What it takes to be a top obstacle racer!
Bonjour! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post. My name is Scott Barker and I am an obstacle racer from Cambridgeshire.
I have been a member of the Spartan Race pro team for the past 4 years, having worked my way up from a have a go hero to placing top 30 in the world and the 1st Brit in the 2019 Spartan Race Trifecta World Championship at elite level.
Whilst Hence’s target audience is primarily for functional fitness and strength-based athletes, I thought I would share why it works so well for me in my busy lifestyle and also give a few tips for obstacle racing to help you take on your first race.
Let’s start with the basics - running and grip strength.
Being able to run 5km comfortably is perfect prep for your first outing. Doing pull ups and dead hangs will enhance your grip and help you out on the monkey bars.
Once you feel happy with that try splitting up your runs with exercises along the way. You can start simple and build up. A favourite of mine is 10 miles split up by 10 burpees every half a mile, but you easily adapt any run to suit your level, try a 5km with 10 press ups every mile for example.
Finally, I would recommend practising carries! No matter what OCR (obstacle course race) you choose to take on, most of them have at least 1 carry involved! Get yourself down to your local garage and ask for a worn tyre. They will have lots they need to get rid of so are usually more than happy to give you 2. Just make sure that there are no cords or reinforcing exposed as this may injure you if you carry them on your shoulders. I recommend running a lap close to your home that you can grab a tyre from your home. Do a couple of laps without it, then a lap with, then couple more without. If you take them with you to your local park, make sure you take them home with you afterwards!
The great thing about obstacle racing is that everyone is welcome. I would suggest taking on a 5km race to start in an “open” category or later wave if you're apprehensive. In open waves, obstacle completion is not mandatory so it’s a great way to test your skills and see what you need to work on.
Now let’s talk nutrition
Hence stacks is perfect for my life style as it crams all the essential nutrients I need into one sitting.
I have a full-time job, my own business and a young daughter. This involves exceedingly early starts and long days so its great to be able to down my Hence Greens as part of my daily routine and know that I’m getting all I need.
Alongside the green stacks I also use CBD++ for my rest day. I find that it helps me sleep better and helps my muscles recover ready for my next training block. With the Spartan season fast approaching I'm really ramping it up now, so recovery is vital.
