CrossFit and Spartan share a few striking commonalities: rope climbs, heavy carries, tire flips, Atlas stones, and the list goes on. Because of this parallel, many athletes use CrossFit WODs to prepare for their races.

“You probably don’t have a race course in your backyard, but there are some ways to improve your fundamentals in a logical progression,” says Carl Chu, NASM CPT, a CrossFit L2 trainer at Shoreline CrossFit in Branford, Connecticut. Chu designed this three-day schedule to improve your pushing, pulling, and endurance capacity, while also training your anaerobic system for explosive quickness and building an iron-clad core.

First, he recommends a little self-analysis. “How did you do in your last Spartan race—where were you deficient? Did you get caught up on certain obstacles? Were you gassed halfway through?” he asks. “Once you identify your trip-ups, you can program your training to strengthen those weaknesses and improve your overall performance.”

This three-day CrossFit program comprises all the skills Spartan racers need—and then some—to improve performance across the board. Try it for a month before your next race and see how your time improves.

LOOKING FOR MORE SPARTAN TRAINING RESOURCES? DOWNLOAD THE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT PLAN.

Day 1

This WOD hones in on your pulling skills, improving performance on obstacles like the rope climb and the Herc Hoist while challenging your aerobic capacity and recovery with 800-meter repeats. Perform each alphabetically lettered pair as a couplet, completing all sets and reps (or time) on one letter before moving to the next.

A1: 4 X 20-second bent-arm rope hang A2: 4 X 30-second seated hand-over-hand sled pull B1: 3 X 6 to 8 burpee wall climb-overs B2: 3 X 3 hill sprints C: 5 X 800-meter run

A1: Rope hang: Grip a rope at eye level with your elbows bent 90 degrees. Lift your feet off the floor and hang for time. A2: Sled pull: Sit on the floor and pull the sled toward you hand-over-hand with a rope. Use a moderate to heavy load.

B1: Find a 4- to 6- foot wall or similar height object (such as a bench). Do a burpee next to the wall, then stand and climb over it quickly. Drop to the other side and repeat. B2: Using a short, steep hill, perform your three sprints. Rest as needed between sets.

C: Run 800 meters and time yourself. Rest half that recorded time, then repeat.

Day 2

This WOD works on grip and core strength to improve your carrying potential on things like the Bucket Carry and Olympus, as well as lower body explosive power and anaerobic capacity for tire flips and wall climbs.

A1: 3 X 30- to 60-second sandbag bear hug A2: 3 X 30-second single-arm farmers carry B1: 10 minute EMOM: 3 tire flips C: 10 X 100-meter repeats @ 100 percent rest as needed X 10. On turf or track

A1: Hug a heavy sandbag to your chest for time. A2: Hold a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand and walk for 30 seconds. Switch hands and repeat to complete one set.

B1: Every minute, on the minute, perform three tire flips using a moderate or heavy tire. Rest the remaining time.

C: Using some flat turf or a track with a straightaway, run 100-meter repeats, all out. Rest as needed.

Day 3

This simple WOD trains endurance, which is essential for all Spartan races. Find a trail which offers varying terrain on which you can run continuously for one to three miles. “You can add in some accessory moves to train elements of your performance you feel need more work,” says Chu.

A1: Trail Run 1 to 3 miles

Optional accessory moves

Lower body 5 Tempo deadlifts @30 X 1 Take three seconds to lower to the floor, hold one second at the bottom, explode up and hold for one second at the top. Use moderate weight.

Upper Body A1: 3 X 10 Strict overhead dumbbell presses A2: 3 X 8 Elevated Ring Rows B1: 3 minutes max pushups A2: Place your feet on a box so when you hold the rings with your arms at full extension so your body is either in a straight line, or your feet are higher than your head.

Want More? Meet the Girls

“Any of the original girl-named CrossFit benchmark workouts have great couplings, are relatively simple in concept and improve aerobic and anaerobic systems,” says Chu. Here is a five-WOD Spartan-centric sampling of these deceptively difficult workouts.

“Angie” 100 pullups 100 pushups 100 situps 100 squats

For time. Complete all reps of one move before moving to the next.

“Chelsea” 5 pullups 10 pushups 15 air squats

EMOM—do one round of this every minute on the minute for 30 minutes.

“Helen” 400-meter run 21 kettlebell swings (53 pounds) 12 pullups

Do 3 rounds for time.

“Nancy” 400-meter run 15 overhead squats (95 pounds)

Do 5 rounds for time.

“Karen” 150 wall-ball shots

For time.

Ready to give Spartan a try? Find your race.