While there are traditional athletic challenges like running a marathon that many competitive athletes enjoy, you might not find this very exciting.  You might want to be part of a high energy and intense challenge that involves multiple athletic skills.  There are such challenges that you can be part of like the Warrior Dash or the Tough Mudder.  These two events are extreme challenges that involve going long distances through difficult obstacles that must be climbed over and pushed through to succeed.  What’s the difference between these events?

Difficulty of Each Event:

Both the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder are difficult to complete.  The Tough Mudder is a much longer race in terms of miles with fairly similar obstacles.  If you want to try out one for the first time the Warrior Dash is shorter is distance making it an easier challenge to complete.

Competition:

The Warrior Dash is a competitive event.  You have a tracker that you carry with you that measures how much time it takes you to complete the entire course.  There are winners and losers.  In the Tough Mudder, time is not very important.  There is more of a focus on getting the course completed as well as helping those who might be struggling.  Group effort is encouraged and is part of the overall philosophy of the event.  If you want an individual challenge, the Warrior Dash better fits you.

Locations:

The Warrior Dash is not quite as popular so most of the events outside of the one in Australia take place in the United States.  The Tough Mudder has a variety of events all across numerous countries around the world although most are still in North America.

Charities:

Both events have a favorite charity that they support; the Warrior Dash supports Green Sneakers, which provides organizations environmentally friendly fundraising opportunities, and the Tough Mudder supports the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides assistance to U.S. war veterans beyond what the government can provide.

Unique Characteristics:

While there might be some who do this at both events, you will notice many at the Warrior Dash who dress up in costumes for the race.  This isn’t done to make it less serious but to add a bit of flair to the overall challenge.  The Tough Mudder has a pledge and mentality that you are to agree to before racing.  This pledge and overall race philosophy is something that you have to keep in mind the entire time.

The team that I am participating in the Tough Mudder with has pledged to raise $10,000, so please donate whatever amount that you can here (donations have been closed).

Should You Try The Tough Mudder Or The Warrior Dash? is a post from: Roderick Meadows

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If you want to be part of extreme athletics, you are probably looking for interesting competitions and events that you can take part in.  One of these events that you can be part of is something called the Tough Mudder event.

This is a difficult challenge that you can take going through a number of miles of difficult terrain and military style obstacles that are extremely difficult to get through.  Many people have to train a number of months and have quite a bit of grit to make it through this type of challenge because it is so difficult.  What is nice about this besides the competition is the fact that you can help out the Wounded Warrior Project at the same time.

The Wounded Warrior Project is for veterans of U.S. wars that have come home and have need for assistance.  While the government does provide some basic assistance for those who have come back from wars injured, there are still needs to be filled.

This project is something that fills in the gaps where needs are still required.  Examples of what this organization do are things like getting other veterans in touch with those with similar injuries.  There are counseling classes and groups that are provided.  Practical needs are met like meeting bills that might not be covered.  There is a community of those with needs and those wanting to meet those needs that is being created helping those who served get back to a normal life.

The Wounded Warrior Project began when several individuals took small, inspired actions to help others in need. One night while watching the evening news, a group of veterans and brothers were moved by the difficult stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. They realized then and there that something needed to be done for these brave individuals beyond the brass bands and ticker tape parades.

If this is something that you might be interested in, as a Tough Mudder you can help out this project.  In 2010 the Tough Mudders were able to donate more than $700,000 to the Wounded Warrior project helping them out a great deal.

You can raise money for this charity and then receive a discount on the next Tough Mudder event that you are part of.  This way you can raise awareness about a charity that is meeting real needs while also challenging yourself in an extreme competition.

The team that I am participating in the Tough Mudder with has pledged to raise $10,000, so please donate whatever amount that you can here (donations have been closed).

Become A Tough Mudder And Help Out The Wounded Warrior Project is a post from: Roderick Meadows

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On June 25th, 2011, I will be participating in the legendary Tough Mudder, I am not sure that this is a good idea seeing as I just turned 40 in December, but what the hell, it is for a terrific cause (more on this later).

Known as the toughest event on the planet, the Tough Mudder is based off of an obstacle course that was created by British Special Forces and is completed by thousands of crazy people all over the United States yearly. The event that I am participating in is located in Beaver Creek, Colorado and is 7 miles long and includes 21 different obstacles; some of examples of the obstacles are electric fencing, 12 foot walls, log carries and drudging through frigid mud. If the obstacles do not completely drain me then the fact that the elevation is 8,100 feet just may. What have I gotten myself into?

Luckily I am not participating in the Tough Mudder alone because this event requires a major commitment to team work or else folks that are vertically challenge (me included) may have a difficult time scaling the 12 foot walls. So who am I joining on this great adventure? The great men and women of the Kansas Air National Guard, hopefully I do not slow them down too much.

Now about that terrific cause that I alluded to earlier; the Tough Mudder is a proud sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Project and my team the Coyote Mudders (Kansas Coyotes and Tough Mudder combo) has pledged to raise $10,000 for this great cause and I am asking for help to reach this goal. Any amount that you can give will help and the donations are tax deductible. To donate all you have to do is click the BIG yellow Donate Now! Button below and you will be taken to my Tough Mudder secure donation site. I appreciate your help. Thank you and please feel free to pass this on by sharing this page (http://roderickmeadows.com/tough-mudder) on sites like Facebook and Twitter or through e-mail; I have included social bookmark and share buttons at the bottom of this page, and below that you can include any words of inspirations that you may have for me and click the Like button. Also please visit my Tough Mudder Facebook Fanpage.

