job of simulating the resistance level running with a 3mm wetsuit on your legs.
Overall
In the end, the choice of your training and/or racing gear comes down to what your biggest determining factors are at an event like WTM. If you suck at pacing them you need to make sure you have a good GPS watch with a long battery life like a Suunto. If you need help controlling your body temperature then you might consider purchasing a Neptune Thermoregulation System to train and race in. However, if you feel the added wetsuit fatigue kills your completion miles then I'd definitely recommend you purchase a pair of Agogies at https://agogie.com/. If you are not a WTMer but are looking for another tool to add to your training arsenal then you should give them a go. Either way, their benefit will be well worth it for you!
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