Posts

How To Train Your Grip For OCR

On this weeks podcast, Jake talks about the PROPER way to train your grip for OCR. If you’re countlessly doing dead-hangs and farmers carries with no results, then give this little podcast a listen and open up your eyes to your different grip types and how to train them! Knowledge bombs await!

All the information for this podcast is available for free on the Master Your Grip Ebook by clickety clicking here!

Check out our sponsor Whiskywolf.uk for your plant based, natural, anti-bacterial hard soap and AWESOME apparel! Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!

Feel free to check out Riseandgrindocr.com for all your essential updates and free EBooks! and click here for any Rise & Grind OCR Merch!

Rise & Grind Host Details: 
Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning
Graham Roberts – @ispiremc
John Chambers – @idesignthisway
George Edwards – @ge_training
Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126
Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

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Pioneering OCR Teams With Joe Brigham

On this weeks Podcast, We talk with Coach Joe Brigham. Joe was the original founder of Team Brighthammer OCR where the majority of the R&G lot met and now has a competitive team called Sigma Athletic OCR & Trail. He’s the proud owner of the Micro Box in Letchworth, paving the way for small workout spaces which seem to be all the rage right now! He has a strength and conditioning background. Joe knows his stuff and has some solid banter to boot!

You can find more about Joe at Sigmabear.co.uk or @Sigma_Coach


Check out our sponsor Whiskywolf.uk for your plant based, natural, anti-bacterial hard soap and AWESOME apparel! Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!

Feel free to check out Riseandgrindocr.com for all your essential updates and free EBooks! and click here for any Rise & Grind OCR Merch!

Rise & Grind Host Details:  Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning Graham Roberts – @ispiremc John Chambers – @idesignthisway George Edwards – @ge_training Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126 Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

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Quarantine Life – FYI We Are Not Running Around Our Gardens

On this weeks Podcast, We talk about our current lives in quarantine, our home set ups, what training we are doing. What we think about people who are running around there gardens and what George thinks about people who ride Peloton.

Check out our sponsor Whiskywolf.uk Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!


Feel free to check out Riseandgrindocr.com for all your essential updates and free EBooks! and click here for any Rise & Grind OCR Merch!

Rise & Grind Host Details: 
Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning
Graham Roberts – @ispiremc
John Chambers – @idesignthisway
George Edwards – @ge_training
Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126
Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

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HOMEBOUND – Staying In For Our Front Line

Here at Rise & Grind OCR we are proud to support our frontline NHS workers.

We understand that our key workers, particularly in the NHS are at the coal face of this epidemic and we thank them for their dedicated work during this time. It’s only a small gesture, but anything we can do to support them in this time will help.

All of us are happy to stay in for our frontline, and so should you. So please adhere to the government guidelines and help our frontline staff and those affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

If you wish to contribute, a small selection of HOMEBOUND Tees & Hoodies have been designed with ALL profits going to https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk or feel free to directly donate to them.

Thank you.

Wapusk Trail Ride With Ryan Atkins

On this weeks Podcast, We talk with Ryan Atkins. Ryan is a well accomplished OCR athlete who has recently taken on the Wapusk Trail Ride with some friends, which entails freezing cold temperatures, thawing your toothpaste in your arm pit and plenty of miles in the ice cold saddle each day! We also talk about all things endurance sports, top times on the road and some occasional roasting!

You can find Ryan at @Ryanatkinsdiet

Feel free to check out Riseandgrindocr.com for all your essential updates, blog posts, and free EBooks! and click here for any Rise & Grind OCR Merch!

Check out our sponsor Whiskywolf.uk Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Use Code RISEANDGRIND for money off your next UK Spartan Race

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!

Rise & Grind Host Details: 
Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning
Graham Roberts – @ispiremc
John Chambers – @idesignthisway
George Edwards – @ge_training
Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126
Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

Three Week Home Workout Programme

We currently live in unprecedented times full of fear and unknowing of what the future holds and what the true hold and repercussions of Covid-19 will be. I for one am sure I’m not alone in feeling totally useless during this time and wanting to help as much as I can.

