5 Ultra Marathon Workouts to challenge your mind
The following 5 ultra marathon workouts are not for the faint of heart. They’re not for people who are new to fitness (although, scale accordingly and give them a try).
These workouts are designed for those who live unrealistic and have an uncommon desire to pursue challenge. Choose one and use it as a weekly dose of challenge; any strong training program will incorporate much more than these. Glute and hip isolation, ankle stability, and posterior chain strength, along with other facets of endurance training, cannot be neglected.
These 5 ultra marathon workouts push your body and your mind.
You ready?
Consult a doctor before beginning any ultra marathon exercise program. Wicked Trail LLC is not responsible for injury, death, hurt feelings, or excessive laundry.
Enjoy…
Ultra Marathon Workout #1: Trunks
Equipment: squat rack with barbell
Warmup
- 60s high-knees in place
- 30 slow, controlled body-weight squats
- 60s high-knees in place
- 20 cross-body leg swings each side
⚔ Ensure legs are warm and ready for high volume exercise. The high-knees should elevate your heart rate and get some sweat dripping. Strength and endurance come into play in Trunks. My first two ultra marathons saw my quads and glutes go down in flames; this is one of my remedies. Keep good form and don’t force reps late in the session. ⚔
Remember as you go through these ultra marathon workouts: Comfort Is A Lie. [click to shop]
100 squats @95lbs-135lbs in as few sets as possible
Use good form and take your time. Which is harder: 100 miles running or 100 weighted squats? Probably whichever one you’re currently doing. Start with a weight you can outright do 30 reps with and build from there.
5 minute hand plank
This is the real kick in the teeth. Get off those elbows and up on your hands; your shoulders are feeling neglected You might not think you used your core on those squats and it’s not like you’ll use your legs on these planks, right? Incorrect. Start small and build to 5 minutes.
STRETCH
Please stretch after this. Not for us; we already waived liability (see above). Do it for you legs and whatever much-easier workout you have planned for tomorrow. Hit the quads and glutes hard here. We recommend at least 30 minutes.
Dismantle Your Wall: Each moment of discomfort beyond fatigue frames your mind for your next big challenge. [click to shop]
Ultra Marathon Workout #2: Washboard
Equipment: a good attitude
Warmup
- 60s high-knees in place
- 30 slow, controlled body-weight squats
- 60s high-knees in place
- 50 2-count trunk twists
- 1 minute hand plank
⚔ Ensure legs are warm and your core is ready for high volume exercise. The high-knees should engage your lower abs and hip flexors, elevate your heart rate, and get some sweat dripping. Really feel the stretch in the trunk twists; don’t just go through the motions. The most torn up muscle for me following my first 100 mile race was my hip flexors. They haunted me from mile 70 onward. Strengthen them with Washboard, but also stretch them more than you think is necessary. Strength in endurance is undone by stiff and immobile muscles ⚔
Some Core to Get Those Abs Popping. Summer is only 0-12 months away. The trails are calling.
100 four-count flutter kicks [minimal rest between exercises]
90 lying leg levers (“hi-ya there hip flexors!”)
80 two-count mountain climbers
70 V-Ups
60 second side planks each side
50 pushups
40 four-count flutter kicks
30 lying leg levers
20 two-count lying windshield wipers
10 eight-count bodybuilders
STRETCH
Don’t skip the core stretch after this. The front of your torso needs stretched just like the legs, back, shoulder, and chest do. Focus on the hip flexors, abdominals, and quads. At least 30 minutes.
Ultra Marathon Workout #3: Secret Weapon
Equipment: running shoes and a local hill of at least 400 meters
Warmup
- Simple mobility to warm up ankles, hips, knees, and the surrounding muscle tissue
- 2-4 miles at an easy jogging pace with short bursts of speed in the final 25% of the distance
⚔ Ensure legs are warm and you’ve developed a decent sweat. This Secret Weapon is a great way to finish a running session and prepare for the hills of a trail or mountain ultra marathon. Downhill running is a skill and ought to be practiced on fatigued legs; use the uphills to build endurance and persistence. ⚔
Find a hill near you of at least 1/4 mile. If you cannot do this, refer to workout #1, Trunks
The distance of your hill does not matter. Adpat to the distance. Its YOUR Secret Weapon, use its entirety.
