7 Ideas to Take
Your Fitness Training Outside
by Kyle Battis CSCS, ATC, NSCA-CPT
www.HomeGymSecrets.com
Are you getting bored with your current training routine? Are
you sick of driving to the gym to work out when the weather is
so nice? Are you stuck in a fitness rut and looking for some new
ideas to renew progress? Warmer weather is here so why not take
your fitness routine outside?
Let's face it. Driving 30 minutes to the gym to walk on the treadmill
and lift weights does not make much sense when the weather is
nice. Not to mention you have been cooped-up all winter long,
you are bored out of your mind with your fitness routine, and
you have not seen any progress in months.
Sit back and get comfortable. I am going to share with you some
ideas that will get you outside, get you interested in training
again, and will help you experience a level of progress that you
have not seen in years. Interested? I hope that you said YES!
In my 10 years in the fitness game I have found that it keeps
coming back to a couple key points. One: You need to try to strive
to do more from training session to training session. Two: We
all need regular variety in their training (for psychological
and physiological reasons). Today I am going to talk about the
second point and teach you how getting a little variety in your
training can help get you back on track. Check out these outdoor
training ideas to add a little variety to your routine:
1. Take your weight training outside to mix it up: During the
summer months I really enjoy taking my strength training outside.
I love taking my weights out into my backyard or to the local
park. Training with a loved one or a group of dedicated friends
is a great way to do it. Some of the training tools that work
well for outdoor training are kettlebells (shown in the picture
below -- looks like a big bowling ball with a handle), clubbells
(a weighted bat), medicine balls (fun to throw around), sled dragging
(great for athletes), weighted vest workouts, sandbag training
(nothing fancy here, just sand in a bag), and good old dumbbells.
2. Try Some Interval Training to increase fat loss: Look, the
“fat-burning” zone is a myth. Sure your body does use fat as an
energy source after 30 minutes of continuous exercise at a certain
intensity but the sports scientists have shown us that shorter
efforts of higher intensity exercise can be even more effective
at decreasing your body fat percentage (did you ever wonder why
sprinters are so lean without having to run for 30 minutes straight???).
A great way to incorporate interval training into your summer
training can be as simple as warming up for 5-10 minutes and then
alternating 30 seconds of more intense effort with 30 seconds
of a more moderate effort. You could do this on your mountain
bike, road bike, doing hill sprints, kayak sprints, jump roping,
sprints on the track, or even doing a bodyweight callisthenic
such as jumping jacks. Enjoy!
3. Perform mini-workouts throughout the day: A simple way to fit
in some outdoor training is to pick any exercise and take short
exercise breaks outside. You could walk out of your office and
perform a set of squats, walking lunges, elevated push-ups, stair
climbs where you skip steps, or even calf raises. Remember: It’s
your total energy expenditure at the end of the day that is important
-- not doing it all at once.
4. Do some yard work: The yard is a mess so you might as well
get a workout and be productive at the same time. Try stacking
wood, raking leaves, building a rock wall, digging a hole (you
decide what for), walk with a loaded wheelbarrow, carry things
across the yard over your head, spread some mulch around your
new plants that you just put in the hole you dug earlier.
5. Take in some scenery: Make the world your gym. Commercial health
clubs have nothing on good old Mother Nature. Get yourself outside
and go for a walk in the local park, go hiking, kayaking, mountain
biking, and go to the beach to run in the sand or jump in the
waves. Getting outdoors can be a great way to adopt a fitness
lifestyle and add some variety to your current training program.
6. Go for obstacle walks: A cool way to add some variety to your
routine is to mix in some bodyweight calisthenics such as squats,
push-ups, kettlebell exercises, and jumping jacks into your summer
walks to increase calorie expenditure and challenge your body.
Walking on a treadmill is boring and predictable. Going for an
obstacle walk through your local park can be a lot more enjoyable
and the “chaos” of walking outside could be the right kind of
variety you have been looking for. In a recent interview that
I did with Coach Dan John he really said that he benefits greatly
from the “chaos” provided by his outdoor training.
7. Participate in a summer sports league: Playing sports is a
great way to add some variety to your routine and have a blast
doing it. There are hiking clubs, mountain biking clubs, road
bike clubs, triathlon training clubs, softball leagues, martial
arts tournaments, basketball leagues, and more. In fact, I am
participating in a summer basketball league for the first time
in years and I can't wait to start. It's a great chance to get
outside, make new friends, and perform a fitness activity that
enhances your life.
There you have it -- 7 ideas to take your fitness training outside
and incorporate some variety into your program. One thing to consider
is to hit the gym a couple days a week and perform your other
workouts outside. Mother Nature has provided us with some great
options so get outside this summer and take advantage and I am
sure that you will see renewed progress (and you’ll have a blast
doing it!).
Train with purpose,
Kyle
About the Author
Kyle
specializes in body transformation programs, athletic performance
enhancement programs, and home gym training. If you want a collection
of ideas to add some variety to your training please visit www.HomeGymSecrets.com.
You’ll have access to some amazing audio interviews Kyle has done
with top-fitness professionals and you will receive a Free E-Book,
“The 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Building Their Home Gyms,”
just for visiting.
