Class Review: Mudder Maker at Virgin Active

Tough Mudder is back for it’s fifth year, known as the intense (and very muddy) obstacle course that is not for the faint-hearted. It all kicked off this weekend in Henley on Thames where 20,000 Mudders tackled the course. It’s an event I’ve been asked several times to do, but I’m just not sure I’m cut out for it. When I heard Virgin Active had teamed up with Tough Mudder’s “Chief of Tough” to create a brand new fitness class ‘Mudder Maker‘, I jumped at the chance to try it out and get a taster of what’s involved in Tough Mudder.

Mudder Maker isn’t your typical fitness class where you can show up and hide out at the back hoping the instructor won’t pick on you. At the heart of the class is Tough Mudder’s core value of teamwork and camaraderie. You are split into groups of 3-4 and you have to work together to complete the class and spur each other on when the going gets tough. The class is designed for all fitness levels where beginners will complete 4 laps of each obstacle, intermediates will complete 6 and the advanced will complete 8. Each obstacle challenges a different part of your body, ensuring you are fit enough to take on Tough Mudder (if you so wish to).

mudder-maker-horse-powervirgin-active-mudder-makermudder-maker-obstacles

The Mudder Maker Obstacles

Electroshock Therapy – Holding a plank, you have to pass a ball between your teammates like a #FitFam version of Pass the Parcel, except in this version the ball randomly sends out an electric shock. Challenge your core and face your fear in this one.

Swamp Crawl – Keeping your bum low and knees off the floor, you have to crawl under a set of bars in a lizard-like motion, being careful not to touch the bars and knock them over.

Swamp Box – Once you’ve made it through the Swamp Crawl you get to jump onto the Swamp Box, which I managed to fall off of, twice. I’m taking falling flat on my back, legs in the air, pride definitely not intact. I love a box jump, but this box is filled with some sort of liquid which makes it unstable and all the more challenging. Don’t worry though, no one else in my class managed to fall off, just little old me.

Kamagon Krippler – Holding a water-filled ball above your head whilst keeping your arms straight (killer), lunge your way around a set of pillars. Next time I’ll start on this one because lifting that ball above your head when your arms have already turned to jelly is no easy task.

Horse Power – This was my favourite. Two of your teammates sit on the TiYR (tyre, to you and me) whilst the other two pull them across the room using the battle ropes. Then you get to have a little rest whilst you sit on the TiYR and the other two pull you along. This requires you to really drive through with your legs, which is why it was my fave.

Drum Runner – Crawling along the floor in a bear crawl, you have to push along a water-filled drum. The swishing of the water inside the drum as you push it makes this tougher.

There are many more obstacles in the Mudder Maker class including two challenges to finish, but I don’t want to give away all the fun. Mudder Maker will be available in all Virgin Active gyms starting in May, so keep an eye out for it in one near you. I loved this class and will definitely be going back. It allowed me to channel my inner animal by incorporating primal movements, worked on my strength and was the first fitness class I’d been to where I was put into a team and got to talk to and support other people in the class the whole way through. I think it’s great training for Tough Mudder but also a fun way to socialise whilst challenging yourself at the gym.

To celebrate Tough Mudder’s Fifth Anniversary, they are offering 25% off any Tough Mudder event for a limited time only. Use code HBDTM at checkout when signing up – Good luck to you my friend, good luck.

Will you be tackling Tough Mudder this year or do you know anyone who will be? If so, what is your training plan? What do you think of Virgin Active’s Mudder Maker class? Let me know in the comments below.

8 Comments

  1. Linda @ forty dating.
    May 5, 2015 / 10:17 am

    It certainly isn’t for the faint hearted.

    • Cantara
      Author
      May 12, 2015 / 8:52 pm

      It was a tough class, but fun.

  2. May 19, 2015 / 4:24 am

    Sounds brutal but fun! I’m too afraid of getting shocked to do a Tough Mudder. I just don’t get why that excites some people! Kudos to you for working hard and trying out what sounds like an extremely difficult class!

    • Cantara
      Author
      May 28, 2015 / 10:45 pm

      Haha I’m exactly the same!!! Passing the tiny electric shock ball around our group was bad enough, let alone running through wires and being shocked over and over again in the real Tough Mudder. I’ll stick to the class instead!

  3. May 27, 2015 / 2:34 am

    I did Tough Mudder in 2013. Originally I was doing it in a group of 10 then everyone slowly dropped out until it was just me and my boyfriend. He twisted his ankle a month or so before and come race day I was in a team of 1. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
    Luckily everyone else helped me as there’s no way I could have done it alone. I enjoyed myself but would not want to do it solo again. Teams are where it’s at.
    Sadly there’s no Virgin Fitness near me as this would have been amazing and no doubt I’d have found new team buddies.
    Good luck and make sure you take a photo of all your cuts and bruises to look back at haha.

    • Cantara
      Author
      May 28, 2015 / 11:15 pm

      Oh my gosh. Hats down to you! I probably would have cancelled if I was left on my own so huuuuge respect for you for still going ahead! I’m so glad everyone helped you. That’s the beauty of Tough Mudder, it’s not a competition, it’s about being a team and helping others. I’m so glad you shared this xx

  4. Sarah
    May 27, 2015 / 6:04 pm

    Going to my first Mudder Maker class in about 20 mins and thought I’d look it up! Stumbled across your blog and it’s awesome. We’re pretty much exactly the same (25, fitness, beauty, fashion) except I am too lazy to write about it! Look forward to reading more posts.

    • Cantara
      Author
      May 28, 2015 / 11:16 pm

      LOVE this! What did you think of the class?? Which Virgin Active did you go to, one in London? Haha you should start a blog, it’s so much fun. Thank you for following, so glad you found me. Stay in touch x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Looking for Something?