Summit hill at 85% effort. Return to bottom, letting yourself go. Develop a downhill rythm and let your quads absorb the impact.
Rest 2 minutes
Repeat hill 3X
100 four-count lunges, standing in place (400 total steps)
Rest 2 minutes
Summit hill at 85% effort. Return to bottom, letting yourself go. Develop a downhill rythm and let your quads absorb the impact.
Rest 2 minutes
Repeat hill 3X
STRETCH
Really take your time and work on your ankle and hip recovery, not forgetting to show the quads a lot of love, after this run. Pay attention to your body but recognize the difference between injury and extreme mental fatigue. We recommend at least one hour of stretching the lower body after this ultra marathon workout.
This workout is tough: strength, endurance, and calisthenics are each tested at a high level.
Ultra Marathon Workout #4: Super Murph
Equipment: pull-up bar and a great attitude
Warmup
- Simple mobility to warm up ankles, hips, knees, and the surrounding muscle tissue
- 2-4 miles at an easy jogging pace with short bursts of speed in the final 25% of the distance
- 50 two-count trunk twists
- 50 arm circles in each direction
⚔ Ensure legs and upper body are warm and you’ve developed a decent sweat. This ultra marathon workout is going to be something else…Super Murph simply requires grit. It is long, arduous, and multiple muscle groups are used throughout the session. The second one mile run is a good taste of ‘mile 80.’ ⚔
Our take on the Murph:
For time:
1 mile run
100 4ct lunges
100 pull-ups
200 situps (US Navy Standard, no foot hold)
200 pushups
300 four-count flutter kicks
300 body-weight squats
1 mile run
STRETCH
Stretch a lot. More than that. Take your time and really focus on recovery here. This is a great way to ruin the rest of your week, so make sure you’re hydrating and fueling well. We recommend at least 1 hour of stretching after this Super Murph.
Ultra Marathon Workout #5: Trunks, The Sequel
Equipment: 25lbs weight
Warmup
- 60s high-knees in place
- 30 slow, controlled body-weight squats
- 60s high-knees in place
- 20 cross-body leg swings each side
⚔ Ensure legs are warm and ready for high volume exercise. The high-knees should elevate your heart rate and get some sweat dripping. One of my favorite exercises for building a strong core and legs is lunges. This takes lunges down the endurance route and throws in a heavy dose of hip flexor work. Another great option is simply 100 four-count lunges with no break. Build those tree trunks. ⚔
Sanbags can be a great supplement tool in many ultra marathon strength programs. Rows, squats, lunges, and carries are great ways to utilize these simple tools.
50 four-count lunges @25lbs
Stand in place. Keep your knees over your ankles and use strong, solid form. No weak knees or shifting around. Hold the weight at chest-level, but don’t lean it against you.
50 two-count Russian Twists @25lbs
Feet elevated, ankles uncrossed. Full torso twist with weight, barely tap the ground. Legs kick in opposite direction of weight-tap. Full range of motion here.
50 four-count lunges @25lbs
Stand in place. Keep your knees over your ankles and use strong, solid form. No weak knees or shifting around. Hold the weight at chest-level.
STRETCH
This is another great way to ruin the rest of your week, so make sure you’re hydrating and fueling well along with at least 1 hour of stretching after this ultra marathon workout.
Whew.
You didn’t do them all at once, did you?
Give these ultra marathon workouts a try. Tweak them, scale them, make them harder; it’s your Wicked Trail. They will test your training and your resolve, like a micro-ultra marathon. A little taste of the discomfort that lies ahead.
Don’t be afraid of long, arduous workouts that don’t require your running shoes. Keep the trails and pavement primary, but acknowledge, with your training, the importance of strength and the fundamental idea of discomfort.
If you’re content with your training, start challenging yourself with uncomfortable workouts like these.
It’s all in your head.
Now go get after it.
Concise, simplified training tips:
Ultra marathon stretching routine
Ultrarunner core exercises
3 KettleBell flows for ultrarunners
3 Sandbag workouts for ultrarunners
Strength Training Simplified
Comfort Is A Lie