Nothing recreates the strength-draining, cardio-sapping ebb and flow of an obstacle-packed Tough Mudder course quite like interval training. ‘It allows the body to adapt very quickly to a wide variety of demands, especially if you incorporate upper- and lower-body strength work and all your different energy systems,’ says Luke Chamberlain of Impulse Fitness.
‘A Tough Mudder will challenge your aerobic energy system during the run, your anaerobic energy system on obstacles that require explosive strength such as Hero Walls, and your intermediate energy system for strength endurance-based obstacles such as Hold Your Wood 2.0. Interval training allows you to tackle all of these elements in one workout in a format that’s very similar to the event itself, making it an excellent training tool for anyone preparing to tackle a Tough Mudder.’
How to do this workout
‘The A move in every set is designed to work your anaerobic energy system, so perform them as explosively as possible,’ says Chamberlain. ‘The B move will test your strength endurance, while the C move will work your aerobic energy system to build endurance. Perform 30-45 seconds of continuous walking as active recovery between every exercise.’
To help track your progress and improve your fitness, use the step counter on your SmartWatch 3 or SmartBand Talk from Sony – both of which synch with the Xperia™ Z3 via Sony’s Lifelog app – to monitor how many steps you need to take between each exercise to recover, and then aim to reduce that amount during every subsequent workout. You can also use the calorie counting function on both devices to monitor how many calories you burn during every session. As your fitness improves, this number should keep going up. If it doesn’t, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough!
1A Plyometric box jump
Sets 1
Reps 4
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
1B Monkey bar traverse
Sets 1
Time 30-45sec
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
1C Treadmill run
Sets 1
Distance 500-1000m
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
2A Thruster
Sets 1
Reps 8
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
2B Incline treadmill sprint
Sets 1
Time 30-45sec
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
2C Dead hang
Sets 1
Time 60sec
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
3A Deadlift to upright row
Sets 1
Reps 12
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
3B Bear crawls
Sets 1
Time 30-45sec
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
3C Rowing
Sets 1
Distance 500-1000m
Rest 30-45sec active recovery
You can pick up the new Xperia Z3+ and Sony’s SmartWear at Carphone Warehouse now.
