Take it outside

To come up with a plan, I consulted Erika Worger, a personal trainer and the fitness manager at World Health Club in Calgary. Having run her own outdoor boot camps before, she has plenty of ideas when it comes to training outside.
“Using your body weight can be as effective as lifting weights. It provides quite a bit of resistance. Using your body weight can sometimes be more functional because you’re recruiting your core, and chances are your heart rate will be more elevated because you’re using more than one muscle group.”
Worger has come up with a sample program. She suggests planning your workout so you can run or power walk for about 15 minutes to a location with a bench or stairs, because they’ll come in handy for the five exercises she outlines. A grassy area works well, too. There are two exercises for your upper body, two for your lower, and one for your core.
If you’re a beginner, start with one set of 15 repetitions and gradually work your way up to three sets. If your fitness level is high to start with, try three sets of 15. For some people, that may not be enough. Worger says to push yourself. “Go until you feel the burn. And then do 10 more.”
Once you’re done the exercises, turn around and run or power walk home. “Take the last couple of blocks to walk and cool down,” she says. “You want to bring your heart rate back down.” Expect to feel the results from this workout. Keep in mind there are different types of pain. A burning muscle sensation during the workout is good, but an “Ouch, I hurt myself” pain is not.
“When you stop doing the exercise, the burning should stop,” says Worger.
She says muscle soreness a day or two after the workout isn’t a big deal. Pain that lasts longer than that could be reason for concern. Minimize your chances for injury by taking it slow and building up to more sets. Aim to feel the “good burn,” and you’ll see results.
“You’re going to be sore, but that’s the point. That’s why you’re working out,” she says. “Just because you’re working out outside doesn’t mean you get off easy.”
Side Lunges on Stairs
Stand facing the railing and step up sideways, two by two or even three by three, if you’re tall. Stand straight and simply raise your leg to get to the step — there is no need to intentionally lower your body to the ground. “The higher you lift your leg up, the deeper the lunge,” she says. “Step up tall in between each step.”
Bring your lower foot up to the same step, and then start over.
To work the other leg, turn around and face the other railing.
“The focus on this is pressing through the heel of your foot. It will work your quadriceps, versus your knees,” says Worger. Keep your weight in the heel of your foot to make sure your knee stays behind your toes.
Pick a goal for yourself, like three flights of stairs, and then try to do a little more your next time out.
Bench pushups
Tailor your pushup to your fitness level. For beginners, Worger suggests placing your hands on the top of the bench. If you don’t have a bench, use the side of a building such as a school or house.
For an intermediate level pushup, use the seat of the bench. And if you’re strong enough, forego the bench altogether and use the ground. Keep your hands facing straight forward.
“You want your body to move as one, meaning your core is engaged and that as you lower your body to the ground, you’re not hinging anywhere. Stay in a straight line,” she says.
To work different muscles, vary your hand position. Placing your hands just wider than shoulderwidth apart at about mid-chest level will target your chest, while lining hands up directly underneath your shoulders and keeping arms tight to your body will target your triceps.
Tricep dips
Use a bench to work your triceps. Point your fingers forward off the seat and keep your back close to the bench. Beginners, keep your legs in close to the body with your knees bent. To make it harder, straighten your legs and knees out in front of you to work your core and your hamstrings. For advanced dippers, use something nearby like a rock or another bench to raise your feet up off the ground as you dip.
“Target the tricep by staying close to the bench,” she says. “Also, it’s tougher on your shoulder joints when you let your body move away as you dip.”
The plank
Place your elbows on the ground, directly under your shoulders and about shoulder-width apart. Lift your body off of the ground, keeping your toes on the ground. Beginners can keep their knees on the ground. Your head should stay in line with the rest of your body, so don’t tilt your chin up, but don’t lower it, either. Focus on a spot on the ground about two feet ahead of you. For a variation, try the side plank. Keep your shoulders, hips, and feet lined up.
Whether you’re doing a front or side plank, pull your belly button and sides in, and squeeze your butt muscles to keep yourself in a straight line from the crown of your head to the heels of your feet.
“I tell my clients to imagine they’ve put on a corset and then tied it up too tight,” says Worger.
She suggests holding it for a minute, three times. But you don’t have to do it back to back. Mix the plank in with the other exercises, for example, after a set of lunges and before a set of pushups.
When you get tired in the plank position, you may feel it in places you shouldn’t.
“If you start to feel it in your lower back, your stomach muscles have let go,” she says. “Either drop to your knees or just come out of the plank, re-set yourself and pull that corset on. Up you go, again.”
Lunges on a hill
To spice up regular lunges — when you step forward, letting your hips drop down so your knees are both bent at a 90-degree angle and your back heel comes off the floor — try some of these variations. Lunge yourself up a hill. “Going uphill will just add intensity because it’s adding resistance,” she says. (Avoid lunging downhill, as that puts a lot of unnecessary strain on your knees.)
Or lunge up stairs, two by two. You don’t need to lower your hips in this variation because your knees will already be bent at the right angle when you step up. “You just need to push up.” No matter how you do the lunges, make sure your front knee is always lined up with your toes or behind them. It’s hard on your knees when they’re misaligned, so widen your step if you have to.

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Take it outside: from www.canada.com