TravisStoetzel.com

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The LEGAL STUFF The information presented herein is in no way intended as medical advice or to serve as a substitute for medical counseling. The information should be used in conjunction with the guidance and care of your physician. Consult your physician before beginning this program as you would with any exercise and nutrition program. If you choose not to obtain the consent of your physician and/or work with your physician throughout the course of the 11 Mud Run Cardio Routines, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your actions. By beginning and participating with 11 Mud Run Cardio Routines, you recognize that despite all precautions on the part of The Forged Athlete LLC, there are risks of injury or illness which can occur because of your use of the aforementioned information and you expressly assume such risks and waive, relinquish and release any claim which you may have against The Forged Athlete LLC or their respective affiliates as a result of any future physical injury or illness incurred in connection with, or as a result of, the use or misuse of your program. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced (by

any means) without the expressed written permission of Travis Stoetzel and The Forged Athlete LLC.

This manual is being offered for education and information purposes

only. There is inherent risk with any physical activity.

Please consult your physician before starting this (or any) exercise program.

The Forged Athlete, LLC or Travis Stoetzel cannot be held responsible

for any injury that may occur while participating in this program.

Copyright 2012 The Forged Athlete, LLC

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Not sure about you, but when it comes to doing cardio, I for one get really bored, really easily. I’ve never been one to run miles on end rather have always been in favor or shorter, higher intensity running like sprints and mid-distance sprints of around 800 meters. It’s what works and it saves you time. I’m 100% confident that after you go through the cardio routines I have listed below, that you too will stray away from your longer distance running ways and adapt the shorter, higher intensity way of training cardio. I put together the 11 Mud Run Cardio Routines below for a few different reasons.

A) They work! In fact, these routines work so well, your cardio conditioning is going to be going through the roof in just a few weeks after implementing these into your training program.

B) Who wants to just “run”? Running miles on end to build up your cardio gets

really old, really fast and the routines I have for you below not only will help you become a better all-around athlete, but these 11 Mud Run Cardio Routines will also help you build and maintain strength and muscle which is essential if you plan on being competitive in mud runs and warrior races. If not, you’ll still reap the benefits of getting leaner, stronger and more athletic through doing the different types of cardio routines I have for you below.

So, get yourself ready to take your fitness levels to new heights. With these 11 Mud Run Cardio Routines, you’ll be challenged both physically and mentally, but isn’t that what real training is all about? Pushing yourself to the next level? Time to make it happen and get yourself in the best shape of your life!

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Before You Train… ALWAYS, always, always WARM UP properly before you run any type of sprints. Sprinting is one of the main causes for injuries if you’re deconditioned or not used to sprinting consistently. This is especially true if you haven’t sprinting in a long time. It’s best to take 10-15 mins to perform a dynamic warm up to get your body prepared to run fast. Here’s a simple warm up you can use before you Mud Run Cardio routines:

1A) Walking Lunge + Hamstring Stretch 1B) Inch Worms 1C) Toy Soldiers 1D) Butt Kicks 1E) High Knees 1F) Skips 1G) Bounds x 40 yards x 2 1F) Build Ups x 60 yards x 2 (start in a slow jog and slowly “build up” to a full sprint within 60 yards)

***Perform each movement x 15 yards down and back unless noted otherwise After a good warm up like that, you should be ready to go, but always listen to your body before you attempt to sprint at 100%. If you’re tight and lack a lot of mobility (like a lot of long distance runner’s do) just take your time and slowly build up to sprinting at 100%. A good suggestion would be to sprint hills first before you attempt to sprint on flat ground as sprinting hills will keep you from running at 100% speed as well as help build up the strength and dynamics needed to sprint on flat ground.

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Mud Run Cardio Routine 1 – “2 Miles” – For this routine, it’s best to have access to a track in order to easily keep tallies on the total distance you cover. You will be running 16 x 200m Repeats. With these you want to try and run each 200 at near 100%. Depending on your fitness level, adjust the intensity you run these 200m runs at. You can either rest 60-120 secs between rounds or walk a 200m and repeat. It’s good to keep track of how fast you run each set so you can gauge your intensity level. Always base these times off of your 100% effort run. Mud Run Cardio Routine 2 – “Get To The Top” – For this routine, you’ll need a light sandbag (20-50 lbs) and a good sized hill that stretches anywhere form 30-50 yards up. If you don’t have a sandbag, grab something of weight to carry. What you’ll do is throw the sandbag up onto one of your shoulders and proceed to sprint up to the top of the hill. Once to the top, you can rest by walking back down. Repeat these 100% ALL OUT effort hill sprints x 10 total reps If you’re more of a beginner, go ahead and just perform these hill sprints “naked” without a sandbag. If you’re in need of a solid sandbag that will last you forever, check out BruteForceBags.com Mud Run Cardio Routine 3 – “Sprint Ladder”- For this cardio routine, it’s recommended you have access to a field with marked yards lines so you can easily track distances. You will perform the following sprints @ about 95% max speed x 1 rep each: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 80, 60, 40, 20 yards. Your goal is to take only 45-60 secs between sprints. Try to keep the rest periods shorter for the shorter sprints and as you increase in distance, increase the rest periods just a bit if need be. Finish this cardio routine in the fastest overall time as possible while trying to run each sprint at near maximal effort.

