On July 4th, 2018 an Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) athlete named Derek Jacobs will get some network television time for the second year in a row. However, you will be surprised at this athletes skills outside of OCR.
The first time I encountered, and subsequently failed, a rig the memory and experience stuck with me hard. Moving forward I didn’t want to have that experience again and began working hard to improve on my weaknesses. Thanks to Atomik Climbing Holds and their deep line of rig grips, they have continued to push my obstacle proficiency to the next level.
I am suggesting you should do nothing on the day of your Toughest Mudder event. Before I justify that statement, let’s back up and talk through the study I’m drawing my conclusions from which can be found in the book Endure by Alex Hutchison.
After seeing Xero Terraflex shoes pop up in a couple of advertisements and seeing people talk about them in some Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) groups, I picked up a pair to test them out. Here are my thoughts on Xero’s minimalist, zero drop shoes and if they should be pushed to the top of your purchase list.
As long as I have been on social media following other Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) athletes I have noticed post-run pictures of sweaty competitors posing with their weight vests. One brand seems to be more present on OCR athletes than any other, Hyperwear.
OOFOS is a recovery sandal designed to reduce the impact of each step thus hopefully speeding the recovery process. The foam they use (OOfoam) to make up the sandal reduces impact by 37% compared to traditional running shoe foam. After testing their product for the last couple of months, here is what you need to know about OOFOS.
Whatever backyard setup you have for obstacle course racing it is nothing compared to the Newby family. The Newby’s have a full 5k OCR Newbsanity (plus 5k Extreme Ravine trail run across the street) to practice on daily. They not only use it for themselves but have created an obstacle racing facility for the community to explore, train, and race.
With Tough Mudder set to take over the venue for the next five years, May 19th will be the last event for The Battlegrounds as we know it. I’m hoping Tough Mudder incorporates some of The Battlegrounds existing obstacles into their race with a name like Tough Mudder’s Battlegrounds.
For some athletes this might mean their markers of inflammation (consider dumbing this down for mass consumption) are elevated, or their connective tissues aren’t healing. For other athletes, this might mean their happy neurotransmitters are going down while hormones such as cortisol are going up. (again – not everyone knows the negative effects of elevated cortisol – a short explanation here might be useful)
There is a saying that I like when it comes to fitness, “if you want something you never had, you have to be willing to do something you have never done.” Normally this comes in the form of more training, harder training or a better diet. The question is if you already feel like you are putting in extra effort in those categories, what else can you do? The answer may be Compex Electrical Muscle Stimulators (EMS).
