The first Spartan race on our shores happens in March this year, and if you need another reason to sign up, here it is. We caught up with our personal trainer Dimitri Stroobant, who came in second in the 30-34 age group in the Spartan Beast held at Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru. We spoke to him about his training, his advice for first-time Spartan Racers, and his plans for the new year.

Congratulations on finishing second place in the Spartan! How did that feel?
I feel a sense of accomplishment! It reminded me that age is just a number and with an appropriate training program, nothing is impossible. The win pushes me to up my game in 2020.

Was there a specific training plan you did for the Spartan?
A lot of pulling and carrying and a lot of monkey bar work. I also went running after every workout to build my aerobic capacity for the running portion of the race.

I didn’t practice burpees 😉 You have to think like a winner!

What does your training look like on the regular?
I usually warm up for 5 minutes, doing movements that help me activate what I need to for my Strength training portion; that lasts for about 45 minutes.

Then, I’ll run for 1 hour, averaging about 12 km for that hour or if I’m in a rush, I’ll sit on the Assault Bike for 10 minute at a sustainable pace.

If someone’s looking to run a Spartan for the first time, what should they focus on?
Farmer’s walk holding your body weight- grip strength is crucial for the obstacles in a Spartan Race! You’ll also need to be able to sustain the total time of the race, being able to run for at least an hour at a go.

Get playing with monkey bars and be comfortable hanging and traversing it. Being able to do a pull up or working towards doing a pull up will also be very useful.

What’s the next thing you’re preparing for? If not an event or a race, what does 2020 look like for you?
I’m training for a Mixed Martial Art fight at the end of 2020, as well as continuing to run Spartan Races. I want to finish the event list for 2020: The 3 and 12 hour Hurricane Heat Team Challenges, the 50km Spartan Beast, and the Agoge 48 (a winter ) or Agoge 60 (a summer ) Challenge, that’s similar to military training.

2020 will be exciting, that’s for sure!

Dimitri trains clients at Level in either a one-to-one or small group setting at Level. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t all run or want to run a Spartan, but having someone who’s “been there, done that” helps in their growth as resilient humans. Send us a message at trial@level.com.sg to start your own journey in fitness.

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