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Mud Run Cardio Routine 4 – “Gasser Repeats” – For this cardio routine you’ll want to have access to a football field or open field that has at least roughly 55 yards of space. For this, you’ll be running a “gasser”. I can remember running these quite well back from my football playing days in both high school and college. They weren’t that fun, but they sure did get my ass into shape! It’s simple, a gasser is when you run the width of the football field down and back twice. So, in other words, you’re going to run sideline to sideline 2 times. Rest anywhere from 45-90 secs between rounds and repeat for 5-6 total rounds. To add a bit of a challenge, time yourself each round and try to stay around your fastest time without dropping off too much. Mud Run Cardio Routine 5 – E.M.O.T.M.’s – For this cardio routine, you’ll be performing E.M.O.T.M’s intervals which stands for “Every Min On The Min”. It’s recommended you have a stopwatch or some sort of timer to keep track of time. The way these intervals work is that you’ll start each sprint at the top of a minute. Once you are done with that sprint, you’ll get the remaining amount of the minute left for rest. Once those 60 secs is up, you’ll repeat your sprint. For example, if you do a 50 yard sprint and it takes you 6 secs, you’ll get 54 secs rest. Choose a distance of 30-60 yards and perform 1 ALL OUT sprint E.M.O.T.M. x 20 mins.

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Mud Run Cardio Routine 6 - “Sixteen-80’s” – For this cardio routine you’ll need access to a filed that stretches at least 80 yard. It’s best to do this on a football field that’s marked. This is another routine that I remember well from my football playing days back in college. We used this as a test to see who had been doing their summer conditioning. It’s a humbling routine and will get you into some killer shape. This routine is simple - You’ll run 16 80-yard sprints with a time limit on each sprint with only 45 secs rest between each sprint. If you’re more advanced, go ahead and cut the rest period down to 30 secs.

Here are the sprint time requirements (go at your fitness level)

Complete your sprint in 11-13 secs for ELITE 15-17 secs for Intermediate

18-20 secs for Beginners

Mud Run Cardio Routine 7 – “Armstrong Sprints” – For this cardio routine, you’ll need access to either a recumbent bike or actual bike (it’s recommended to use a real bike for best results) What you will do is perform ALL OUT “Armstrong Sprints” on a recumbent or regular bike. When I say “ALL OUT” I mean you’re pedaling the bike as fast you possibly can for the allotted amount time. To make these “Armstrong Sprints” you’ll Perform the High Intensity Sprints While Standing on the bike. You’ll go at 100% effort x 30 secs then take a 30 sec break by sitting on the bike and pedaling nice and easy. If using a recumbent bike, you’ll want to make sure to adjust the drag on the bike in such as way that it’s hard to pedal, almost like you’re in sand. This will help you stay under control. If there is no drag, you’ll pedal out of control, which will have a detrimental effect on the sprint.

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At the same time, you do NOT want to have so much drag that you can barely move the pedals. Adjust accordingly. For this routine, perform intervals until 20-30 mins has passed. Mud Run Cardio Routine 8 – “Sit and Sprint” – For this cardio routine, you’ll need access to either a recumbent bike or actual bike (it’s recommended to use a real bike for best results) For “Sit and Sprint” you’ll Perform 100% ALL OUT sprint intervals on either a recumbent or regular bike. Similar to the “Armstrong Sprints” from above, you’ll do these intervals in similar fashion but SEATED. Perform the intervals x 30 secs at 100% effort then take a 30 sec break by pedaling easy. If using a recumbent bike, make sure to adjust the drag according as noted above with the ‘Armstrong Sprints”. For this routine, perform intervals until 20-30 mins has passed. Mud Run Cardio Routine 9 – “Death By Short Sprints” – For this cardio routine you’ll need a way to track your time intervals via a watch or interval timer. You use the same interval set up used in the “E.M.O.T.M.” cardio routine #5 from above. At the top of the first minute, you will perform a 10, 20, or 30 yard sprint (depending on your personal fitness level). On the second minute you will perform 2 sprints at the same distance as the first, then on the third minute you run 3 sprints at the same distance and you will keep adding more sprints each minute until you can’t get in all of the work within the minute. This is an awesome cardio routine to use to help add in a bit more challenge and competition plus accountability to your training program. Use the same distance the first few times you do this routine while trying to complete more total sprints.

