The 5 Best External Performance For Every Fitness Style
Not knocking on indoor gyms, studio classes and homework, but nothing is as liberating as feeling outdoor exercise. Sunlight, fresh air, versatility - you will not find all those benefits even in the best gyms.
External exercise offers the same health benefits as physical exercise, but research suggests that there is a mental limit to your fitness: We often work hard - without realizing it - when we sweat on Mother Nature. We also have more fun.
Compared to indoor sweating sessions, outdoor exercise is associated with increased mood, according to a March 2016 study of Mental Health and Physical Activity.
"It's not just that time seems to go faster when you train out, it can be more fun and fresh air raises energy levels," Ramona Braganza, CPT, tells LIVESTRONG.com. We could not agree more! So get in the sun (or all) of this great outdoor exercise.
1. Best Outdoor Exercise For Class Lovers: Bootcampes
Bootcamp exercise promises the benefits of strength, improved fitness and the ability to shed a few extra pounds (if that's your goal), but outdoor bootcamp exercises in cool air and sunlight can brighten your mood, according to a 2015 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
You can find bootcamp fitness clubs outside the local parks and other outdoor areas, which offer classes away from the community. Or, you can create your own.
"When you do your outdoor bootcamp class, put on a variety of exercises to get the perfect workout," said New York coach Carolina Araujo, CPT. "With movements like push-ups and squat variations, you'll burn extra calories and you don't need a lot of resources."
Here's exactly what to look for in an outdoor bootcamp Workout
2. Best Outdoor Vacation Exercises: Beach Seasons for Weight and Weight
While some think a good day at the beach is spent relaxing with a fun book, we think you might enjoy my beach time even more after finishing a good sweating time. Sure, you can walk and run in the sand. But a few weight loss exercises will test your strength, balance, and stamina.
"Training on the beach is fun, but you will want to avoid sand and sunburn in unwanted areas, especially if you are climbing mountains," Araujo said. "Bring a larger towel or beach blanket, do not forget to wear a sunscreen that protects against sweat and throw on a gym gown."
Sweat out the sand with this full body workout
3. Best Outdoor Parental Exercise: Stadium Sports
The next time you are in the playground, release your inner child. The gymnasium requires some ingenuity, but soon you will see swinging sets as suspended trainers and picnic tables as heavy bench benches for outdoor exercise. And don't forget the monkey bars!
With our tips for doing your best with all that playground equipment, you will engage all your muscles and challenge your mind in a new way. Just make sure you start with flexible heating, especially if it has been a while since you last went from turn to slide and back again.
"Just because your exercise doesn't happen in the gym, doesn't mean you can't skip your workout," Araujo said. "Considering the stadium's performance has made you walk in a new way than most exercise machines, [warming up] is very important."
Make a monkey bar with this fun playground game
4. Best Exercises Without Excessive Sweating: HIIT Routes
You can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) training almost anywhere, anytime and without tools - so why not make it an outdoor exercise? Peloton Tread coach Selena Samuela loves the ingenuity that comes with using the state of the world around you in an outdoor HIIT session.
"When designing a HIIT gym for yourself outside, consider the environment around you," he says. "Weight loss [movement] is a simple and easy way to work out, but I like to use nature as a resource."
Find out how to use the tree - yes, the tree! - in these four external applications of HIIT
5. Best Outdoor Exercise: Background Exercise
Working from home is easy, but staring at the walls of the same living room, basement floor or cobwebs in the garage every day is not a very encouraging idea. Fortunately, any movement you can make in your home makes external exercises ideal, too.
Setting up a back gym to train outside can be a solution - and it's easier and more affordable than you might think. You will want to consider the weather protection of your area, collect various gym tools and give yourself enough space for real movement.
Coach Masses Arias did a demo of the back of the complete houseSee additional outdoor exercise, equipment recommendations and expert advice