Down and Dirty

by Matt B. Davis

  Positive choices are a great start. Showing up is a great start. Consistently honoring your choice is a great start. But it’s just the beginning.

  For maximum benefit to occur, it is not enough to simply do the work. You must pay attention to the positive results showing up in your life.

  By now you may be asking, “How do I do this?” Great question. In fact, questions are the answer. Our awareness is determined by the questions we repeatedly ask ourselves. They tend to come in the following two categories.

  DISEMPOWERING QUESTIONS

  • Why is this so hard?

  • How come I haven’t made more progress?

  • What am I doing wrong?

  • Why do I keep having these problems?

  • Why can’t I do this?

  EMPOWERING QUESTIONS

  • What am I learning?

  • How am I growing?

  • What positive results have occurred because of the positive choice(s) I have made?

  • How have my conversations been affected?

  • How has my environment changed?

  • What’s different about my attitude and my energy?

  • How have others been affected in a positive way?

  • What am I grateful for?

  You can choose to be happy.

  Become acutely aware of the positive impact your choices are generating. More positive choices will tend to follow. This develops momentum and increases the velocity at which you experience breakthroughs in every area of your life.

  Motivating Exercises

  Hint: They’re not just for the gym.

  BECOME AWARE. At least three times a day, become acutely aware of your thoughts. Personally, I do this first thing in the morning, during my daily work-out, and at least one other time during the day. Like an outsider looking in, label them “empowering” or “disempowering.” Don’t beat yourself up for having disempowering thoughts. This is akin to feeling bad that you are feeling bad. Simply notice. What are the questions you ask yourself to generate these thoughts? Record this in a journal.

  ASK BETTER QUESTIONS. Come up with at least six empowering questions and answer them daily, even if you have to force yourself. Record this in your journal or notebook. Pay attention to the answers, no matter how seemingly insignificant they may be.

  CELEBRATE VICTORIES REGULARLY. Generally speaking, obstacles fall into two categories: external and internal.

  External obstacles are outside of you. They include:

  • Conditions; for example, I live in the wrong neighborhood, my car broke down, the cost of doing business is high, the weather is bad, the dog ate my homework

  • Lack of resources, such as not enough money, time, equipment, education, or connections.

  • Other people, such as the naysayer, unhealthy relationships, lack of family support, and poor role models

  Internal obstacles lie within you. They include:

  • Characteristics, such as race, sex, age, physical appearance, and background

  • Physical limitations

  • Beliefs; for example, I’m not good enough, smart enough, talented enough, or educated enough

  • Negative emotions, such as fear, anger, resentment, cynicism, and pride

  • Habits, including sleeping late, watching too much TV, and wasting time

  • Addictions: drugs, alcohol, porn, or gambling

  Commitment has very little to do with feelings.

  Overcoming Obstacles

  Conquering one big obstacle (external or internal) tends to have a ripple effect in other areas. Just as there are internal and external obstacles, there are internal and external benefits to overcoming obstacles. While the external gains of overcoming an external obstacle may be obvious (the goal on the other side of the obstacle), the internal benefits may be even more valuable. You may gain confidence, character, and wisdom. You may break through fear or eliminate a bad habit. Similarly, when you overcome one of your big internal obstacles, you will likely be much better equipped to handle the external.

  Here are seven steps to overcoming obstacles:

  1. Make a list of the obstacles you currently face.

  2. Label them as internal or external.

  3. Rate each as small, medium, or BIG.

  4. Pick a BIG, external obstacle.

  5. What is on the other side of this obstacle? Get very clear on the value of overcoming this obstacle. What would become possible for you?

  6. Now look at your internal obstacles. Which of these, if overcome, would enable you to conquer your external obstacle?

  7. Get to work on the internal obstacle.

  Do it anyway. Pay attention. Approach your internal obstacles with the same fervor and tenacity that you apply to your obstacle challenges. This is the recipe for finding motivation, or what I like to call Muddervation.

  Many times these obstacles are a metaphor for things in your life.

  DOWN AND DIRTY TAKEAWAYS

  • Make a commitment. When you feel like skipping a workout or a run, do it anyway. Watch how great you feel afterward.

  • Increase your awareness and attention. Ask the right questions. Celebrate your wins. What you put your attention to, you get more of.

  • Overcome obstacles big and small. Review the seven steps to overcoming obstacles. For further reading, check out Doug’s book The Ripple Effect.

  Doug Grady is an entrepreneur, musician, and author of The Ripple Effect. He is president of High Achievers, helping people embrace a lifestyle of achievement. His companies, writings, trainings, and music are designed with one purpose: to help people reach their God–given potential. Doug also wrote “The (Unofficial) Tough Mudder Song.” Visit www.highachieversnetwork.com for more information.

  14 CREATING A BACKYARD OBSTACLE COURSE

  A giant tire is an awesome OCR training tool; they can be found more easily than you think.

  One of the greatest things about training for obstacle course races is that you don’t need to go anywhere or belong to a gym or CrossFit box.