It is very important that we stay active during this time and try to maintain fitness levels.

As such, I have designed an easy to follow three week training program that will be suitable for a beginner and good fun for anyone. It is designed to help you maintain some level of fitness and attack some basic strength, anaerobic and aerobic energy systems each week to keep you ticking over. And as an added bonus it can be done with the most minimal and inventive home equipment as well as very little space!

Please feel free to share with anyone that you feel this may help keep motivated during this time of solitude. And please remember to Stay at home, Protect the NHS and Save lives.

Week 1

MovementInformationRepsSetsRest
Over Head SquatUse a PVC Pipe, mop or broomstick!8360s
Push-Up WeightedUse a backpack with anything in to create weight8360s
Front Rack Step UpUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes to front rack8360s
Chair DipsResting your hands on the end of the chair seat to perform dips8360s
Spiderman Push-upsNot your favourite neighbourhood super-hero…8360s
Russian TwistsUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes or food15360s
Workout 2 – Metabolic Conditioning
10 Rounds:

20s Squat Jumps
20s Sprawls
20s Mountain Climbers

Rest 30s
Workout 3 – Aerobic Capacity
3 Rounds:

30s High Knees
30s Burpees
30s Jumping Jacks
30s Alternating Lunges
30s Skaters
30s Mountain Climber Twists

Rest 90s

Week 2

MovementInformationRepsSetsRest
Over Head SquatUse a PVC Pipe, mop or broomstick!10360s
Push-Up WeightedUse a backpack with anything in to create weight10360s
Front Rack Step UpUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes to front rack10360s
Chair DipsResting your hands on the end of the chair seat to perform dips10360s
Spiderman Push-upsNot your favourite neighbourhood super-hero…10360s
Russian TwistsUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes or food10360s
Workout 2 Metabolic Conditioning
5 Rounds:

30s Burpees
15s Rest
30s Wide Mountain Climber
15s Rest
30s Squat Jumps
15s Rest
30s Plank Tucks
15s Rest
Workout 3 Aerobic Capacity
3 Rounds:

90s Skipping
30s Mountain Climbers
90s High Knees
30s Push Ups or Plank Step Ups

90s Rest

Week 3

MovementInformationRepsSetsRest
Over Head SquatUse a PVC Pipe, mop or broomstick!8460s
Push-Up WeightedUse a backpack with anything in to create weight8460s
Front Rack Step UpUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes to front rack8460s
Chair DipsResting your hands on the end of the chair seat to perform dips8460s
Spiderman Push-upsNot your favourite neighbourhood super-hero…8460s
Russian TwistsUse a backpack, sandbag or bag of potatoes or food15360s
Workout 2 Metabolic Conditioning
3 Rounds:
30s Squat Jumps
30s Mountain Climbers
30s Rest

3 Rounds:
30s Burpees
30s Mountain Climber Twists
30s Rest

3 Rounds:
30s Alternating Lunges
30s Push Ups or Plank Step Ups
30s Rest

3 Rounds:
30s High Knees
30s Bicycle Crunches
30s Rest
Workout 3 Aerobic Capacity
3 Rounds:

60s Jumping Jacks
60s Alternating Lunges
60s Get-Ups
60s Push Ups or Plank Step Ups

90s Rest

How To Train For A Sprint or Short OCR

For some this is the entry level event as they build up to a longer OCR, but that doesn’t mean these events are any less hard! If you are running a sprint correctly, your heart should be trying to burst out your chest as your lungs gasp for air all the while your legs are filling with lactate and begging for forgiveness.

A Sprint is a solid all or nothing effort, you have to push as hard as you can and they can last from anything to 25 minutes to an hour depending on your ability and length of the course. They usually have a strong similarity to running an all out race between a 5 and 10km pace, again, depending on the full length of the course.

When we look to train for such a fast paced event its good idea to focus on some specific items to the race, they generally have little to no carries and rely on top end speed to get the job done effectively. When working with athletes i will generalise the training into three categories:

  1. Speed
  2. Power
  3. Specificity

Speed

When we look at Speed we should spend at least some of our time focussing on VO2 max type workouts, which help stress your aerobic power and also slip into that Anaerobic zone. Which in turn should help you be a little more speedy come race day!

