Countdown to the comp! 9 tips for Obstacle Course prep.

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With filming for Australian Ninja Warrior season 1 less than a week away, we’re getting a lot of questions about how to tackle the days counting down to the competition, just like this one on the forum:

So….. I have no idea how to prepare for competition day…  in the lead up, do I train normally, do I train light, no training? Also, diet, not really sure what to do, should I carbo load for energy?

Not being so experienced ourselves, we reached out to some past and present American Ninjas as well as some general athletical experts… and here are some tricky tips and suggestions from our crew:

 

  1. Stay hydrated.  Almost everyone we asked mentioned this, it’s a big one.
  2. Stay active. Don’t do anything that will break down muscle but keeping active is great for the tendons, stabilizers and getting the blood flowing.  Light workouts in the lead up.
  3. Stress actually changes your body chemistry so don’t let yourself get too nervous…. easier said than done right… but there are physical things you can do.  Breathe and focus on your breathing.  Focus on the task at hand.  Visualise exactly how you’re going to do the obstacles.  Treat the course the same way you treat the rest of your training.  It’s no big deal, you’ve got this.
  4. If you’re worried about being nervous or anxious, check out the Warriors Way blog. It’s a great resource on managing anxiety in competitive high pressure situations.
  5. No big drastic changes, you want to go in feeling pretty normal, so don’t carbo load. Easy digestible carbs and no heavy meats…
  6. If it’s a night time comp, have a nap during the day… even a quick power nap’ll make a world of difference!
  7. Burn off a little bit of nervous energy right before your run by doing a really great warmup. Activate all your muscles, make sure your hands are grippy and strong… ensure you’re feeling limber and agile… especially if you’ve been sitting around all day waiting.
  8. Make sure you’ve planned some travel recovery time. Every time of travel is exhausting and stressful, so make sure you’ve got a day or two to feel normal again.
  9. Should be obvious, but don’t do anything that could injure you.  Pulling out days before comp is pretty much the worst.

 

What pro tips do you have for fellow ninjas?

The last obstacle course comp I did was at like 7am, and so I grabbed 2 muesli bars from the servo across the road beforehand… and they just sat in my stomach like a blob the whole time… plan your day, plan your food and smash it!   Good luck to all the competitors!

Aussie Ninja Warrior

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