Funky Monkey 2.0

Even the most seasoned Mudders have never seen monkey bars as funky as these. The first half of the obstacle: monkey business as usual. During the second half, however, Mudders must grab a trapeze bar, swing onto a descending pipe and shimmy hand-over-hand to the finish.

Obstacle History

Tough Mudder’s adult-sized monkey bars were first introduced in 2011, and ever since, Mudders have been pushing themselves to continuously improve upon their performance. Having largely succeeded, TMHQ ain’t monkeying around in 2015. Funky Monkey 2.0 puts a massive spin on the TM classic by adding a trapeze swing in the middle and a descending pipe at the exit.

Suggested Training

Mental:
On a rainy day, go to your local playground. Practice hanging on the monkey bars and going back and forth. If the bars are too sticky, rub mud on your hands and repeat.

Physical:
Pull-ups – Complete 10 reps. Rest 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times.
Hand Gripper/Stress Ball Squeezes – Perform 20 reps with each hand, then rest for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times.
Chin-ups – Complete 15 reps. Rest 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times.

Tough Mudder Tips

Start with bent arms and bicycle kick your legs to generate momentum. When you’re nearly at the top, get a firm grip on the trapeze bar and get ready for a shift in momentum. At the end of the swing, release the bar and immediately grab the pipe with both hands and proceed hand-over-hand down the pipe.

Author: Joe DiFiglia

Fitness and sport enthusiast. Spartan Race Junky. I have been a martial artist since the age of 4 and addicted to anything challenging. Years of Martial Arts training provides the ability to keep going when my body really wants to quit.