Kids don’t think about working out to get stronger or build endurance. Kids are just focused on having fun. It just so happens that some of those fun activities are great exercises to help train for your next Tough Mudder.
4 Exercises to Make You Feel Like a Kid Again
1. Jumping
Kids love to jump. Hopscotch, trampolines, and the bed are just a few ways that they get their daily dose of jumping. Jumping has great fitness benefits for both adults and children alike. Jumping is a cardio based exercise that will get your heart beating and burn calories, which is great for keeping your body and heart healthy. Jumping also builds strength throughout the leg and core muscles and improves coordination and balance.
Building up cardio, leg strength, explosiveness, and balance are all key skills required to conquer Tough Mudder. You can add jumping into your workouts with squat jumps, box jumps, bunny hops and of course jump rope.
2. Running Up Hills
Who didn’t love rolling down a hill as a kid? It just so happens that this fun kids activity will have them ready to crush the Lidl Mudder course. If you want to join in on the action, hill workouts will make sure you’re ready for your next Tough Mudder event. Pro tip, if you enjoy hill running you can earn unique rewards by taking on the Tough Mudder Elevation Milestones.
Hill workouts are best accomplished by using different types of intervals. Get creative with how to use a hill you have available. If it’s a small hill, get to the top and then go back down, using the time on the way down to take deep breaths and recover. If it’s a bigger hill, play around with going up the hill for a set time, and then recovering as you return to the bottom. You can also add in sprints or other speed intervals as you get comfortable with the quick elevation gain during your workout.
3. Get on the Monkey Bars
The joy a kid has when they complete the monkey bars for the first time is something they don’t forget. Monkey bars are an incredible workout though that can help you build up your upper body strength, grip strength and core stability. The traditional way to cross the monkey bars is to swing from one bar to the next, though for adults, you can up add different elements to this equipment to keep it interesting.
4. Crawling
Seeing your kid crawl is an incredibly proud (and potentially scary) moment for a parent. This movement is a huge accomplishment for an infant, and rightfully so. Crawling is a full-body exercise that requires strength and coordination from head to toe. The difficulty of crawling movements make them a great way to train for a Tough Mudder event. Two great crawling movements to include into your training routine are bear crawls and army crawls.
When performing crawling movements, remember to keep your core muscles activated and tight. Don’t let your hips drop too low or you could injure your lower back. The goal is to use coordination to move your body in one succinct motion.
Put all that training to good use by taking on a Tough Mudder event, we’ll see you on the start line.
