Part 3 of 3: The Top Three Body Weight Exercises for Female Obstacle Racers
Number 3: The Jumping Pull-Up
by Joe Di Stenfano co-founder of Spartan Coaches
Click here for Part I: Bowler Squat
Click here for Part II: Reverse Bear Crawl
Because 8 foot walls, monkey bars, traverses, and festival challenges don’t conquer themselves.
Everyone makes mistakes. Sadly, the architect that drew up the blueprint for the homosapien female never foresaw a time where millions of women globally would have a need to do more pull-up variations in a weekend than they would produce babies in a lifetime. The anatomical disadvantages we have discussed in the last two posts in this series, created a species that since the dawn of creation has had much trouble with pull-ups. Fortunately, there are always things we can do.
The Jumping Pull-Up is going to allow almost anybody to crank out a set of ten pull ups in good form. In addition, it has complete carry over to racing since when you are climbing over the towering 8-foot walls, you will most likely begin with a jump.
Jumping Pull-Ups are going to provide two primary strength benefits to a female obstacle racer, upper body pulling and a whole lot of grip strength. Jumping pull-ups can be be done on tree branches, walls, playground equipment, and of course, on chin-up bars. This flexibility allows Jumping Pull-Ups to be trained with varying hand positions, grip widths, and grip circumferences. Exposing the grip to variations in training, especially under the load of one’s own body weight, is going to become important to reducing the risk of elbow tendonitis on race day, one of Spartan Race’s most common injuries.
In addition, Jumping Pull-ups are going to be a fantastic compliment to the other two exercises in this series, hereby completing a total body workout specifically designed for Spartan Races in just three simply, body weight maneuvers.
To recap, because women anatomically have a larger “Q-angle”, a more anteriorly (or forward) tilted pelvis, and a larger percentage of body weight held below the midsection, they often times require specialized lower body, core, and upper body training. Female training should begin around strengthening the hips and move up to the core and upper body. Exercises such as the Bowler Squat, can reduce unwanted or excessive medial (inward) rotation and adduction (knee caving inwards) of the femur (thigh bone), as well as help to equalize the pelvis’s forward tilt to a more neutral one, both of which will reduce stress on the knees. The Reverse Bear Crawl is going to train a woman’s core function and reflex, as well as add tremendous stability, strength, and “injury proofing” to the upper body. Finally, the Jumping Pull-Up is going to balance out this increased pressing strength in the upper body and develop very functional grip strength to help a women conquer even Spartan Race’s most challenging obstacles.
“Your beard is so amazing, it makes me want to have one so I can run and have it flow behind me!” – female beard admirer
feel that this is partially due to all the attention that I receive from the ladies because of my prodigious beard. I mean, let’s be realistic. What woman does not desire the rugged, mysterious, Neanderthalesque look that such a beard affords? Once the ladies see the badass offspring that I have produced, it simply adds to the intrigue.
May 2, 2010 I was taking my son to a soccer game when a girl got on the Interstate going the wrong way due to being twice the legal limit drunk and had drugs in her system. We collided head on at 65mph. Once they arrived, the paramedics flew us all to the nearby trauma unit. Thank God for my son as he only had to have surgery on his left elbow and now has some new working hardware in his elbow. He had fractured ribs and bumps and bruises but was very blessed that day to escape major trauma except for his elbow. He’s doing great now. I however was grateful to take the brunt of the impact but didn’t fair out so well. My wife and I quit counting broken bones at 26 including my back, my pelvis, my wrist in 7 places, my scapula, all my ribs on the left side which punctured my lung and both my heels were crushed from the impact. My spleen was lacerated and I had two brain bleeds they were concerned about. They were especially concerned about me losing my right foot due to experiencing a compound fracture. Apparently my heel blew out the side of my foot.
