Spartan Beast Training Plan

12 weeks·4 days / wk·spartan beast·intermediate

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Weeks: 12
Sessions: 48
Peak week: 5h 30; week 10
Long trail run: 3h 00; week 10
Taper: 2 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Not affiliated with Spartan Race.

Focus

Volume

Base: trail volume + gripLong trail run 7.5 mi

3h 05

Tue
Oct 6
Hill intervals 5 × 90 s
30 min
- 15 min easy
- 5 × 90 s uphill hard · add 6 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Oct 7
Grip + carry strength
35 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 30 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Oct 9
Obstacle skills circuit
30 min
- J-hook drill: 5 × foot lock on the rope
- Monkey bars / rig: 3 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 4 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 30 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Oct 11
Long trail run 7.5 mi
90 min
- 7.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Base: trail volume + gripLong trail run 8.5 mi

3h 15

4 sessions

Tue
Oct 13
Hill intervals 6 × 90 s
30 min
- 15 min easy
- 6 × 90 s uphill hard · add 7 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Oct 14
Grip + carry strength
35 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 40 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Oct 16
Obstacle skills circuit
30 min
- J-hook drill: 5 × foot lock on the rope
- Monkey bars / rig: 4 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 5 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 40 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Oct 18
Long trail run 8.5 mi
100 min
- 8.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Base: trail volume + gripLong trail run 9.5 mi

3h 30

4 sessions

Tue
Oct 20
Hill intervals 6 × 90 s
35 min
- 15 min easy
- 6 × 90 s uphill hard · add 8 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Oct 21
Grip + carry strength
40 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 45 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Oct 23
Obstacle skills circuit
35 min
- J-hook drill: 5 × foot lock on the rope
- Monkey bars / rig: 4 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 6 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 45 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Oct 25
Long trail run 9.5 mi
100 min
- 9.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Cutback weekLong trail run 8 mi

3h 10

4 sessions

Tue
Oct 27
Easy trail run
30 min
- Easy trail running · about 10:25/mi
Wed
Oct 28
Grip + carry strength
30 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 30 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Oct 30
Obstacle skills circuit
30 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 4 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 6 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 30 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Nov 1
Long trail run 8 mi
100 min
- 8 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Build: hills + obstacle skillLong trail run 10.5 mi

3h 50

4 sessions

Tue
Nov 3
Hill intervals 7 × 90 s
35 min
- 15 min easy
- 7 × 90 s uphill hard · add 8 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Nov 4
Grip + carry strength
40 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 55 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Nov 6
Obstacle skills circuit
35 min
- Rope climb 4 × to the top
- Monkey bars / rig: 5 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 7 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 55 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Nov 8
Long trail run 10.5 mi
120 min
- 10.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Build: hills + obstacle skillLong trail run 11.5 mi

4h 10

4 sessions

Tue
Nov 10
Hill intervals 8 × 90 s
40 min
- 15 min easy
- 8 × 90 s uphill hard · add 8 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Nov 11
Grip + carry strength
45 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 65 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Nov 13
Obstacle skills circuit
40 min
- Rope climb 4 × to the top
- Monkey bars / rig: 6 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 7 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 65 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Nov 15
Long trail run 11.5 mi
125 min
- 11.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Build: hills + obstacle skillLong trail run 13 mi

4h 35

4 sessions

Tue
Nov 17
Hill intervals 9 × 90 s
45 min
- 15 min easy
- 9 × 90 s uphill hard · add 8 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Nov 18
Grip + carry strength
50 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 75 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Nov 20
Obstacle skills circuit
45 min
- Rope climb 4 × to the top
- Monkey bars / rig: 7 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 8 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 75 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Nov 22
Long trail run 13 mi
135 min
- 13 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Cutback weekLong trail run 8 mi

3h 15

4 sessions

Tue
Nov 24
Easy trail run
30 min
- Easy trail running · about 10:25/mi
Wed
Nov 25
Grip + carry strength
35 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 30 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Nov 27
Obstacle skills circuit
30 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 7 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 8 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 30 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Nov 29
Long trail run 8 mi
100 min
- 8 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Peak: race-simulation long runsLong trail run 14 mi

5h 00

4 sessions

Tue
Dec 1
Hill intervals 9 × 90 s
45 min
- 15 min easy
- 9 × 90 s uphill hard · add 9 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Dec 2
Grip + carry strength
50 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 80 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Dec 4
Obstacle skills circuit
45 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 7 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 9 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 80 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Dec 6
Long trail run 14 mi
160 min
- 14 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Peak: race-simulation long runsLong trail run 15 mi

