Fitness Training
How pro fitness athlete Noah Ohlsen is training for Red Bull Rancher Strong
A look at what it takes to compete in the ultimate ranching competition.
Noah Ohlsen is gearing up for a new kind of challenge, one where his voice and personality are front and center instead of his physical fitness.
The 11x CrossFit Games medalist is preparing to host Red Bull Rancher Strong June 7th, a new fitness competition that combines elements of ranching with fitness into a first-of-its-kind obstacle course.
Noah Ohlsen at the Red Bull Rancher Strong course
© Chad Wadsworth/The Red Bulletin
As MC of the debut event, Ohlsen will bring his knowledge of fitness and experience competing to his commentary, articulating the technique, form and strategy employed by the participating athletes, and dissecting what the winners did well to earn their victories.
But what does training for a first-ever event like Rancher Strong entail?
The course was designed to resonate with farmers, ranchers and other folks in the agriculture space, with physical movements and challenges emulating those found on a real ranch.
The course itself is set up as a side-by-side race, with two athletes competing against each other at the same time - a mix of Red Bull athletes, CrossFit athletes and American Ninja Warrior athletes - some with agriculture backgrounds, some without.
To kick off the course, athletes will traverse down a monkey-bar-like implement from the “start and finish” platform.
“This will require a good bit of upper body strength as well as hand eye coordination,” Ohlsen said. “Athletes could prepare for this by doing strict pull-ups, bent arms, and alternating hand releases and regrips from the pull up bar.”
Once the athletes have hit the rodeo ground floor, they’ll be tasked with loading bags of feed into a trailer.
Noah Ohlsen training for Red Bull Rancher Strong
© Chad Wadsworth/The Red Bulletin
“The best practice for this is light and fast sandbag pick ups - to waist height - and then up onto a 24 inch box,” Ohlsen said. “It would also be beneficial to practice short fast sandbag or farmer's carries, either tossing one or two sandbags onto the shoulder and running 10 yards down and back, or grabbing a 50 pound kettlebell in each hand for the same distance.”
But with any kind of training, it’s important to practice proper form to avoid injury.
“You don’t want to be pulling something from using bad form,” Pekus said. “Farmers and ranchers - they do this stuff on a daily basis and know if they pull something in their back and they’re out for a week, that could mean their livelihood.”
For many farmers and ranchers, the risk of getting hurt and missing work sits in the back of their minds, so they’re used to performing well under high stress situations, possibly providing them a slight edge.
The third contest is the Stockyard Scramble, a multi-part obstacle where athletes first have to throw a truck tire up and over a fence, then continue the up-and-over challenge with their own body, ducking down and climbing over logs before handling a final tire toss.
“Prep for this could look like heavy kettlebell swings or heavy medicine ball tosses back over your head,” Ohlsen said. “You could also set up a series of PVC pipes at varying heights and practice crawling under and jumping over them as quickly as possible.”
Next is the Tree Stumpede, a challenge all about balance, confidence, and speed. Ohlsen recommends practicing different balance drills, like alternating feet while jumping rope - anything that can help with the agility.
Noah Ohlsen running through tree stampede
© Chad Wadsworth/The Red Bulletin
Competition starts to pick up with The Haybale Hustle, an obstacle at the very center of the course, where athletes will climb to their peak.
“Stacking boxes safely and using your hands, knees and body to get up and over the boxes as quickly as possible would be great training,” Ohlsen said. “Sets of five to 10 Burpee-box-jump-overs on a 40 inch box.”
But slow down, partner.
Remember back on the second obstacle when athletes were loading feed into the trailer?
With that work already done, the next challenge comes full circle where competitors are required to pull the trailer itself.
“The best prep for this would be sled pulls and pushes,” Ohlsen said. “Use a moderately loaded sled, pushing either forward or backward, stepping and pulling it as you go.”
Meaning, if you know how to move your feet and body efficiently because you’ve been doing it in your day-to-day work, you might be able to shave a few seconds off your time.
At the home stretch, contestants saddle up on a makeshift horse and hand-over-hand pull a “bull” sled all the way in. Ohlsen suggests attaching a rope to a sled and practicing the hand-over-hand pull as the main form of training.
“But something that may be overlooked is the adduction strength of having to squeeze your legs into the saddle and not get pulled forward while pulling the sled in,” Ohlsen said. “Good exercises for this are med ball squeezes with the thighs, while sitting on the floor doing hand-over-hand sled pulls.”
Noah Ohlsen running
© Chad Wadsworth/The Red Bulletin
The final obstacle is a mad dash up the ladder onto the finish platform, where Ohlsen notes upper body strength and hand eye coordination will prevail. He suggests practicing rope climbs, which can aid with both attributes.
And while the course itself is absolutely meant to entertain, its larger goal is to shed light on the farming vocation and what the chores of those actually involved in the work entail.
Related
Ranch life not for you, but want to compete in your own fitness challenge? Now through June 29th, anyone can join the Red Bull Athlete Challenge, a fitness-based challenge designed to help you elevate your fitness journey and train like an athlete. Join the challenge today and you will have the chance to spend a day with a Red Bull athlete.