5 Ultra Marathon Workouts You’re Not Doing

5 Ultra Marathon Workouts to challenge your mind. Are you ready?

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 gearing up for an ultra, looking for a little strength challenge, or want to take a periodic does of discomfort. Choose one and use it as a monthly challenge, or complete them with a training buddy. Just keep in mind: 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…

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Ultra Marathon Workout #1: Trunks

Equipment: squat rack with barbell

Warmup

• 60s slow high-knees in place
• 30 slow, controlled body-weight squats
• 60s slow high-knees in place
• 20 cross-body leg swings each side
• 2 minute plank with some mountain climbers sprinkled in

⚔ 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.

REST

That’s it. 100 squats and a 5 minute plank. Rest after these types of intense workouts. Not for us; we already waived liability (see above). Do it for your next long run. You may be inclined to try running immediately after this workout for an extra ultra marathon inspired challenge. If so, take it easy and get fully recovered before your next hard effort.

Dismantle Your Wall: Each moment of discomfort beyond fatigue frames your mind for your next big challenge. [click to shop]

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Ultra Marathon Workout #2: Washboard

Equipment: a good attitude

Warmup

• 60s slow high-knees in place
• 30 slow, controlled body-weight squats
• 60s slow high-knees in place
• 50 2-count trunk twists
• 2 minute hand plank with some mountain climbers sprinkled in

⚔ 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. My hip flexors and lower core was smoked for the last 30 miles of my first 100 mile race. Strengthen them with Washboard so you don’t suffer the same fate. ⚔

Some Core to Get Those Abs Turned On. Summer is only 0-12 months away. The trails are calling.

100 four-count flutter kicks [minimal rest between exercises]

90 lying leg levers

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

REST + EASY MOVEMENT

Take the next few days to gradually return to core exercises. Sprinkle in some light work with your regular training until any residual soreness has depleted. After all, time on your feet is always the focus in ultra marathon training. Remember, these workouts are intermittent challenges, not smoke sessions to take away from the rest of your training.

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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 strides in the final 25% of the distance

⚔ Ensure legs are warm and you’ve got a decent sweat going. 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 can’t find one, 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, building your downhill legs.

Rest 2 minutes

Repeat hill 3X, resting for 2 minutes at the bottom

100 four-count lunges, standing in place (400 total lunge 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, building your downhill legs.

Rest 2 minutes

Repeat hill 3X, resting for 2 minutes at the bottom

REST

A running workout like this, one that is taxing on many different systems in your body, needs to be followed up by a few days of low intensity training. This is how you avoid burnout & injury. A workout like this should only be used as a mental challenge for healthy ultra runners gaining traction in their training.

This workout is tough: strength, endurance, and grit are put to the test.

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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.’ Don’t worry about time. Just get it done. ⚔

Our take on the Murph:

1 mile run

100 4ct lunges (400 lunge steps)

100 pull-ups (sub sandbag rows / slow downward dog to high plank

200 lying leg levers

200 pushups (elevate hands on a counter if necessary)

300 seconds worth of elbow planks

300 body-weight squats

1 mile run

REST

This is a multi-discipline workout not necessarily ideal for runners focused solely on getting faster. Just like this entire list, this is a test of grit and persistence. This is a long, take-it-slow workout for those who like a cross-training challenge.

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Ultra Marathon Workout #5: Trunks, The Sequel

Equipment: 25lbs weight

Warmup

• 60s slow 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. ⚔

50 four-count lunges @25lbs

Stand in place. Keep your knees over your ankles and keep a strong, solid core. Don’t get into extension; keep your ribs down and low. Hold the weight at chest-level, but don’t lean it against you. Take 200 total steps, alternating legs.

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 keep a strong, solid core. Don’t get into extension; keep your ribs down and low. Hold the weight at chest-level, but don’t lean it against you. Take 200 total steps, alternating legs.

REST

This is another great way to ruin the rest of your week, so make sure you’re hydrating and fueling well in the hours and days after this session. Easy, slow runs should be on the agenda for the next few days.

Whew.

You didn’t do them all at once, did you?

Thanks for reading through a few unconventional workouts for endurance athletes. I’ve done them all, and they are gut-checks.

And I think gut-checks can be important leading up to 50+ mile races.

Give these ultra marathon workouts a try. Tweak them, scale them, make them a little easier or harder; it’s your personal challenge. They’ll 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.

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