How to Train for the Spartan Beast

Congratulations! You’ve paid the fees and committed yourself to the Spartan Beast—a 21-kilometer trail run packed with more than 30 obstacles. Now that you’ve signed up, you might be asking: How do you train for this?

This post outlines four essential components of a weekly training program—think of them as the four legs of a chair, each supporting your success.

1. Easy-Pace Long Run
2. MovNat Session
3. High-Intensity Metabolic Conditioning
4. Grip Strength

---

Before We Begin: Key Assumptions

1. You have a moderate fitness level. You’re neither a couch potato nor a professional athlete.
2. You want to enjoy the event, stay injury-free, and place in the middle-to-front half of the pack.
3. You have limited training time, so you’re looking for the minimal effective dose.
4. You have at least four to six months to prepare.

If any of these assumptions don’t perfectly fit your situation, you can tweak this protocol. Use it as a template and tailor it to your needs.

---

1. The Easy-Pace Long Run

Frequency: Once per week
Intensity: Conversational pace—if you’re wearing a heart rate monitor, aim for Zone 2 (about 180 minus your age).

Begin at a distance or time that feels comfortable and doesn’t leave you with lingering aches. Each week, add five more minutes to the run. Even if you can only manage a 15-minute jog right now, following this incremental approach over six months can get you up to a 2-hour-and-15-minute run—perfect preparation for conquering the Beast with grace and style.

Tip: Hit the trails whenever possible. Trail terrain naturally varies and forces you to adapt your pace. Don’t worry if you need to walk steep sections; maintaining a Zone 2 heart rate is more important than running nonstop.

---

2. MovNat Sessions

Frequency: Once per week
Duration: 45–60 minutes

MovNat is a system that trains natural movement skills—agility, balance, crawling, jumping, landing, hanging, pulling, swinging, and throwing. These movements directly translate to the demands of an obstacle course. You can often complete MovNat workouts with minimal equipment, making them ideal for busy lifestyles. Check out free MovNat resources online to guide your training. Consistency with MovNat will help you feel more comfortable and efficient when tackling race-day obstacles.

---

3. High-Intensity Metabolic Conditioning

Frequency: Once per week
Duration: 10–20 minutes (with intervals and rest periods)

These short, intense workouts should leave you gasping for air. Burpees and sprints are a perfect match here. Burpees prepare you for race-day penalty burpees (in case you miss an obstacle), while sprint intervals improve your running capacity and high-intensity endurance. Expect to feel your heart rate soar, which is exactly what will happen during steep climbs or challenging obstacles in the race.

Sample Workouts

1. 100 Burpees for Time
   Complete 100 burpees as fast as you can. As you get closer to the event, push it to 150.
2. Sprint Ladder
   • 400m sprint, rest 4 minutes
   • 300m sprint, rest 3 minutes
   • 200m sprint, rest 2 minutes
   • 100m sprint
3. Tabata Circuit
   • Pick four exercises (e.g., pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats).
   • For each exercise, do 20 seconds of all-out effort, then rest 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times (4 minutes total) before moving to the next exercise.
   • The entire session lasts 16 minutes.
4. 4×4 Protocol
   • Go all-out for 1 minute, then recover at a slow pace for 3 minutes.
   • Repeat for 4 total rounds.
   • This can be done with sprinting, burpees, swimming—anything that challenges you without aggravating injuries.

For more sprint workouts and proper warm-up techniques, see this handy guide “The Grown-ups Guide to Sprinting.” For more advice on developing your metabolic capacity see 5 Metabolic Conditioning Tips from the “Father of the Kettlebell” Pavel Tsatsouline.

---

4. Grip Strength

Frequency: At least once per week

Many Spartan obstacles require solid grip strength, so don’t let it be your bottleneck. Your goal is to gradually extend the time you can hang until your grip fails. Vary the objects you grip: narrow bars, fat bars, sloped edges, pinch grips—anything to keep your hands adapting.

Tip: Integrate this training into a weekly climbing session if you can (rock climbing, indoor climbing, bouldering). You’ll build climbing skills that transfer perfectly to obstacles like rope climbs and monkey bars, while simultaneously strengthening your grip.

You can also “grease the groove,” a technique popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline, by finding daily opportunities to hang, carry objects, or perform quick grip challenges. Farmer’s carries, suitcase carries, kettlebell swings, and deadlifts are all excellent for developing grip stamina.

---

Final Thoughts

1. Train Outdoors. Whenever possible, practice in different weather conditions. If you can conquer heat, cold, rain, and mud in training, you’ll be ready for anything on race day.
2. Train with Friends. Shared motivation—and a healthy dose of accountability—can make all the difference.
3. Address Weaknesses. If you have additional time and want to improve faster, consider adding a second session in your weakest area. If you want better running performance, add a 20–40 minute run at a faster pace. If your upper body is lacking, schedule more climbing or MovNat sessions.
4. Mind Your Injuries. A little prehab/rehab work each day goes a long way. Mobility and flexibility routines can keep you healthy throughout your training.
5. Practice the Javelin Throw. Take some time to learn basic javelin technique—it’s one of the common Spartan obstacles. Even a single session or two can save you from the burpee penalty.
6. Smile While You Sweat! Keep a positive attitude, especially during those grueling high-intensity workouts. A little joy goes a long way toward building mental toughness.

---

Get out there, train hard, and play hard! By following these four key pillars of Spartan Beast preparation—long, easy runs; MovNat workouts; high-intensity conditioning; and grip-strength development—you’ll be well on your way to enjoying the race, staying injury-free, and hopefully scoring a solid finish. Good luck!