THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE
DON'T LIKE BEING COOPED UP INSIDE JUST TO WORK OUT?
I DON'T BLAME YOU! LET'S GO OUTSIDE
OBJECTIVE: For complete fitness, you have to train your heart & lungs as well as your muscles.
I'm sure you have no trouble seeing how to do cardio outside. Going for a run or a bike ride are typical cardio activities that get you outdoors. Training strength (muscles) takes more imagination. Yes, the easy answer is calithstenics. But calithstenics are - for someone who is accustomed to weight training - of limited effectiveness. For the weight room regular, calithstenics do not offer enough resistance to keep the number of repetitions per set low - where strength gains happen.
There's nothing wrong with high repetitions. High rep exercise with little or no rest between sets is great cardio and greatly speeds up a person's metabolism. High repetition exercise is also great for toning and - when taken to failure - muscular endurance. If these are your goals, then by all means do calithstenics alone for your muscle training. Training for strength, however, is another story.
You can't make strength gains with an exercise that's easy enough to do 25 or 100 repetitions of. For someone who's used to working with weights, calithstenics often do not provide the amount of resistance and intensity they are used to getting in the weight room. Of course, if it's a challenge for you to do ten push ups, then push ups will build your strength just as much as bench presses will. Everyone is different and needs to evaluate where they are coming from and what their goals are.
With a little creativity, you can go outside and work every muscle that you can work in a gym. And it doesn't require a fancy apparatus like the ones pictured below.
The Best Places to Exercise Outdoors
Strength Training Outside with No Equipment
A Few Items You Can Keep in Your Vehicle to Make Your Outdoor Workouts Better
COMPLETE FITNESS PLANS CATERED TO YOU (all levels)
(above): active.com for Info and registration for any sport, any place, any time