This is the second article in our Grit Fit series as you prepare to participate in True Grit WA in 2019! Consistency is the key to success in achieving your fitness goals, and True Grit is no exception. Develop a habit of being active, because without training we cannot grow stronger! Below we have captured some specific tactics that will help you to prepare for October.
GET THE RIGHT GEAR
Make sure your clothes fit well and are tight to your body. Loose-fitting clothes can catch on the obstacles and slow you down, or worse still cause injury. Something lightweight like nylon or spandex is ideal as these materials are breathable, so they will help you stay dryer even when sweaty – or if it happens to rain! They stay lightweight when they do get wet, which will help to reduce chafing. Shoes are clearly key – you don’t want sore and blistered feet. Use trail running shoes that have a rougher bottom to help with grip whilst out on the course. Make sure they’re worn in and that you have a little amount of toe wiggle room, but they are not so loose that your feet slide around. Socks are important too; practice and go with what you know to help prevent blisters. If in doubt, make sure they’re thicker rather than too thin. Consider gloves to help prevent blisters – especially if you’re not used to obstacles! You will be scaling walls, climbing ropes, crawling over rough ground and much more! This is tough on your hands. Look for gloves that help reduce sweat and moisture.
HAVE A PLAN
Don’t just wing it! Make sure you have a training plan, preferably with support and accountability to optimise your True Grit experience. Why not join us at one of our Grit Fit open sessions across Perth to get some ideas and/or sign up to one of our club or online Grit Git training packages (more details below…)! And then plan for the day… talk to others who have participated before to find out what will happen on the day. Our Grit Fit Connect panel and networking session is an awesome opportunity to do that! Or if you are an old hand, then do what worked last time and make changes where it didn’t! Remember to plan for your recovery too. True Grit is a challenge and your body will need to recover from it afterwards.
BALANCE YOUR TRAINING
It can be easy to focus only on the obstacle part of the True Grit course, but there is running involved too… you don’t need to be an Olympic athlete but you will enjoy the whole experience much more if you have trained for the distance and have worked on your cardio fitness. Building your endurance is key here – to be achieved through consistency. Train regularly and effectively; which means balancing hard work with rest and some recovery running too. But True Grit is an obstacle course event and strength and conditioning training is essential too. Strength training can involve lifting weights, but bootcamp-style sessions that include exercises such as burpees, jumps, push-ups, squats and presses – using equipment as well as bodyweight – will really build your stamina and muscular endurance. Practice the type of obstacles that will be at the event if you can…
WORK ON YOUR GRIP STRENGTH
No matter how strong your arms and body are, True Grit requires hand strength too!! Rope climbs, monkey bars and rings all require grip strength to complete. You need to be able to support your body weight for a while and it is often your hands that will let you down. You’ll need to be able to carry things, which requires hand strength too. There are lots of specific exercises you can do to work on this, but keep an eye out for bars you can hang from too and be mindful of everyday tasks that work your hands.
FUEL YOUR TRAINING
We’ll cover this in more detail in a later article, but properly fuelling your training and your race day is going to massively improve your physical performance. It will also help you prepare mentally for the event, as you are likely to feel much more on top of things if you are eating good nutritional food. Eat real food and aim for a balanced diet that includes all the food groups. Plenty of vegetables – and if doubt, eat a few more vegetables! An added reason for good nutrition is to try and prevent sickness in the lead up to the event. Give your body the best chance possible of being at its best! Remember to drink plenty of water too as it is easy to become dehydrated, even if the weather isn’t hot.
Click on the links below to find out more about our events and training packages:
Grit Fit Connect – your chance to meet some True Grit stars, ask questions, plan your True Grit journey and connect with an awesome community of people! All for a $5 donation to charity 🙂
Grit Fit Open Session – Join MATT PRIDDIS and for a FREE open session to help you prepare for True Grit WA! This multi-terrain mini-course will be an awesome opportunity to train and have some fun with other True Gritters.
Grit Fit Online – a four week online program of exercises, nutrition advice and recipes, support and accountability tailored to optimise your True Grit training! Click HERE to find out more.
Grit Fit Saturday – a bootcamp session at our club in Clarkson tailored to building your True Grit fitness. Click HERE to find out more.
And most importantly… remember to enjoy it!
HAPPY TRAINING!!!