5h 30

4 sessions

Tue
Dec 8
Hill intervals 10 × 90 s
50 min
- 15 min easy
- 10 × 90 s uphill hard · add 9 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Dec 9
Grip + carry strength
55 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 90 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Dec 11
Obstacle skills circuit
50 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 8 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 10 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 90 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Dec 13
Long trail run 15 mi
175 min
- 15 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

TaperLong trail run 7.5 mi

3h 30

4 sessions

Tue
Dec 15
Hill intervals 10 × 90 s
40 min
- 15 min easy
- 10 × 90 s uphill hard · add 9 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Dec 16
Grip + carry strength
40 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 4 × 90 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Dec 18
Obstacle skills circuit
40 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 8 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 10 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 90 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Dec 20
Long trail run 7.5 mi
90 min
- 7.5 mi on trails or hills · about 10:25/mi on flats
- Every 15 min: 10 burpees or a 30 m bear crawl · practise moving between obstacles on tired legs

Race weekRace

1h 30

4 sessions

Tue
Dec 22
Hill intervals 10 × 90 s
30 min
- 15 min easy
- 10 × 90 s uphill hard · add 9 burpees at the top of each rep
- 10 min easy
Wed
Dec 23
Grip + carry strength
30 min
- Grip is what fails first on race day; train it fresh
Exercise Sets×Reps Load Rest
Dead hang 2 × 90 s — 90 s
Towel pull-up 3 × 5–8 — 2 min
Farmers carry 4 × 40 m 2 × 55 lb 90 s
Bucket / sandbag carry 3 × 60 m 70 lb 90 s
Plate pinch hold 3 × 30 s — 60 s
Fri
Dec 25
Obstacle tune-up
30 min
- Rope climb 3 × after a 400 m run
- Monkey bars / rig: 8 traverses
- Wall climbs 6–8 ft: 10 reps
- Spear throw: 20 throws from 10 m · a miss costs 30 burpees
- Burpees: 90 total · chest to ground, jump at the top — race standard
Sun
Dec 27
Race day: Spartan Beast
- 21 km, about 30 obstacles · start controlled; the first mile is congested
- Save grip for the rig and rope · don't hang on bars longer than you must

Your paces

Easy trail: 10:25/mi
Threshold: 7:53/mi
Race pace (flat equivalent): 8:07/mi

The numbers

About this plan

This spartan beast training plan prepares an intermediate racer for the Spartan Beast — about 21 km and 30 obstacles — over 12 weeks. Spartan Beast training time: 3.1 h, then 4.2 h in week 6, then 5.5 h in week 10.

Dead hangs build to 90 s for the Spartan Beast, and 12 skill sessions drill rope, rig and walls. The Spartan Beast long run reaches 180 minutes (week 10); 90-burpee sessions make the 30-rep penalty routine.

Cutbacks: week 4 (3.2 h) and week 8 (3.3 h). Race week is 1.5 h, about 44 hours in all.

Week 1 of 12 is 3.1 hours in 4 sessions; the biggest is Sunday's 90 min, and the key work is hill intervals 5 × 90 s, grip + carry strength and obstacle skills circuit.

The phases run base weeks 1–3 (3.1–3.5 h), build weeks 5–7 (3.8–4.6 h), peak weeks 9–10 (5–5.5 h), taper week 11 (3.5 h) and race week 12 (1.5 h).

Weeks 1–4 run 3.1, 3.3, 3.5 and 3.2 hours.

Questions

FAQ

How long is the spartan beast training plan?

12 weeks, 4 sessions a week, 3.1 → 5.5 hours for the Spartan Beast.

How do I train grip for the Spartan Beast?

40 key Spartan Beast sessions include hangs (to 90 s) and carries.

How many burpees should I train for the Spartan Beast?

Up to 90 per session, 3× the Spartan Beast's 30-rep penalty.

What is the longest run in the spartan beast training plan?

180 minutes on trails in week 10, with burpees every 15 minutes.

Keep exploring

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Not affiliated with Spartan Race.

About this plan

FAQ

How long is the spartan beast training plan?

How do I train grip for the Spartan Beast?

How many burpees should I train for the Spartan Beast?

What is the longest run in the spartan beast training plan?

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