Dominating Obstacle Course Racing with Ultimate Sandbag Training

Dominating Obstacle Course Racing with Ultimate Sandbag Training

Ian Vaughn, DVRT Master

We all want a challenge in life and when waking up with a goal to conquer we get out of bed with even more purpose. People who have goals tend to succeed more because you know where you’re going. At first glance with Obstacle Course Races (OCR), its looks very intimating: climbing monkey bars, inverted walls, vertical ropes, carrying heavy buckets on steep hills and seeing all that mud to crawl into. However, these obstacles overtime become more mental, than psychical. I think this is what truly attracts people to OCR because you take those ways of thinking “how do I overcome this obstacle” into real life goals (school, jobs, and helping others). So just like in real life choices we either let fear run our choices or take on challenges with a great attitude.

This is what people in fitness can really learn from OCRs…working on weaknesses (tasks we suck at), not something we already know we’re good at.

In 2010 when I first got into OCR training, I thought the obstacles were’t really going to be that hard for me simply because “I worked out everyday”. When all I really did was overtrain running 3-6 miles a day and focusing on workouts in the gym for hours that would get me “sweaty
& sore” as a pathetic gage for improvement. If my today self meet with that version of me a decade ago, I would say:

“If you want to get sweaty and sore, get in the sauna and I’ll beat you with a stick”

When I finally ran my first 8 mile OCR, I got put in my place pretty quick: couldn’t hang on to a bar for longer than 20seconds, couldn’t climb anything, and my hip mobility was horrible going over walls. The only things I was good at was lifting heavy things, but as soon as I was required for JUST my body to perform…failed every obstacle. So even though I crossed the finish line practically injured, I still knew I had a lot to work on. So I had to find new ways of training to overcome those obstacles. DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training has given me some great tools to accomplish my goals.

I dialed back on my volume of training and embraced more focus on my weaknesses. This is where I started using more kettlebells and ultimate sandbags in my programing. Wait Coach? Didn’t you say you we’re good at “lifting heavy things.” Yes, but I focus on where its placed. For example, a great exercise for the wall climb is Ultimate Sandbag Training Shin box Getup.

Notice how my leg sweeps over just like it would when going over a wall. The USB stabilizes in my core and lats as if they we’re pressing into the wall and for hip mobility you need internal hip rotation driving into extension to drive that leg over.

This was one of many ways I learned how to make my body more resilient. I now move better having more fun in OCRs and finishing them with more confidence each time. So at the end of finish we all have a common goal it’s only the start to making better goals for yourself. I hope you love to challenge yourself and even more so how to reach your goals. I am excited to share with you how my DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training journey has helped me and can help you!