Here are some examples, they should be fast and each set should feel pretty good initially until you start reaching the end of each interval, your recovery should be enough to bring your heart rate down to a recovered state to perform the next effort at the same level of intensity and speed.

VO2 Max Interval progression examples:

Week 1:

10 Min Easy Pace

1 x 1000m @ <5Km Pace

2 x 800m @ <5Km Pace

2 – 3 Minutes Recovery Between Intervals

10 Min Easy Pace

Week 2:

10 Min Easy Pace

1 x 800m @ <5Km Pace

2 x 1000m @ <5Km Pace

2 – 3 Minutes Recovery Between Intervals

10 Min Easy Pace

Week 3:

10 Min Easy Pace

2 x 1000m @ <5Km Pace

1 x 1200m @ <5Km Pace

2 – 3 Minutes Recovery Between Intervals

10 Min Easy Pace

During week four you should consider a deload week to help adapt to the stimulus of training unless you have a super fine tunes plan

Week 4:

10 Min Easy Pace

2 x 800m @ <5Km Pace

2 – 3 Minutes Recovery

15 Min Easy Pace


Power

When it comes to strength training for a sprint, a great place to start would be some solid compound movements and building up a base using a standard 5 x 5 principle for at least 4 – 6 weeks. After a base has been established and as we near closer to race day, the biggest bang for buck that you can do is concentrate on some more power based moves. These will prime your muscles ready for race and and ensure your legs are an absolute power house come race day.

Some weighted power move examples:

Remember these moves should be EXPLOSIVE, so the reps and sets are low, but the movement should be fast and controlled.

Med Ball Slam

Sets: 3

Reps: 5

Rest: 60s+

KettleBell Swing – Russian

Sets: 3

Reps: 5 – 10

Rest: 60s+

Sled Sprints

Sets: 3

Reps: 20m

Rest: 60s+

Dumbbell Thrusters

Sets: 3

Reps: 5 – 10

Rest: 60s+

Another example would be explosive bodyweight movements such as plyometrics, which can be incorporated to help build your speed-strength, makes us a bit more agile and help push you into that Anaerobic zone. They are also pretty handy as they don’t involve any speciality equipment like those above!

Be warned, hitting power moves seem fairly easy at the time, especially something as ‘simple’ as Plyometrics. “Its only a Jump, thats not going to do much” but trust me, you will get DOMS, especially if you haven’t done them before or in a long time. In fact if you’ve done a Plyometric session for the first time or in a while and you don’t feel it then next day, you most likely have done it wrong!

Again, remember these should be EXPLOSIVE! so the reps are short and sweet!

Heres some examples

Box Jumps

Sets: 3

Reps: 5

Rest: 60s+

Depth Jumps

Sets: 3

Reps: 5

Rest: 60s+

Broad Jumps

Sets: 3

Reps: 5

Rest: 60s+


Specificity

So now you’ve got some speed and some serious power in those legs it’s good on the run up to the event to get super specific. So what does that mean? I’ve found the best workouts emulate the race as close as possible, but usually as simple as possible. You want speed and fatigue, an ‘obstacle’ and to try and the key, which is to get back to pace as quickly as possible and maintain in the hurt locker.

When we are looking at Sprint or shorter OCRsI like to keep things simple and follow my 400/10/5 principle which consists of a piece of fatigue work for 400m, followed by a weighted movement for 10 reps and a bodyweight movement for 5 reps. You can mix this up with a variety of movements to make it specific and a sufferfest.

As we are being specific, I’d advise to use the workouts as running based, but I’ve seen success in crossing over with rowing and the Assault Bike. Again, I like to try to aim for 5 rounds, but you can start with 3 and build up further across a period of weeks.