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Mud Run Cardio Routine 10 – “Sprint and Crawl” – For this cardio routine you need access to an open field with at least 30 yards of space or better yet, a hill that stretches at least 30 yards up. You will perform alternating reps of sprints and bear crawls x 30 yards. I love this routine as it changes things up and forces you to train like a true animal. So, you’ll first sprint x 30 yards. Use the walk back as rest. Upon return you will bear crawl x 30 yards then use the walk back to the start as rest. You will the sprint back x 30 yards and keep alternating the two movements until you’ve completed 10 reps each. Make sure your sprint reps are performed near 100% effort and your bear crawls are performed staying low to the ground. For bear crawls, here’s a video reference in case you need clarification on how to perform the movement. >>> Bear Crawls

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Mud Run Cardio Routine 11 - “Treadmill Champion” – For this cardio routine you will need access to, well a treadmill. I hope that was obvious from the title of the cardio routine ;) This cardio routine is listed last for a few reasons…

1) I HATE treadmill sprints, but I know that you can’t get always outside to sprint so this is the last resort which still works to help improve cardio endurance.

2) This is exactly just that – your LAST resort in regards to the rest of the Mud Run

Cardio Routines. Get outside when you can and run natural! Now that we have that cleared up, here’s how you will perform “Treadmill Champion”. Start by running at a slow to moderate pace x 1 min. At the min mark, you will increase both the speed and incline of the treadmill. Speed wise, go as fast as you possibly can handle and for the incline, you’ll want to try to go for at least a 30 degree incline to a 45 degree incline (all depending on your fitness level). You’ll perform a 100% sprint effort at an incline for 30 secs then go to a slow walk or jog speed x 1 min. I recommend you just jump your feet off to the side as soon as the 30 sec interval is up. From there slow the treadmill down and proceed into your resting interval. Repeat for either 15 rounds or go for a total time of 20-30 mins. Your goal is to make ALL of the 30 sec intervals without stopping short. If you can do this, you’ll be a true “Treadmill Champion”.

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It’s time to Get BETTER! So there you have it! 11 different Mud Run Cardio Routines that will help you build up more endurance, help build and maintain strength and muscle, as well as help you become a better overall athlete. With these 11 different Mud Run Cardio Routines, you shouldn’t run out of options for a LONG time. It’s best to mix and match these routines to give yourself some variety as well as keep things fresh. Some of the main focuses to zero in on with these cardio routines are to keep these sessions at 40 mins or below and to focus in on INTENSITY. When you sprint or perform an interval, make sure you’re going at an intensity level that pushes you to the max. Obviously, stay within your means to avoid injury and push yourself at your level and progress overtime. Bottom Line, INTENSITY is the name of the game when it comes to getting results with these cardio routines. Have fun and go 110% H.A.M.!

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The Aggressive Strength Training Guide.

Travis Stoetzel is a hardcore and aggressive strength coach located in Omaha, NE where he owns and operates The Forged Athlete Gym, which caters to highly dedicated athletes and serious lifters. Below you can gain knowledge insight on the various tools and resources he uses to help turn his clients and athletes into strong, jacked, and athletic soldiers. The section below showcases the other various strength and conditioning programs and products he has created and uses to help people all across the world get results. Connect With Me Below: Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Lean And Mean Blueprint

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The Bags, Bells, and Bodyweight Training System – The “System” Travis created built upon years of in-the-trenches work with his clients and himself. This is for SERIOUS trainees that combine the use of kettlebells, bodyweight, and sandbags to help construct serious gains in muscle, strength, power, and athleticism. If you love to train hard and want a serious challenge, this is it! This program spans over 40 total weeks and will put anyone to the test. If you’re serious about getting lean while building strength and power all at the same time, this is the perfect blend of kettlebells, sandbags, and bodyweight training. Exceptionally great for MMA fighters, wrestlers and other combat athletes including fire, military, a law enforcement personnel.

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PROJECT: Mobile and Hostile Bodyweight Training System: If you’re low on resources as far as weight training equipment goes, this is your NO EXCUSES problem solver! I originally created this program for a Brazilian Professional Football team and when I went down south to train them, we had ZERO equipment to work with. The results… A Brazilian Football National Championship! Whoever chooses to go through this whole system will become stronger, faster, highly conditioned, and more explosive. This is a great program for people on the go with limited options for equipment. This is ideally made for MMA fighters, wrestlers, football players, and other power / combat athletes. All serious lifters welcome!

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