This Upper Body Strength Workout Will Help You Crush Obstacles

What do obstacles like the monkey bars, cargo nets, rope climb, Tyrolean Traverse, and wall climb have in common? They all require preparation via serious upper body strength exercises (and grip strength, but that’s another story).

Not only do your arms, shoulders, back, and core need to be strong enough for you to lift your body weight up and over the obstacles, but they need to have the muscular endurance for you to do it over and over (and over) again. If you don’t have that kind of upper body strength and endurance, you’re going to fatigue by obstacle four or five and end up not being able to complete the rest—which means your going to find yourself doing burpees on burpees, a surefire way to kill any endurance you have left in your arms.

These upper body strength exercises aim to increase both muscular strength and endurance. You should complete the entire workout three times a week on non-consecutive days (follow Spartan on Instagram for additional cardio and recovery workouts to fill out the week). You can condense the warm-up if you’re short on time, but keep in mind that these warm-up moves were designed to prep your body for this specific sequence.

You’ll need: a foam roller, superband, med ball, box, pull-up bar, ab wheel, and kettlebell

Upper Body Strength Exercises: Self-Myofascial Release + Static Stretching Warm-up

Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch upper body strength exercises — Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

Perform 1 set of the number of reps indicated.

Self-myofascial release: lats, posterior shoulder, pec Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch: 30 seconds on each side Prone lat stretch: 30 seconds on each side Half-kneeling pec stretch: 30 seconds on each side

Upper Body Strength Exercises: Mobility and Joint Stabilization Warm-up

Quadruped wrist rock upper body strength exercises — Quadruped wrist rock

Perform 1 set of the number of reps indicated.

Quadruped wrist rock: 6 reps Quadruped T-spine rotation: 6 reps on each side Windmill T-spine rotation: 6 reps on each side Shoulder slide: 8 reps Band pull-apart series: 8 reps on each side Seal jack: 15 reps

Upper Body Strength Exercises: Power + Speed Circuit

Perform 3 sets of the number of reps indicated.

Overhead slam: 12 reps Plyo push-up: 8 reps

Upper Body Strength Exercises: Strength + Conditioning Circuit

Suspension ab rollout upper body strength exercises — Suspension ab rollout

Perform 3 sets of the number of reps indicated.

Eccentric pull-up: 8 reps Suspension ab rollout: 10 reps Floor press: 8 reps

Farmer carry: 10 yards Overhead press: 8 reps Quadruped row: 8 reps on each side

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