Pair your fitness routine with your outdoor interests and you can keep your workout fresh, make the effort more enjoyable and give yourself another reason to head out to the beach, the trail, the woods. Even better, you do not need to bring along a single piece of equipment. Take a moment and plan ahead so that you know which exercises you will perform, in what order and which natural features you will need to take advantage of.
Run
Walk the trail briskly to get your body generally warmed up before beginning your circuit training. Make a run your next step. You will increase your heart rate and respiration right away and wake up the large muscle groups.
Take your program to the next level by running barefoot along the beach. The sand will cushion while its give and the lack of footwear will force more of the muscles of your feet and legs to pitch in.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups can be performed on any low branch, shelter house support beam or piece of playground equipment that can hold your weight. If you want to make the exercise harder, use one arm for each set or force yourself to perform the lift with no momentum--no help from swinging your lower body.
The harder the station on your circuit, the lower number of repetitions you may need. Sets of 4 to 12 reps are fine if you are working to overload. You can also increase the difficulty by doing the reps faster if you can maintain good form.
Stair Jumps
Replicate stair jumps with any jump to a raised platform, low wall or on a steep hillside. Choose a height and distance that allows you to land with solid footing.
Make any of the exercises harder by adding weight, performing them at an incline or isolating a limb or side of the body. Combine exercises within a station to double or triple the required work; choose exercises that naturally fit and flow together.
Squat or Lunge
Use a tree or find a walking stick along the trail if you require support. To go lower and utilize your full range of motion, perform stationary squats from a step or rock so your standing leg is raised about six inches off the ground. A combination jump-squat can improve your explosive power and make the exercise a bit tougher.
Aim for no more than 90 seconds of rest between stations. Each station may take as little as 20 seconds to complete if you are working at your maximum or to overload, otherwise they may take up to two minutes to complete.
Push-ups
Push-ups can be performed on level ground, but if you want to work harder, get your feet above your head. Find a stump, park bench, low wall or rock to perform pikes or inclined push ups.
Inclined push ups put more of your body weight onto your hands and shoulders to increase the intensity. A quick switch of position and you can also perform triceps presses in the same location.
Pikes force you to involve your abs as you support your upper body. You can perform a combination by assuming the pike position and then doing a modified handstand push up.
Crunches
Perform extreme crunches to get more benefit from the shortened duration of the exercise. Involve your lower half. Bring each knee up to meet the opposite elbow or keep your legs extended and your feet off the ground as you perform each crunch if you want to raise the level of difficulty.
Perform the entire circuit up to three times. Circuit training can be done up to four times per week.
About The Author
Alice Moon has been a freelance writer for one year, writing on the Internet for over 10 years. Moon holds a B.S. in political science (Asian studies minor). She was chosen as a Smithsonian Institute intern, working for the National Zoo in Washington, DC. She traveled through Asia as part of a delegation from her university to its sister universities overseas.
