Whosoever said you needed a gym to stay in shape lied. There's
absolutely no part of your body that you can exercise in a gym that
can't be worked outdoors, in the fresh air.
The wide open space of the local park, woods or playground offer you a wild gym that can cater for all fitness needs. Cardio, resistance training, abs... you name it, the outdoors can provide it.
The best way to get started outdoors is to ask yourself what you want to gain from your fitness program. Do you want to run, cycle, and improve your cardio fitness, do you want to increase your strength and look good, or do you want to combine the two, and get the most from both styles of training.
Resistance training outdoors, with minimal rest between exercises is as good as, if not better, than running or cycling, but it all depends on what your previous gym experience is. Ideally you should mix the two, then that way you never get bored with your routine.
You can work your body using bodyweight exercises, either on the grass, using picnic tables and benches, or using equipment found in kids playgrounds. There are no end of variations of push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges and step ups you can do, not to mention many ab exercises that require no crunches or leg raises. Only your imagination will hold you back from adding variety.
For pure cardio you can head out on a trail run, pound the streets of the city, or get on a cycle and ride anywhere.
So, why not kill two birds with one stone and set off on a trail run with stops along the way for bodyweight exercises?
You could run a certain distance, then pause to do 15 push ups. Continue on and stop to do 20 Lunges before carrying on climbing a hill or crossing a stream. The possibilities are endless, and if you follow different routes or work through them backwards, you can give yourself a different workout each time.
Check out this video of me training in a park for ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA-zLsYVTto
The wide open space of the local park, woods or playground offer you a wild gym that can cater for all fitness needs. Cardio, resistance training, abs... you name it, the outdoors can provide it.
The best way to get started outdoors is to ask yourself what you want to gain from your fitness program. Do you want to run, cycle, and improve your cardio fitness, do you want to increase your strength and look good, or do you want to combine the two, and get the most from both styles of training.
Resistance training outdoors, with minimal rest between exercises is as good as, if not better, than running or cycling, but it all depends on what your previous gym experience is. Ideally you should mix the two, then that way you never get bored with your routine.
You can work your body using bodyweight exercises, either on the grass, using picnic tables and benches, or using equipment found in kids playgrounds. There are no end of variations of push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges and step ups you can do, not to mention many ab exercises that require no crunches or leg raises. Only your imagination will hold you back from adding variety.
For pure cardio you can head out on a trail run, pound the streets of the city, or get on a cycle and ride anywhere.
So, why not kill two birds with one stone and set off on a trail run with stops along the way for bodyweight exercises?
You could run a certain distance, then pause to do 15 push ups. Continue on and stop to do 20 Lunges before carrying on climbing a hill or crossing a stream. The possibilities are endless, and if you follow different routes or work through them backwards, you can give yourself a different workout each time.
Check out this video of me training in a park for ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA-zLsYVTto
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