Race WOD 1:

3 – 5 Rounds for time:

400m Run/Row/Assault Bike

10 Sandbag Lunges

5 Pull Ups

Race WOD 2:

3 – 5 Rounds for time:

400m Run/Row/Assault Bike

10 DB Thrusters

5 Burpees

Race WOD 3:

3 – 5 Rounds for time:

400m Run/Row/Assault Bike

10 Sandbag Squats

5 Mountain Climbers (Each Side)

So now you’ve carved yourself into a true Sprint worthy OCR athlete you’ll be able to conquer your next OCR or Spartan Race with a top performance to show for all your hard work! Just remember to ensure you taper before race day so your feeling fresh and ready to dig deep!

I hope you enjoyed this article, if you’d like to get involved with my OCR coaching and take your performance to the next level then feel free to reach out! 

Jake Barber

Jake is an Online coach who specialises in Endurance and OCR events.

@Riseandgrindrunning
Riseandgrindocr@Gmail.com

Your Home Gym Kit Essentials & We’re 1 Years Old!

Your home gym essential kit. Make sure you keep those gains coming during this Coronavirus pandemic! Home workouts will be essential!

On this weeks Podcast, Graham, George, Aaron and John discuss their essential home gym kit as well as the Rise & Grind OCR Podcast being one years old!

Check out our sponsor Whiskywolf.uk Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Use Code RISEANDGRIND for money off your next UK Spartan Race

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!

Feel free to check out Riseandgrindocr.com for all your essential updates and free EBooks! and click here for any Rise & Grind OCR Merch!

Rise & Grind Host Details: 
Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning
Graham Roberts – @ispiremc
John Chambers – @idesignthisway
George Edwards – @ge_training
Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126
Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

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Training for a Spartan Ultra… Or any Ultra!

On this weeks Podcast, Jake discusses the best bang for buck when considering training for a Spartan Ultra Event or any Ultramarathon or OCR Ultra Event for that matter!

Full blog article available HERE

Whiskywolf.uk Use code RISE to get 10% off site wide!

Use Code RISEANDGRIND for money off your next UK Spartan Race

Trust me its a good one & its all available on iTunes, Spotify and all other decent podcast apps!

Rise & Grind Host Details: 
Jake Barber – @Riseandgrindrunning
Graham Roberts – @ispiremc
John Chambers – @idesignthisway
George Edwards – @ge_training
Aaron Selfe – @the.a_ron126
Glenn Coleman – @glennyc1981

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OCR Performance Coaching

OCR Coach based in Hertfordshire, UK

ONLINE COACHING

Running, Endurance, Obstacle course racing

Using scientifically researched training systems your personalised plan will unlock your true potential and get you to race day stronger and faster than ever.

NUTRITION COACHING

Performance, Muscle Gain, Fat Loss

Using proven, industry leading techniques we will help you reach your goals by tailoring your own nutrition needs to your own personal life schedule.

Weekend Warrior Program

Monthly OCR Program

Developed to help you perform your best during the OCR season this program offers a group coaching platform for you to benefit from a coach at a fraction of the cost

Whats everyone saying?

Client Testimonials

“I enjoy the positive feedback on workouts and the detailed answers to my questions as well as the balanced running sessions and bench mark tests. The coaching has exceeded my expectations! “

Josh Harrington - Ultra Runner

Online Coaching
2020-02-18T19:53:17+00:00

Josh Harrington - Ultra Runner

“I enjoy the positive feedback on workouts and the detailed answers to my questions as well as the balanced running sessions and bench mark tests. The coaching has exceeded my expectations! “

“Increased distance in running, and improved strength! I have had a lot of bad experiences with coaches and personal trainers in the past but you have restored my faith in the process of coaching again. “

Paul Cheyne - Training for Spartan Ultra

Online Coaching
2020-02-18T19:53:41+00:00

Paul Cheyne - Training for Spartan Ultra

“Increased distance in running, and improved strength! I have had a lot of bad experiences with coaches and personal trainers in the past but you have restored my faith in the process of coaching again. “

“Strength has noticeably improved. Form for deadlift and squats has been tweaked and has resulted in less stress when lifting. The coaching has been nice and supportive with the freedom to do the workouts in my own time”

