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Firstly and foremost never do this on your own and never do it without guidance of a coach. The risks of injury or drowning are high.
On event day you will be in and out of the water at different stages of the event. Each time you will have to recover, warm up and move onto the next stage. This is an important aspect to acclimatisation. You have to stay focused on what is going on around you and under you. The moment you take your focus away you risk a mishap. Once you are out of the water it is important to stay warm. No standing around. Try jogging on the spot, pulsing the fingers, until you are ready to move on to the next stage of training.

Changing your bodys thermostat

Everyones perception of the external temperature differs. But it can be trained.

Step 1
About a month before your event start to reduce the amount of clothing that you need to wear. If you would normally wear trousers, start to wear shorts. Likewise change long sleeve tops to short sleeve ones. Try to reduce your heating in your home or office if that is an option.

Step 2
Reduce the temperature of the water in your baths and showers. It needs to be done in stages of 1 or 2 at a time. Once again dont rush it. Steps 1 & 2 will start the process of your body learning to adapt the temperature of the external environment. Just remember if it doesnt feel right then stop and take advice. Similarly, tell your housemates or colleagues what you are doing, so they do not think youre even madder than you are normally.

In the next edition of Obstacle Racing Magazine I will take acclimatisation training onto a new level for you die-hard OCRs.

DISCLAIMER The training tips provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not to be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific exercise or training program. Participation is at your own risk, as this or any other exercise program may result in injury or even death. To reduce the risk of injury, before beginning this or any training program please consult your doctor and a qualified coach. Wild Forest Gym is not responsible for any injuries that may result from the exercises or training program described min this article.

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Multilateral training allows you to adapt to the unknown and unknowable aspect of an obstacle that is round the next corner. It could be the way you have to lift, crawl, climb, jump, balance or carry - on, over or under obstacles.

The log lift and carry

You will not know its weight or its dimensions and what type of grip you will have until race day and you are standing over it. There is no polished bar loaded evenly. Instead you have an uneven, irregular and unbalanced large log that you have to carry some distance. The following steps are what we do in a training camp. It should not be copied without coach supervision due to the risk of injury.

Step 1
Squat down hold the log in any way that suits them. There main focus is on keeping the back straight, body weight over the balls of their feet, counter-balancing the weight of the log paying attention to their centre of mass as well as securing a strong grip. Then squat back down lowering the weight to the ground in a slow controlled way.

Step 2
Squat again using the above technique, but this time they take a different grip. It could be the hand is on a different part of the log. It could be that rather than being right-hand dominant grip can be replaced with left-handed one. It could be that you are holding the log with a wide side grip or a narrower grip. Or the log could be upright. Every time they vary the lift they are not allowed to move the log to make a grip easier. It is about adapting to the positioning, weight and centre of mass of the log at that moment in time. This trains the muscles and mind to develop on a multifaceted way rather than specialized. Specialized is great for weight lifting in arenas. But in OCR we do not have the benefits of sterile gyms and having spotters. Instead we have to lift and carry whatever is needed, because we have to. Multilateral training gets Tough Mudders ready for every test and obstacle that they are compounded with.

In the next edition of Obstacle Racing Training we will look at jumping skills.

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4. Uneven terrains can be unforgiving, keep your eyes on where 5.  Always have a mobile phone on you in the case of an 6. Be aware of weak branches, trunks and hanging dead wood.
Dead wood, branches and trunks can randomly fall and are weak. Similarly branches may be weak or damaged and may not be strong enough to take your body weight. Always test it first. If you are not sure dont do it. emergency and have a basic first aid kit in the bottom of your weatherproofed rucksack. youre going.

Forests are accessible. There are forests in and around virtually every city and town across the UK. In most cases they are free to access and train in. The varying terrain and uneven ground surfaces can be very similar to that of an OCR. The forests have the natural hazards and obstacles of logs, tree trunks, stones, undergrowth, trenches, branches to carry. You can balance, crawl, jump and run. There are streams, rivers, ponds, bogs and mud.

Top 10 TIPS for training in the forest.

7. Train with a group to get support, mentoring and for safety reasons. 1. Always check it is permitted to train in the forest. 2. Always be respectful to the environment of the forest and 8. Where possible let someone else know where you have gone. other users. 9. Always be aware that training always has risks of injury. 3. Always make sure that when you leave that there is no sign 10. Always take guidance / instruction from a coach. left that you have been there in the first place.

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Learning to break roll Step 1

Squat down. Face forward in the direction of the intended roll. Then reposition yourself by placing your right foot about 12 further forward than your left foot. This now brings your right shoulder forward. Place your hands on the ground in front of you with your fingers sprayed and your thumbs adjacent to each other and likewise your index fingers adjacent too. This should create a triangle between your hands. As your right foot is further forward this means that your hands are offset at angle of 30-45 . Just remember this a break fall, so that if you were to slip or trip, your hands are going to break the fall, and then the roll disperses your downward momentum into forward momentum. Therefore, it is important that your hands and arms have a spring in them, a bit like suspension. But you dont want them to be totally relaxed otherwise your rolling ball will collapse. Similarly not rigid at the other extreme.

Step 2
Getting ready to roll. When you initiate the roll you are going to roll like a ball from your hands, along the length of your right arm, across the shoulder and down to the left hip. You head is tilted to the left. So that when you roll over the shoulder you roll next to the neck. Your head is tucked close to your chin. This way you should avoid your head coming into contact with the ground. This is paramount in order not to risk injury to the head. When you roll up the right arm and over the shoulder it should be a smooth movement. However if you inadvertently collapse the arms you will end up hitting the ground with the right shoulder, which could cause an injury. At the end of the roll make sure your feet and legs arent crossed so you can stand and launch back into running.

Lets roll! Key Notes

Keep your body in a tight but comfortable ball. Roll up the right arm over shoulder and across to the left hip. Do not hit the ground with your head or shoulder. Make sure you roll in the intended direction.  When you end the roll makes sure your feet and legs arent crossed, so that you can stand up at the end of the roll.  Just remember to practicepracticepractice, and you will perfect it.

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