  In this chapter, I will tell you how you can create fun, challenging workouts that will allow you to work all kinds of muscles. You can prepare obstacle course races without leaving the comfort of your backyard or neighborhood. I’ll give you step-by-step instructions to build sandbags, car tires, tractor tires, and walls. For each project, the costs are approximate and may vary.

  Sandbags

  Let’s start with the least expensive and easiest to obtain and put together. You can buy the materials you’ll need from any nearby hardware store.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  • 50 pounds (22.7 kg) sand

  • 1 box “Demo” Bags (or garbage bags you already own; use three per sandbag)

  • Large roll duct tape

  1. Open the demo bags, and then pour the sand into the bag or bags. (If you’re using garbage bags, you need to layer three bags together to have enough strength so the sandbag doesn’t fall apart.) I suggest starting with 20 to 25 pounds (9.1 to 11.3 kg) of sand.

  2. Mold the sandbag with your hand to the desired shape. The most common shapes people make are the “brick” or the “burrito.” You can personalize your sandbag with marker or colored duct tape.

  3. Wrap the bag(s) with the duct tape over and over again. You want to pick it up and flip it a few times as you are making it to make sure no sand is loose or falling out. If you have done it correctly, you will not need to reapply tape for a few months, depending on use.

  4. Decorate your sandbag, if you wish. A woman in our local OCR group used orange tape to make her sandbag, and she calls it her “Baby Cheeto.” Another racer used red tape, and when it turned out to weigh 23 pounds (10.4 kg), she named it “MJ” after Michael Jordan.

  If making your own sandbags doesn’t sound like fun to you, you can buy sand “bells,” which were made popular by Spartan Race. They come empty or filled with sand, and prices vary.

  SANDBAG WORKOUT

  Now th
at you’ve made (or bought) sandbags or bells, the first exercise you can do is simply bring it with you and carry it for all or part of your run. For example, many people in our local OCR group will bring a sandbag along to our favorite local mountain. We will do a 2- to 3-mile (3.2- to 4.8-km) trail run at or near the mountain without the sandbags, then walk up and down the mountain again with the sandbag (gaining about 1,000 feet [300 m] of elevation). Some people in the group repeat this multiple times, but for others, once in a morning is a perfect workout. You can also create a loop in your neighborhood where, at the end of the loop, you carry the sandbag for a few hundred yards of that loop.

  There are a myriad of things to do with sandbags as you get going. You can do lunges, deep knee bends, and presses over your head all while holding your sandbag.

  Car Tire

  The next item for the homemade obstacle course is the tire. Any standard car tire will do. You can go to a tire store or junkyard, and they might even give them to you for free. Once you start looking for tires, you may notice that people leave them next to dumpsters or by the side of the road.

  Inviting friends makes training more fun.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  • Car tire

  • Drill (optional)

  • Dish towel (optional)

  • Duct tape (optional)

  1. You can simply grab a tire and go. But some people drill holes in the side of the tire so that water does not collect during rain. (Be sure to drill into the side and not the tread itself. Drilling into the tread will tear up your drill bit).

  2. When carrying the tire for long periods, it can tend to dig into the shoulder, so you can add duct tape or a dishtowel for comfort.

  3. If you like accessorizing, you can add different kinds and colors of tape for some added flare.

  CAR TIRE WORKOUT

  The tire is very similar to the sandbag in that you can carry it for any part of your run or workout. If you have the space in your garage or backyard to store several tires, you can do several other activities as well. You can arrange them “football practice” style and run through them, alternating feet. You can also stack them and do box jumps.

  This short video from Joel “Dirty” Getty of Inside Obstacle News shows you several ways to work out with the tire: http://tinyurl.com/downanddirtytire.

  Tractor Tire

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  • Tractor tire: (Like their smaller brothers, these tires can also be obtained for free just by asking. Do an Internet search, or ask your local tire dealer where you can get large “farm vehicle” tires or “tractor” tires. These range in weight from 75 to 350 pounds (34 to 160 kg).

  TRACTOR TIRE WORKOUT

  The exercise that you can do that you will most likely see in an actual obstacle race is the tire flip. Lay the tire on its side, and then flip it a few times forward and back. This will mimic what you’ll see at a Spartan Race. I have seen this obstacle at many other races as well.

  Flip the tire three times forward and three times backward. Add reps as you get stronger.

  The Obstacle Wall

  This is something that you need to plan a few hours for. I also recommend getting an obstacle buddy or two to help because first, it will make the job easier and second, OCR peeps do it together.

  For this specific wall, we asked OCR fanatic Jonathan Stanizzi to put together his directions.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  • Seven boards 2″ × 4″ × 8′4″ (38 mm × 89 mm × 2.5 m)

  • Six boards 2″ × 6″ × 12′6″ (cut to 6′) (38 mm × 140 mm × 3.81 m) (cut to 1.8 m)

  • Two boards 2″ × 4″ × 10′ 4″ (38 mm × 89 mm × 3.1 m)

  • Two boards 4″ × 4″ × 8′ 4″ (89 mm × 89 mm × 2.5 m)

  • 2 pounds #8 × 3″ (76.2) coarse polymer-coated steel bugle head Phillips exterior screws

  • Four 6″ (50.8 mm) zinc-plated corner braces

  • Six 3/8″ (9.5 mm) × 3-1/2″ (88.9 mm) zinc lag screws

  Add a wall to your backyard, and you have an instant obstacle course!