Matt Briscoe - Worlds Toughest Mudder Contestant

Online Coaching
2020-02-18T19:52:40+00:00

Matt Briscoe - Worlds Toughest Mudder Contestant

“Strength has noticeably improved. Form for deadlift and squats has been tweaked and has resulted in less stress when lifting. The coaching has been nice and supportive with the freedom to do the workouts in my own time”
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Online Coaching

Jake Barber

Your Coach

I’ve extensive knowledge and personal experience in endurance events ranging from trail marathons, Ultra marathons to 12Hr bootcamps and obstacle course racing, including competing in multiple OCR World Championship events 2017/2019 and Spartan Race Championship Events, Regionally and Nationally at an Elite and Age group level.

I’ve coached a range of athletes from those completing their first ever OCR event with no prior experience to those who run competitively in age group and the elite field.

£110 Per Month
  • Personalised Strength / OCR Workouts on Truecoach App
  • Running Workouts on Vdot App
  • Tailored Nutrition Plan To Meet Your Goals
  • Fortnightly Coaching Call
  • Unlimited One To One Messaging
  • FREE RISE & GRIND HOODIE
£60 Per Month
  • Personalised Strength / OCR Workouts on Truecoach App
  • Running Workouts on Vdot App
  • Unlimited One To One Messaging
  • Race Day Nutrition Advice
  • Monthly Coaching Call
  • FREE RISE & GRIND HOODIE
£40 Per Month
  • Personalised Running Workouts on Vdot App
  • Unlimited one to one messaging
  • Monthly Call Check-in
  • FREE RISE AND GRIND TEE
£17.50 Per Month
  • Three Workouts Per Week via TrueCoach App
  • Running, Grip & OCR Specific
  • Benchmark Testing
  • Exclusive Group Chat
  • FREE RISE & GRIND TEE
£80 Per Month
  • Tailored Nutrition Coaching
  • Fortnightly Coaching Calls
  • Unlimited One to One Messaging
  • FREE RISE & GRIND HOODIE

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know

HAS JAKE WORKED WITH ANY ELITE OR AGE GROUP ATHLETES?

I've worked with athletes who have got podiums on the elite field in Spartan! I'll ensure to give you the tools, however, the hard work is up to you!
Rise and Grind OCR
2020-02-18T20:16:10+00:00
HAS JAKE WORKED WITH ANY ELITE OR AGE GROUP ATHLETES? I've worked with athletes who have got podiums on the elite field in Spartan! I'll ensure to give you the tools, however, the hard work is up to you!

HAVE YOU TRAINED ANYONE FOR ULTRA DISTANCE EVENTS?

I've worked with those taking on 12 hour to 24 hour events. I really enjoy training clients for endurance events as I have a great deal of experience in these types of events
Rise and Grind OCR
2020-02-18T20:16:45+00:00
HAVE YOU TRAINED ANYONE FOR ULTRA DISTANCE EVENTS? I've worked with those taking on 12 hour to 24 hour events. I really enjoy training clients for endurance events as I have a great deal of experience in these types of events

DO I NEED TO BE AT A CERTAIN ATHLETIC LEVEL TO TRAIN WITH RISE & GRIND COACHING?

We've successfully trained those taking part in their first ever event, to those competing in the Elite field of OCR
Rise and Grind OCR
2020-02-18T20:16:31+00:00
DO I NEED TO BE AT A CERTAIN ATHLETIC LEVEL TO TRAIN WITH RISE & GRIND COACHING? We've successfully trained those taking part in their first ever event, to those competing in the Elite field of OCR

HOW IS JAKE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TRAINERS?

I like to spend time to get to know my clients well enough to know what their internal drivers are and I love watching them realise their true potential.
Rise and Grind OCR
2020-02-18T20:15:50+00:00
HOW IS JAKE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TRAINERS? I like to spend time to get to know my clients well enough to know what their internal drivers are and I love watching them realise their true potential.
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Rise and Grind OCR


“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

Michael Jordan

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