How to train for a tough mudder

We did a reverse QnA on my Facebook page today where I asked people who had done a Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash race to post about their experiences. Here were the replies.

1) I did the dash in Minnesota. I would say the heat, and hills were the worse. It was held at a ski resort, so lots of hills. I would have done more hill sprints in advance. - Adam

2) Did my first Tough Mudder in March this year on Philip Island, Australia...toughest part for me was the cold...ended up hypothermic, still finished it though! Definitely need good upper body strength for the walls and you need to be able to run. There is recovery time at some obstacles! Mud is sooo much fun!! - Ali

3) I've done both Vermont TMs. In the lead up to the first one I spent a lot of time training for the obstacles (more upper body) but the real obstacles were the mountain and the COLD water. For the second one I worked on lower body and core a lot more and did more long hikes/runs in hilly terrain. Both courses in VT had you go up and down the mountain at 6 times. I did it with a GPS watch and it was close to 18K ft of elevation change. Happy to answer any specific questions anyone has. - Mark

4) I recently did the tough mudder in Ohio...it was rainy and cold...the worst part was trying to get around all the people that signed up to just walk it....I needed to stay moving to stay warm! I did a ton of animal movements ie bear crawls, crab walks, kangaroo hops etc, in addition to cold water dousing and hot cold showers to prepare for the swim....lots of stair suicide sprints, kb and bw circuits...I didn't run distances of more than 3 miles...didn't want to beat the ol knees up! It was a blast...minus the rain! - Pete

Very cool, thank you.

My training today: Pullups, Military Press, Rows, Pushups, and some meathead arms.

Today's Kickbutt Mindset Tips:
Head up! It's easy to get down on yourself, but don't let a bad day or mean person get you down. Keep your head up and stay motivated by looking long-term.

"People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies." - Blair Warren

The problem with Problems is they get bigger and worse than right now, leading to bigger headaches than if you'd tackled it now. Attack that problem head on. Solve that problem today.

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer