The Cyclist's Guide to Obstacle Racing

Apr 28, 2016

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I sit too much. When I’m not sitting at my desk, I’m sitting on my bike. As a mountain biker, I stand more than some cyclists, but still. The ways in which I move my body are predictable and very repetitive. I almost never move from side to side, and I expend vast amounts of energy spinning small circles with my feet. Have humans evolved to move like this? I doubt it. I know that if I’m not careful, I start to develop niggling lower back pain and piriformis syndrome.

Obstacle racing then, or at least the training for it, appeals to me because of the variety. The movement that elite Spartan racer Elijah Markstrom describes in this interview is a lot like what I think I need to do as a mountain biker looking to add variety to my workouts. James Wilson talked about similar exercises to improve strength and mobility previously on my podcast. When two people you respect talk about getting results using the same tactics, you’re on to something.

Elijah Markstrom is a health nut and fitness enthusiast.

Elijah spends an absurd amount of time combing over research papers, listening to field relevant podcast and generally being a geek, so you don’t have to! With a discerning eye for separating crap from gold, he combs the interwebs looking for answers to common and obscure questions in health. This way he can provide you with results oriented precision. Read Elijah’s blog and you’ll get access to stories about practical application of science related to health. The topics covered on this site range from ketosis to race reports.

Together with Philip Levi, Elijah hosts the Obstacle Order podcast.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Elijah Markstrom

0:00:43 As a runner, Elijah competed at state level.

0:02:29 He gains fat and loses muscle when he stops working out.

0:05:29 The Endeavour Team Challenge.

0:06:47 Spartan race.

0:07:48 Three classes: elite, competitor and open.

0:08:34 Three distances: sprint, super and beast.

0:09:08 BattleFrog.

0:16:57 Since recording this podcast, I’ve realised that there’s a Pomodoro alarm built into my favourite app focus@will.

0:17:43 Endurance Planet podcast.

0:19:39 Cyclocross.