nursing home for the remainder of the summer and not being able to walk mainly due to the extensive surgeries on my feet. They totally reconstructed my heels. I remember the day the surgeon told me what I kind of thought but didn’t want to hear. He said “I hear your a runner.” And to his credit he stated in as nice a way that he could that my running days are over but I should still be able to ride a bike or do something else. He didn’t understand that I loved trail running with my fiancé (at that time). I proposed to her on one of our trail runs (and she said yes). She loves trail running and I was told I’ll never do it again. I think that was as close to having my heart ripped out as I’ve ever felt. I thank God though for the surgeons and therapists and everyone involved in my recovery. I went from being bed ridden (no fun having to use a bed pan) to a wheelchair and finally gaining permission after months to be able to put weight on my feet and attempt to walk for the first time since the accident. I was told don’t get discouraged if I can’t walk the first time I try. I walked the first time using the parallel bars to hold on. I then used a walker for a while and eventually went to using a cane and then nothing. I was in the gym working my upper body while still in my wheelchair. I don’t know where my perseverance came from other than I’ve always been into fitness and being in pretty decent shape and trail running and my surgeons contributed that to me not only surviving the accident but to recovering so rapidly. I had a taste and a vision I could get it back and sometimes I think that’s all you need is a glimmer of hope and you can achieve anything. 
by Tara Henry
On April 27th, 2013 I had a ton of fun running a 
As I prep for this weekend’s Reebok Spartan Race Military Sprint in Fort Carson, CO, I like to think I have an advantage. I am a Soldier in the 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division at Fort Drum, NY. There are obstacle courses all over Fort Drum. Although I don’t take advantage of them as much as I should, I practice on military obstacles regularly. In fact, today at work we had to do buddy and litter carries which we complete in full gear. I’ll tell you what, carrying a 230 lb guy with gear when you weigh around 175 lbs is surely a great workout. There are ropes, ladders, and cargo nets within a quarter mile of each other. Then the pull up bars, they are everywhere. There are dip bars, tires to flip, Humvees to push, and millions of dollars of gyms and equipment at our disposable.
more than anything to get my first Saturday win this weekend at the home of the 4th Infantry Division, one of our rival division in terms of friendly completion. They are the Ivy/Iron Horse, while we are the Light Fighters who Climb to Glory, and that is what I plan to do. I anticipate my main competition will come from LeEarl Rugland and Miguel Medina, but there is always the unknown racer that always seems to show up.
SNAP Infusion, one of Spartan Race’s newest partners, are the creators of SUPERCANDY and the official SUPERCANDY of Spartan Race for the 2013 season. They made their debut at the Spartan Race at Citi Field. At 2013 U.S. events, SNAP Infusion will set up aid stations on the course providing SUPERCANDY to athletes to help get them through the race, and compete at their very best.
a 27 year old mother to a very special two year old. Says Scheetz, “She is my everything and recently has literally been my everything.”
The Colorado Military Sprint is coming to Fort Carson Army Base May 4th and 5th and expect a race like no other! It has a unique finisher medal and shirt, as well as its own rules and rankings. If last year’s nearly five-mile-length inaugural event is any indication, it will be longer than an average Sprint and obstacle-heavy, including Spartan favorites, such as the spear throw, rope climb, monkey bars and traverse wall, as well as military-themed obstacles, such as The Weaver, barbed wire crawl with training guns and heavy rock carry with backpacks. Of course, expect the unexpected too, as there are sure to be plenty of new surprises from a collaboration of efforts from Spartan organizers and 4th Infantry and Specials Forces units!
Colorado include Joseph Kauder, Chris Obertlik, Chase Stewart and Spartan Athlete Shawn Feiock, who took 7th for 2012 points and has already made the podium twice in 2013.
Indiana is a venue that is familiar with firsts. This was the first Indiana event and the first Founder’s Race in 2012. It was the first on-demand race we held in that season as well. 2013 brought another first, Todd Sedlak’s turn at the helm of the race course direction. Says Sedlak, “Having completed dozens of Spartan Races myself, I wanted to bring something different to the racers in Indiana. The Indiana Spartan Sprint was designed to truly be an obstacle racer’s course, averaging one obstacle every 300 yards over five miles. Haspin Acres offered some incredibly rugged terrain, allowing for tremendous natural obstacles like chasms, ravines, mud holes, river beds and steep, muddy climbs. The Rolling Mud into Barbed Wire was the muddiest, slipperiest one I have ever seen, and all uphill.”
SNAP Infusion, one of Spartan Race’s newest partners, are the creators of SUPERCANDY and the official SUPERCANDY of Spartan Race for the 2013 season. They made their debut at the Spartan Race at Citi Field. At 2013 U.S. events, SNAP Infusion will set up aid stations on the course providing SUPERCANDY to athletes to help get them through the race, and compete at their very best.
