TRIBE Ambassador Richard Bruschi shares his top tips on how to train for an OCR.
An OCR is an Obstacle Course Race. You might have also heard of an OMR, where the ‘M’ stands for ‘mud’. Either way you should end up tired, wet and muddy.
In simple words, you need to combine a lot of running and a lot of different body-weight exercises.
OCRs involve running and obstacles. There are many different types of OCR to suit all abilities, with the run distance usually falling between 5k and a marathon, accompanied by up to 35 obstacles ranging in physical and mental difficulty.
TRAINING
Running is the bulk of the work, so it's important to get some miles in to make sure the legs are strong. Most obstacles also use the legs as much or more than the arms.
It’s also important to get used to the obstacles because using different muscle groups can be more tiring than expected.
To balance this out, it’s important to alternate between running and body-weight exercises. I avoid weights to reduce the risk of injury, but by all means anybody who can incorporate these into their workout should do so, if they know how to use them or they are instructed by a trainer. I would suggest training in dynamic, endurance-based exercises, rather than those that only grow muscle volume and therefore slow you down.
Once you are in a nice schedule of alternating running and body-weight exercises, once every two weeks try to put them together. Go for a run and at intervals, stop and do a body-weight exercise for 30-60 seconds. The exercises can be any type, just keep changing. Burpees, squat jumps, lunges, bear crawls, etc.
Always finish with a lot of stretching!
NUTRITION
Now, the other part of any training is hydration and nutrition. Training for an OCR primarily calls for hydration and recovery, particularly due to the bodyweight exercises.
What we eat greatly affects our overall health. TRIBE products are all gluten, egg and dairy free, and mostly vegan. And they are tasty! You can’t really go wrong with them.
Before any workout, a TRIBE Energy bar gives you the carbs needed for endurance and the sugars needed for high-intensity exercises.
Always have water with you and drink little and often. TRIBE Hydrate is a mix of the natural salts and minerals your body needs to maintain performance. I sometimes mix two different flavours to have an extra tasty drink.
TRIBE protein products, such as the shakes (chocolate is my favorite!) are great for post-workout intakes.
Most of all, have fun!