  TOOLS NEEDED

  • Screw gun

  • 1/4″ (6.35 mm) drill bit

  • Skill saw

  • Socket wrench

  • Miter saw

  Note: I bought six 2″ × 6″ × 12′ 6″ (38 mm × 140 mm × 3.81 m) boards and had the store cut them into twelve 6′ (1.8 m) lengths. This will save you the time of having to do it at home.

  1. Lay out two of the 2″ × 4″ × 8′s on the ground approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) apart, and begin to lay the 2″ × 6″ × 6′ boards over the top, width-wise. Don’t worry about the 2″ × 4″s on the bottom being perfectly lined up because this is simply to hold the 2″ × 6″s off of the ground, and you will adjust and screw them in later.

  2. Lay out six of the 2″ × 6″s, beginning approximately 30 inches (762 mm) from the bottom and then one 2″ × 4″ × 10′, followed by the remaining six 2″ × 6″s. At the very top, add the second of the 2″ × 4″ × 10′s. (Note: The two 10′ (3 m) boards go in an opposite direction, creating what will be a muscle up/dip bar in the middle and a pull-up bar at the top.)

  3. Once all of your boards are in place, lay out two more of the 2″ × 4″ × 8′ boards over the top, sandwiching the 2″ × 6″s in between. Line up each of these 2″ × 4″s with the edge of the 2″ × 6″s. Before you begin screwing, it is essential that you measure from the bottom of the 2″ × 4″s to the lowest 2″ × 6″ on either side to ensure that the board is equidistant from the bottom. Also, make sure that the boards are even with the top of the 2″ × 4″s. (Note: We left about a 2″ (50.8 mm) gap from the top of our wall to the top of the 2″ × 4″s.)

  Race your friends!

  Once you have the 2″ × 6″s level, and you have the 2″ × 4″s in place, you can start to screw the boards together. Remember to begin at the bottom and work your way up the wall. Screw in the boards in a zigzag pattern up the wall. (Note: We did not screw in the muscle-up bar. It can be removed to allow kids a handhold.) Make sure to screw in the 2″ × 6″ just above the muscle-up bar. This will ensure that the muscle-up bar does not move. The remaining five boards at the top will not be screwed in so that you can slide them in and out to adjust the height of your wall.

  Screw in the 2″ × 4″ × 10′ (pull-up bar) at the top. It is important to attach this board to ensure stability when doing pull-ups. (Note: When you lower the wall by removing the top 2″ × 6″s, the 2″ × 4″ × 10′ will remain in place.)

  The following step may take a few extra hands. Hold tight to either side of the 2″ × 4″ × 8′s, and flip the wall over. Adjust and begin screwing in 2″ × 4″s as you did on the other side. When screwing these in, zigzag in the opposite direction as was done on the other side of the wall to add the stability.

  There will be a gap between the two 2″ × 4″s at the bottom of the wall that you will want to fill with an extra piece of 2″ × 4″. Measure the distance from the bottom of the lowest 2″ × 6″ to the bottom of the 2″ × 4″s. Cut two pieces of wood the same length, and slide them into place and secure them.

  Once all the 2″ × 4″s and 2″ × 6″s are secured together, you can stand the wall upright onto the 4″ × 4″ × 8′s. Center the wall on the 4″ × 4″s. Put the corner braces in place on either side of the wall and drill pilot holes. Secure all four corner braces with the lag screws, using a socket wrench.

  Add the A frame supports on either side of the wall. Cut four 2″ × 4″s at an angle with the miter saw so they meet approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) off the ground, and attach them to the upright 2″ × 4″s, then secure them to the 4″ × 4″s. This will add strength and stability. Connect two horizontal pieces at a height that is just under the muscle-up bar.

  Add a piece of wood directly under the pull-up bar. Make sure you do not screw into the top 2″ × 6″ if you want the option of lowering your wall.

  WALL WORKOUT

  The obstacle wall is one of the greatest
investments you can make if you want to train seriously for OCR. If all you did was use it to go up and over several times a day, you would be a better obstacle course racer. However, there is much more. The pull-up bar and muscle-up bar allow you to work various upper body muscles. The gap at the bottom allows you to practice crawling or rolling under, which mimics barbed wire crawls or the Over-Under-Through obstacle that you see at most obstacle races.

  You can also personalize your obstacle wall with paint or stickers. It’s a great conversation starter; your neighbors will wonder what is going on in your backyard. What a way to enroll them in their first obstacle course race. I guarantee just having the wall will make you the envy of your OCR friends.

  Spear Practice

  This project was submitted by obstacle course racer LeEarl Rugland.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  • Rake handle

  • 12″ (30.5 cm) spike