Follow These 3 Simple Tips to Conquer the Spartan Barbed Wire Crawl
The Spartan Barbed Wire Crawl is a crawling obstacle where you need to stay low to the ground and crawl underneath barbed wire for approximately 100-200 feet. Depending on the course (and the ruthlessness of the course designer) it can sometimes be in mud, dirt, grass, rocks, water, uphill, or downhill.
Related: How to Do 8 Core Strengthening Exercises to Crush Spartan Obstacles
To save you from doing 30 burpees, here's how to perfect your Barbed Wire Crawl technique.
How to Conquer the Spartan Barbed Wire Crawl
Completing the Barbed Wire Crawl with efficiency requires excellent core strength, fortitude, stamina, and hip mobility. Rolling through the entire obstacle has become a popular method for many, but it's far less effective if the slope is uphill. (Plus, most course managers have become wise to this method, so additional rocks and mud are often added to make it a less feasible approach.)
While some of the ground beneath the Barbed Wire Crawl obstacle may be okay for rolling, you should be prepared to use multiple methods. Lots of athletes cramp up during this obstacle simply because they are undertrained for it. The hips flexors, quads, and calves get a lot of use on this obstacle if you are crawling.
Related: How to Train Like the Beast of the Spartan Barbed Wire Crawl
To combat this, learn to utilize the various methods of crawling like the bear crawl, the army crawl, and shrimping. By doing so, you won't overuse certain body parts on long stretches, and can avoid pesky cramping when you're miles deep into a race.
Here's how to do it right:
1. Get Your Warm-Up Right
In your warm-up, incorporate the frog stretch and hip openers like high knee pulls, cossack stretches, and external hip rotations. Add the various crawls to your warm-ups and workouts.
2. Pace Yourself
Moving or rolling too fast can really upset your stomach.
3. Secure Your Gear
Make sure that if you are wearing a hydration pack, the pockets are secured and your mouthpiece is covered. There’s nothing quite like drinking from a muddy mouthpiece.