Note: Donations are closed; thanks to all of you who donated.

Tough Mudder, What The… Is That? is a post from: Roderick Meadows

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Tim Ferriss, the author of “The 4-Hour Work Week” has done it again!

Not satisfied with Fortune 500’s top CEO’s adopting his “lifestyle design” which he promoted in 4HWW, he’s now taking aim at their fitness levels – after all, now that they have so much more time on their hands, they can use it to achieve another set of goals – getting fit by working smarter, not harder!

But his new book “The 4-Hour Body” is not just for CEOs! This is for those who are trying to balance a busy lifestyle as well as achieve various health and fitness goals – and Tim Ferriss shows you how to do this in his own inimitable way. He doesn’t just tell you what to do; he’s already been doing it – since 2004! He’s been monitoring his own workouts and testing himself since he was eighteen years old. Everything he’s learned, he’s put into this book which is unlike any other fitness or diet book you’ve ever read!

Tim Ferriss looks at all those traditional fitness and health concepts in an entirely new way! He stops you dead in your tracks, compelling you to examine what you’ve been doing in your own workouts and forces you to “unlearn” all those things you’ve taken for granted! You learn to approach them from a different angle and amazingly, you discover that they work! The book is divided into many different segments, all of which Tim Ferriss has thoroughly and clearly researched and in which he presents his findings.

Some of them sound so wacky that you shake your head in disbelief – “how to sleep for two hours per day and feel fully rested” being just one of them. But hey, he’s done it and shows you how to do it too! How to advance from running five kilometers per day to FIFTY kilometers in just twelve weeks! And wouldn’t you like to know how to reverse permanent injuries? Here’s one for everyone – who DOESN”T want to know “How to prevent fat gain while bingeing at weekends and holidays!”

Easy to read, it’s crammed with health and fitness tips and strategies, all illustrated with Tim Ferriss’s own crazy stories and personal experiences! It’s an essential part of anyone’s health and fitness library and will be another best-seller for this author because of the vast range of subjects covered – it’s all there! The book’s cover says that it’s an “Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman.” And after reading it, I have no reason to disbelieve him.

Here’s just a quick sampling of the topics covered in this book;

- How Tim gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids in four hours of total gym time;

- How to add 150+ pounds to your lifts in 6 months;

- How to increase fat-loss 300% using temperature manipulation;

- How to lose those last 5-10 pounds (or 100+ pounds) with odd combinations of food and safe chemical cocktails.

It’s a lot more than just a “how-to” guide – it’s an entirely new and different approach to all those conventional fitness ideas and health beliefs which we’ve been following for years – and this book might just change your life!

Check out this awesome book trailer:

The 4-Hour Body – Review is a post from: Roderick Meadows

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In the field of athletics, there are your standard physical challenges.  These might be things like running a 5k, a marathon, biking 100 miles, or doing a triathlon.  While all these events do take discipline, for some, they are simply too boring as they are monotonous and have been done by thousands of people.  If you want to challenge yourself but are bored with these options, you might consider the Tough Mudder event.

What is this type of challenge?

This challenge is normally a 7 to 12 mile course that must be overcome.  It’s generally on rough terrain, possibly muddy, with a number of military style obstacles that you have to get through.  The idea is to make the conditions extremely difficult so that only the roughest and toughest around are able to complete the course.  Unlike the traditional challenges, things like completion time and being the first done doesn’t matter.  There is a focus on teamwork and getting things done as a group as well.  Winning is completion.

Why was the Tough Mudder created?

The Tough Mudder was created because there is not an event in America that tests toughness, fitness, strength, stamina and mental grit all in one place and all in one day. Sure, there are a few that will test these things – for thousands of dollars and a week of your life. But in one day in one location? We don’t think so. Other mud runs like the Muddy Buddy series? Forget it – unless you want to run alongside your 60-year-old grandmother. Tough Mudder is a truly exceptional event for truly exceptional people. Fair weather runners should stay at home.

How can I participate in an event like this?

These Tough Mudder events take place all around the world in North America, Japan, Australian, and the United Kingdom.  Before attending the various locations, you will need to complete a short application form and pay for the event.  It’s typically somewhere around $150 if you are sure to sign up on time.

What must be done to train for an event like this?

It’s difficult to train for such an event because most don’t have access to the military style obstacles that you will be facing.  This is why you should focus on endurance and strength building routines as you will need these.  Once you sign up for the event, you will get some information on 16 exercises that you should be proficient at to help you complete the challenge.

If you are an athlete needing to change things up a bit, the Tough Mudder is one challenge that you should seriously consider.  Take a look at the event and see if it’s something that you can do and have fun with at the same time.

The team that I am participating in the Tough Mudder with has pledged to raise $10,000, so please donate whatever amount that you can here.

Tired of Marathons? Try The Tough Mudder Event is a post from: Roderick Meadows

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