SPARTAN RACES ARE anything but easy. That much is implied by the competition’s namesake, the legendarily tough Greek city-state and its warrior ethos. Competitors run, jump, and climb through an obstacle-filled course, making normal road runs look like a walk in the park. Racers will need strength, stamina, and grit to make it through one of these contests in one piece.
There’s one specific area where most competitors fall short on the course, according to Spartan DEKA co-creator/Senior Director Yancy Culp: grip and pull strength. The obstacles require racers to haul themselves up and over barriers and swing on ropes and monkey bars. Forearm and upper back fortitude is essential to crushing a Spartan race—and you can actually train to improve in that department without needing to recreate a full course at your local gym.
Culp has a simple two-part workout to hone your grip and pull strength, using vertical and horizontal pulling exercises and grip work. You’ll also be able to scale these movements to adjust the level of difficulty depending on your ability, so this can be useful for exercisers from all walks of life.
Grab a towel or a rope, then loop it around a pullup bar for the assisted pullups. Use a Smith machine or a barbell placed in a rack at a challenging height for you for the assisted rows. For the farmers carry, make sure to grab weights that will challenge you without breaking your form.
The Spartan Race Prep Workout
Part I
Perform 10 reps, then rest as needed to reset. You can take longer than the five seconds Culp outlines in the clip above, but keep your non-working time to a minimum. For the next set, perform 9 reps. Continue down the ladder until you hit 5 reps.
- Assisted Pullup
- Assisted Row
Part II
Start by performing a farmers carry for 40 yards. Once you’ve finished the walk, move over to the pullup bar for a pair of assisted pullup reps. Rest, then repeat for 3 total rounds.
- Farmers Carry
- Assisted Pullups
