Did you know MROC started out as a training program for mud runs and obstacle course races?
Before we opened the gym we were hosting workouts out of a MMA studio and at parks on the weekends. At the time I already had 10+ years experience training Marines and coaching athletes, but MY passion was helping someone specific... people who wanted to get stronger, and have the endurance and confidence to tackle life's adventures.
We called it hybrid fitness, and nobody was doing it in 2014.
In the last two years we have seen the rise of hybrid fitness as a sport, and with it several gyms and self-proclaimed experts that promote a dangerous narrative... "more is better".
Admittedly, even our gym struggled to keep up with the noise as our workouts got longer and more ridiculous, which I equate to trying to bottle a gallon of shit into a 12oz can.
But more isn't better... better is better.
The quality of your training can't be measured by how long your sessions are, how badly you want to puke, or how many days you are sore after a workout. In most cases, these are actually signs that you are doing something wrong... and you probably need to spend more time dialing in your sleep, nutrition, and stress management.
Intelligent programming for hybrid athletes (our definition, not the sports) undulates in duration, load, and intensity. Each workout has a specific intention and desired stimulus, so your body can recover from what was done yesterday while you attempt to solicit a completely different response today.
Hybrid athletes need to incorporate high rep, slow lifts to build strength... and low rep, fast lifts to develop power. They need to work at extremely high intensities for very short bursts of time (with a lot of recovery) to build speed... and work at low-to-moderate intensities for a very long time (with no breaks or recovery) to build endurance.
We are committed to creating intelligent programming that is fun and creative, because it's the quality of training that you do during the week that ensures your success on the weekends. That means we are going to lift more often, and challenge you to work harder in shorter time domains. We're going to push heavier weights, but spend more time teaching technique so you don't get hurt. And when we do longer workouts, you're going to find you have a new set of gears to choose from so you can finish faster.
But what about the obstacles?
When you're training for an obstacle course race like Spartan & Tough Mudder, it's easy to assume it's all about the obstacles. I cannot tell you how many times our phone rings the week before a race with people who want to drop-in and practice the obstacles for their first time.
Sorry, that's just not how this works.
Strength, Power, Speed, and Endurance must all come before specificity. We can teach you obstacle technique for OCR , and we can teach you pro tips and tricks for the zones at HYROX & DEKA... but neither is as important as just being stronger, faster, and better conditioned than your competitors.
So do we incorporate obstacles in our workouts?
Yes. When it's appropriate, we sometimes incorporate obstacles during the week. But the best way to get more reps on the obstacles is to attend our Engine classes on Saturday mornings.
If you need to get more reps on the obstacles throughout the week it's best to practice them before/after class or during open gym, and as always... if you have specific training goals please seek out 1:1 training with our coaches or attend one of our workshops.
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