Innovate your
Utilise your surroundings to supplement your indoor programming
outdoor workout
Here are four elements you should take into consideration when training clients to make the most of the outdoors and truly produce an ‘ outdoor workout ’ rather than an indoor workout , simply taken outdoors .
1 . SURFACES There are a wide variety of surfaces you can encounter just in your local area . Tarmac , concrete , stone , grass , soil , sand , rubber , bark , wood and metal . Each surface has different properties and can be used advantageously to add to a workout . Softer surfaces will cushion knees during a plyometric or skipping workout and sprinting over a softer surface will increase effort , although sprint speeds tend to go down . Harder surfaces might provide better support for both strength and balance training . The softer the surface , the more proprioceptive the experience . The harder the surface the more support for pushing Against weights , or clients who lack joint stability .
2 . INCLINES An urban incline can mean a hill or
dip , a flight of stairs or steps , or a terraced public space . Ramps or a simple grassy mound are very useful landscape features for producing demanding progressions to a huge number of exercises . Obviously a hill of any size makes running , sprinting , skipping or similar plyometric exercises so much more challenging . After that comes the lunge . But there are many more lower and upper body exercises that can use a decline or incline . Decline push-ups or elevated feet burpees provide an extra challenge . Lay a mat on the incline , head down , and you can benefit from the significant impact even a slight incline can have on an abdominal programme or on movements such as the bear crawl . But also even a small indentation in the grass can raise a client ’ s heels enough to better perform a squat .
3 . SPACE I find this aspect of outdoor training the most overlooked and / or underutilised . Running in all its forms is the most obvious beneficiary of space . But thinking beyond sagittal plane movement you can expand out an SAQ drill square , increase a sprint distance , or make use of the head space for jump squats and other plyometric moves . In your local park you can measure out the pitch , playing field or court for your sport of choice , and train within ( and beyond ) those boundaries . Throwing med balls or sandbags will contribute to your power training .
4 . OBSTACLES Fallen tree trunks , cycle stands , low fences , stone benches , trim trails . They ’ re all about getting a body over , under or around an obstacle . For just that reason , any trainer should be checking their local park for such objects and making use of them . The rise in popularity of obstacle course races ( OCR ) suggests that you are bound to pick up a client who wants to train in this way .
Jason is co-owner of Muddy Plimsolls , outdoor exercise experts in London and beyond . Since 2008 , Muddy Plimsolls has been offering the highest quality outdoor training experience and have a fitness team with the experience and the love of training outdoors whether it ’ s for weight loss , strength training , cardiovascular fitness , or increasing energy levels . Find out more at www . muddyplimsolls . com
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