Spartan Training: The Olympus Wall

You could be the king, but watch the queen conquer.

-Nicki Minaj

What’s one thing you’ve achieved lately that took you by surprise? One of my recent moments was completing a Spartan race. When I hit the course last September, I had no expectation. I went into it with faith in my abilities, but I’d never attempted to do anything to that level before. All I knew is that I wanted to take it on full force.

Now, as I train for my second Spartan Sprint race. I know a little more of what to expect and have identified clear goals this time around. Out of the 20 obstacles on the course, I completed all but five or six. The thing was, there was a trend with those I didn’t complete. The rope climb. The rigs. The obstacles that required bicep, core strength and fluidity in my body were my biggest challenges. So this time, my training is focused more on those areas.

The great thing about the Spartan program is once you are signed up for a race, you have access to specific workout plans geared towards building the strength and technique you need to beat the obstacles. This week’s focus: The Olympus Wall.

What is it?

The Olympus Wall is an angled wall where you move laterally across using chains, holes and grips to avoid touching the ground. It’s important to have strong grip strength, but also strong quad and glute muscles. The goal is to keep you butt and hips as low as you can to cross and ring the bell at the opposite end of the wall.

How do you train for it?

Well, aren’t we glad you asked! This is a obstacle that requires your full-body to work, but training your body to handle different loads through barbells, dumbbells and kettle bells is a great way to get started. This week, we’ve filmed one of the sets provided by the Spartan program to make it through this obstacle.

Check out the workout below, and head to our Instagram for full video of the moves.

Love,

CaCera

Funny story. I took on my first Spartan race with a good friend and fellow ZenStudio instructor. To say we helped each other through this obstacle is stating the least. We literally were hoisting each other up, determined not to let the other hit the ground. What are good friends and strength sisters for?