WHY OVER 13 YEARS OF OCR COACHING CAN’T BE COPIED

Every year, less obstacle course races appear. Most every CrossFit gym who once “offered” OCR classes (really only targeted at Spartan) have replaced them with the next big thing, HYROX. This leaves Ninja Warrior Gyms as the only option left who “also offer OCR classes.” 

And that’s fine.

But HartFit ELEVATE OCR, or HartFit HYBRID & OcRx as we were known in Illinois, hasn’t ever just “offered” OCR classes that are anchored by more well known and established fitness regimens and sports, OCR is what we do, and since HYBRID Fitness like HYROX and DEKA are so closely linked to OCR, we’ve been one of the few training centers to specialize in what many others only view as a trend or a fad. 

When your life’s work is OCR, many other gyms have looked to us for ideas to keep their own programs interesting. 

I mean, they haven’t exactly asked for our help, they usually get just close enough to us that they can see what we’re doing, utilize resources they previously were ignorant of even existing, and then try to imitate what it is we are doing.

It’s interesting, because most of these groups operate as outliers to already established CrossFit or Ninja gyms they didn’t create, founded or financed and exist only due to the resources provided by their host, not recourses they themselves have ever had the courage to acquire through sacrifice and dedication, the things the sport they claim to be coaching, is supposed to be about. 

But there is one thing that cannot be bought, copied, borrowed, or recreated overnight:

Experience.

At HartFit ELEVATE OCR, we’ve been coaching obstacle course racing athletes since 2013. That’s over a decade of watching athletes succeed, fail, adapt, improve, podium, quit, come back, and ultimately discover what they’re truly capable of.

You can copy obstacles.

You can’t copy experience.

OCR Isn’t Just Obstacles

One of the biggest misconceptions in OCR training is that success comes from obstacle proficiency alone.

It doesn’t.

If it did, every ninja athlete would dominate each type in the vast variety of OCR races.

The reality is that OCR is a unique blend of:

Running endurance

Grip strength

Carry capacity

Obstacle technique

Mental toughness

Pacing strategy

Nutrition

Terrain management

Problem solving under fatigue

Teaching someone how to swing across their first Level 1 Spartan Multi-Rig  is easy.

Teaching someone how to hit those that Muti-Rig after 10 miles of climbing, carrying a sandbag, battling cramps, and questioning every life decision they’ve ever made is something entirely different.

That understanding only comes from years of experience.

We’ve Seen the Mistakes Before

Since 2013, we’ve watched athletes make nearly every mistake possible.

Starting too fast.

Overtraining.

Ignoring grip strength.

Neglecting carries.

Obsessing over speed while lacking durability.

Treating obstacle training like a circus act instead of a race skill. (AKA “I only do obstacles during open gym”)

The advantage of coaching thousands of workouts and hundreds of athletes isn’t that we know everything.

It’s that we’ve already seen what doesn’t work.

Most athletes learn from their mistakes.

Great coaches help athletes avoid them in the first place.

The Obstacles Change. Principles Don’t.

Over the years we’ve watched obstacles come and go.

New trends emerge every season.

But the principles that create successful OCR athletes remain remarkably consistent.

Strong grip.

Efficient movement.

Aerobic fitness.

Carrying strength.

Resilience.

Mental toughness.

Technical efficiency.

Adaptability.

The athlete who masters those principles remains competitive regardless of what obstacle appears next.

That’s what experience teaches.

Technique Matters More Than Strength

One lesson repeated thousands of times over the last decade is this:

The strongest athlete is rarely the most efficient athlete.

We’ve watched smaller athletes outperform stronger athletes because they understood body positioning.

We’ve watched athletes save enormous amounts of energy simply by learning how to use their hips correctly.

We’ve watched athletes who couldn’t complete obstacles suddenly succeed after a minor technical adjustment.

Technique isn’t flashy.

It’s effective.

And teaching technique requires more than simply completing an obstacle yourself.

It requires years of observing different body types, different strengths, different weaknesses, and different learning styles.

Coaching Isn’t About Today

Anyone can create a hard workout.

Creating a workout that builds an athlete six months from now is coaching.

Creating a workout that prepares an athlete for a Beast, an Ultra, a mountain race, or OCR World Championships is coaching.

Knowing when to push.

Knowing when to back off.

Knowing when an athlete needs confidence.

Knowing when an athlete needs accountability.

Those lessons are learned through years of working with real people.

Not through social media.

Not through YouTube.

Not through a weekend certification.

Results Leave Clues

Since 2013, athletes from our programs have earned podium finishes across:

Spartan Race

Savage Race

OCR World Championships

Frontline OCR

Tough Mudder 

Highlander Assault

Abominable Snow Race

Endurance events

Ultra-distance races

But the accomplishments we’re most proud of aren’t the podiums.

They’re the people who thought they couldn’t do this.

The parent who finally gained confidence.

The athlete who conquered their fear of heights.

The person who lost weight and found purpose.

The beginner who crossed a finish line they never thought possible.

Those victories matter just as much.

Why Experience Matters at HartFit ELEVATE OCR

At HartFit ELEVATE OCR, we’re not teaching OCR based on what we watched online last week.

We’re teaching from over a decade of coaching, competing, failing, learning, adapting, and refining.

We’ve coached athletes from complete beginners to world championship podium teams.

We’ve trained through trends.

We’ve trained through obstacle changes.

We’ve trained through the rise and decline of various fitness fads.

And after all these years, one truth remains:

Experience matters.

Because obstacles can be purchased.

Courses can be built.

Workouts can be copied.

But 13 years of coaching knowledge, athlete development, race experience, and lessons learned cannot.

If you’re looking for obstacle course race training in Colorado Springs, Peyton, Falcon, Elbert, or the surrounding Eastern Plains, don’t just look for obstacles.

Look for experience.

Because when race day arrives, experience is the one thing your competition can’t copy.

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Train with HartFit ELEVATE OCR in Peyton, Colorado and learn from over a decade of OCR coaching experience. Whether you’re preparing for your first Spartan Race, chasing a podium finish, or simply looking to become stronger and more capable, our OCR PULSE Simulations and obstacle-specific coaching are designed to help you succeed.