Challenge Instructions September

It’s time to get lower than a snake’s belly and recreate a much-missed Tough Mudder obstacle. Army crawl for 40′ (13 metres) and get as muddy as possible. There shouldn’t be an inch of you that is free of the stuff. Seriously. Make sure you grab a snap of you looking like a mud monster, then hose off and take a second photo. Share your before and after with #ShowerofChampions to be in with the chance of winning a prize from our friends at GROHE.

Level Up: Go all out and recreate Kiss of Mud, structure and all. Use wood or sticks for the frame, string or rope to recreate the barbed wire and of course make sure it’s extra muddy by getting the hose out.

What kind of European Road Trip would this be if we didn’t visit all 51 European countries? Or sort of. Over the next 21 days you need to complete 51 hand walkout to pushups and you’ll be counting each rep in a different language, using the handy little list we created for you.

To perform the exercise, begin standing with your legs straight. Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips and bring your hands to the floor, as close to your feet as possible. Walk your hands out until they are directly under you shoulders, so your body is in a high plank position. From here, perform 1 push-up. Upon completion of a push up, walk your hands in as close to your feet as possible and then return to a standing position. That is one rep.

Download your language list here:


Level Up: For those Europhiles among you take it up a notch and do 51 hand walkout to push ups every day for a week. That’s 357 reps in total. If you miss a day you’ll have to double up to make up for it the following day, miss three days and you’ll be doing three times the reps.

Need more languages? Download your Additional Languages list here:

Ah, the beautiful game. It’s time to throw on your boots and channel your inner football star. Using your Tough Mudder headbands (or balled up socks) as a ball, nail eight keepy uppies in a row. The ‘ball’ can’t touch the ground and you can’t use your hands (that’s a red card offense).

Level Up: Go old school and take on the Maradona 7 Challenge. You’ll need to juggle a real ball from your left foot to right foot, then left knee to right knee, then left shoulder to right shoulder and finally heading the ball to complete the whole sequence.

If everyone else is doing it, why can’t we? It’s time to nail the Flip the Switch viral video.

Set to the 2018 song “Nonstop” by Drake, Flip the Switch requires two people standing in front of a mirror. One person stands closest to the mirror holding still while recording the video on their phone. Meanwhile in the background, the other individual dances to the music until Drake sings the opening lyric, “Look, I just flipped a switch (Flipped, flipped).” This cue prompts the room’s light switch to be turned off and on, only to reveal that the two participants swapped outfits and positions during the transition.

The only rule? Keep those outfits and positions clean.

Hear ye, hear ye, it’s time to get sweaty. For this activity you will need a standard set of playing cards. Shuffle the deck and set them face down. The four suits each represent a different exercise:

Spades = High Plank to Forearm plank
Diamonds = Crunches
Clubs = Squats
Hearts = Rotating Toe Touches

You guessed it Mudder, each number represents the number of reps you need to do of each exercise. If you pick up a 5 of Diamonds, you are doing 5 crunches. Jacks are worth 11, Queens 12, Kings 13 and Aces 14 (we could have made it 1, but where would the fun be in that?). When you have completed the full workout and each card has been selected, use the deck to build your castle – you are the King (or Queen). You may also build two 26 card castles. You can divide this workout into as many sessions as required but you can only build your castle once all the exercises are complete.

What is One Rep?

High plank to forearm plank: Start in a high plank position with your palms touching the ground (aka push up position). Transition from your palms to your elbows (one at a time) to a low plank position (aka standard plank position). From your elbows, return back to a high plank position (aka push up position). Once back in a high plank position, that is one rep

Rotating toe touches: Start in standing position, Touch right toe with left hand, back to standing position, touch left toe with right hand, return to standing position is one repetition.

Level up: Stepping it up a level? Complete this activity in one workout.

Cheese and pickle, egg and cress, tuna and mayo. Whatever your flavour, it’s time to embrace the much loved sandwich (seriously, Brits eat an average of four sandwiches a week). To complete this activity you must build and eat a sandwich (with a minimum of four ingredients) with your hands tied behind your back. You may lay out the ingredients before you begin.

Level up: You deserve a two course meal Mudder. Complete the standard activity and then treat yo’self to a bowl of strawberries and cream – no hands. You may prepare the dish with your hands but you can only use your mouth to eat.

Who doesn’t miss PE lessons at school? Oh, no one? Oops. Well we’ve started so we’ll carry on – it’s the beep test. This gym hall classic will test your stamina and endurance. You will need to mark out 2 points that are 20 meters or 20 yards (60 feet) apart. Play the beep test audio, whenever the beep sounds you will need to run to the opposite point. The beeps will get closer together, you will get tired. You must make it past the other marker before the second beep. If you reach the marker before the beep sounds, you must wait until the beep sounds before running to the previous marker. If you don’t make it in time, you have 3 beeps to catch up to be within the beeps. If you do not make it, you’re out. You will hear the beeps in your nightmares.

Level up: Really? Okay, if you must then set your markers on a hill so that in one direction you are running on an incline and in the other direction, a decline.

Chaucer is that you? It’s time to pen your greatest work, a medieval or Tough Mudder themed poem or rap – the choice is yours. We don’t want to interfere with your creative process but thou will need to write a minimum of 100 words, then recite it while jogging down your street or on a treadmill.

Level up: Your great work of art must be memorized and recited. While you’re jogging down the street or on a treadmill though, obvs.

Ding ding, we expect a good clean fight out of you Mudder. It’s time to take on Greg James’ boxing workout, so keep light on your feet, move fast and pull no punches. The workout will last for roughly 20 minutes, with exercises broken into three minute segments. We recommend playing the Rocky theme music for added motivation.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is 57m tall, the standard length of dry spaghetti is 30cm. That means 190 lengths of spaghetti is the equivalent to the height of the tower. You can see where this is going…

Count out and Cook 190 lengths of spaghetti and eat them as is, no sauce, no oil, nothing extra, one strand at a time. If you can’t eat that much pasta in one go, split it out over the course of one day. You may drink as much water as you need to complete the activity. If you have any allergies, please use your own discretion to create your own version of the challenge.

Bon Appétit Mudder.

Level up: We really hope you like pasta. Complete this activity in one sitting.

You may have heard whispers of its existence and rumours of those who have completed it. But today you will face one of the most extreme feats in sports. The beer mile.

The beer mile requires a single Mudder to drink a full-sized beer, run a quarter mile, then repeat the process three times. This results in the consumption of four beers and the running of four quarter miles (hence the beer mile). While you are drinking the beer, you must be standing still. You cannot continue running until you finish the drink. There is no time limit but the beer mile must be completed in one session. You may complete the beer mile on your running route or using a track.

Got beer fear? That’s fine, any beverage will do. Common variations include the cider mile, the milk mile, the wine mile, the water mile, the tea mile and the Mike’s Hard Seltzer mile.

Once you’ve completed the beer mile, we suggest lying on the ground for a considerable amount of time. Don’t drink and drive, or ride, or use machinery, or anything really.

Level up: Don’t fancy a leisurely jog and a few pints? Complete your beer mile in under 12 minutes Mudder.

To make up for all of the running and reps we’ve put you through on this Challenge, we thought we’d let you have a little fun. Set up a slip ‘n slide in your garden or local park. You’ll need water and soap but the rest is down to science.

Level up: Create your own game of human bowling and set up something you can aim to knock over – can you get a lightning strike?