if you're thinking about competing in a high rocks event and want to get the best time that you possibly can then there is more to it than just getting fitter mistakes are easily made time is very easily wasted experience plays a huge part in a good high rocks time so that's why i've put together this video that shares with you 10 tips for a high rocks first timer if you've never competed in high rocks before but are considering entering then these tips will help to save you a lot of time even if you have competed in high rocks before then there will still be some useful tips in here to help you improve your time in your next race so let's get into it 10 tips for a high rocks first timer number one prepare for heavy sleds when training for my first high rocks i naively thought that the weight i put on the sled at my gym would feel the same as it did at high rocks and i was wrong the carpet or the flooring at high rocks makes it much harder to move a sled on than at most gyms and it can be a real shock if you aren't prepared for this so it's normally worth training with a heavier weight than you think you need to as it's better to expect it to be heavy and be pleasantly surprised then vice versa [Music] number two pace yourself it is so easy to go out too fast in a high rocks race this is the case for everyone but especially newcomers to the sport in fact i'd say it's the most common mistake that an athlete makes when competing in high rocks for the first time from looking at the data we've shown that the best performers in the sport start out slower in the race relative to their overall running time than the more average competitors and what's more they run a much more consistent speed throughout the race where slower athletes seem to start out fast and eventually fade the best performers maintain a much more consistent pace number three don't slow down in the rock zone if you've not done a high rocks before conceptualizing exactly what the rock zone is isn't easy but it is an important part of the race it's essentially the area where you transition from the running to the exercises and it's also where drinks are provided i've highlighted the area in green here but if you need more info check out the what is the rock zone video on our youtube channel something that much of the data analyzing i've done shows that many competitors those new to high rocks especially slow down in the rock zone quite considerably the best of the best in the sport don't do that they maintain a solid place throughout hopefully by seeing this video you'll be more like them one good tip to help with that is to play a game of rock zone floor is lava with yourself on your next race when you enter the rock zone get out of there as quickly as possible before the lava burns your feet number four get shoes that don't slip having the right footwear at high rocks is very important in particular you want shoes that are comfortable to running but won't slip on the flooring when pushing a heavy sled some running shoes have very little grip on the bottom which can lead to problems in high rocks similarly on some shoes especially if they've not been tied up properly your heels slip out the back of the shoe when pushing the sled in a video on our youtube channel we talk about how to tie your laces to minimise the chances of this happening and to read more on the best footwear for high rocks check out rockslife.com number five prepare for the heat it can get pretty warm inside the venues during a high rocks event it doesn't necessarily start out that way but once you're well into the workout pushing hard along with hundreds of other people the temperature can increase this means staying as cool as possible during the race is important as is hydrating really well in the days leading up to the event number six memorize the order it's worth making sure you know by heart the order of the stations it can be easy during the excitement of the race to forget where you need to go to next is it row before burpees or vice versa if you do the stations in the wrong order you'll incur a time penalty so make sure you have it very clear in your head before the race number seven count your laps a similar mistake made reasonably often is for a competitor to run too many or too few laps of the arena it varies by venue but typically you need to run roughly two and a half laps of the circuit to cover the one kilometers though you'll be told for sure in the technical briefing sent you prior to the race but some competitors lose count and end up running the wrong distance it's not always easy to keep track of everything especially during a race but it is something to try and be conscious of you definitely don't want to make your race more difficult than it needs to be number eight know the movement standards whilst the exercise is required in a hierarchical simple to perform and need a minimum amount of skill there are certain movement standards that need to be adhered to you should make yourself aware of these prior to the race and practice them in advance if need be all of the functional stations have some requirements but the two areas that you should pay particular attention to are the burpee broad jumps and the wall balls on these it's not uncommon for a judge to no rep someone for not performing the exercise completely correctly the technical briefings from higher ups give you an explanation of the required standards [Music] number nine avoid last minute panics this may seem obvious but i'm telling you this from experience do your best to avoid any last minute panic before your start time ideally you want to get to the venue with plenty of time to spare i'd advise at least 90 minutes this will give you time to check in familiarize yourself with the venue walmart and so on it can turn into a panic if you let it and that is not good prep for your race number 10 have fun i probably shouldn't have left this one for last as it's most important but make sure you enjoy yourself you're there to have fun it's a tough event but you should try to enjoy the experience it's a fantastic atmosphere and a fantastic community to soak it up and just have fun so i really hope that has helped please give this video a like and subscribe to our channel share the video with your friends if you are going to be entering any higher ups events in the uk then head over to our website rockslife.com where you should be able to get a code for a discount on your entry uh there's also lots and lots of articles over there all about this fantastic sport of high rocks and how to improve your time and that's it good luck for your next event take care