Why outdoor workouts ROCK!

From a training point of view, working out outdoors offers a number of unique advantages...

Fresh air – gyms, more often than not, rely on conditioned and re-circulated air. This helps you keep cool but also mean you are likely to be breathing in air that is less than fresh. Hopefully, if you have a cold or similar you’ll keep away from the gym to avoid spreading your germs around but not everyone is so public-spirited. Other exercisers may well head into the gym so they can “sweat out” a cold. While they may feel better after doing this, their germs are likely to end up being circulated in the conditioned air. Training outdoors means that a) you’ll miss any roaming germs and b) you get to inhale lots of fresh, pure oxygenated air – just what you need to ensure you have a great workout. Take it from a personal trainer with a lot of experience – exercising outdoors can be very invigorating.

Space – in even the biggest gym, space can be an issue, especially if you want to do some fun and effective throwing or sprinting exercises. And even if your gym is big enough to allow you to throw and sprint with abandon, the other gym users may present an obstacle. You don’t want to hit another gym user with a high flying medicine ball now do you?! There are no such worries outdoors though. Workouts take on a whole new dimension when you have virtually unlimited space available. You can throw higher and further, sprint faster and further and there is no need to worry about someone accidentally walking into your path.

Vitamin D – the sun’s rays penetrate the atmosphere even on a cloudy day and while, as everyone knows, too much sun can result in sun burn and premature ageing of the skin, a little UV radiation is very important for triggering the production of vitamin D – something that many of us are distinctly low on. Vitamin D is linked to a host of benefits from reduced appetite to increased testosterone levels in men to increased fat burning and improved bone mass as well as a more sunny disposition in general – pun intended. While you can get vitamin D from food, the easiest and probably most enjoyable way to get your fix of this nutrient is to get outside and under the sun. Vitamin D deficiencies are becoming more and more common as the vast majority of the population spends a large amount of time working and exercising indoors. It’s no coincidence that many people feel down when they don’t get enough sunshine, such as during the winter. You can ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known appropriately as SAD, by getting plenty of sunshine-triggered vitamin D. Free vitamins; what’s not to like?!

Scenery – going to the gym is, for most of us, a means to an end. You stick yourself on a treadmill and stare up at the TV while your personal trainer pushes you through your workout and count the minutes until it’s all over. What a waste of time! Your workout should be enjoyable AND productive and the ever-changing scenery of working out outdoors can make an otherwise boring exercise session far more interesting. Let’s face it; do you really need to watch more TV or chat with your personal trainer about politics or where you are going on your holiday? An outdoor workout provides you with the perfect opportunity to unplug from the Matrix and enjoy Mother Nature at her best; a much healthier way to pass your workout time.

Exercise selection – there are some exercises that, unless you have an especially accommodating gym manager or personal trainer, you are unlikely to be allowed to perform indoors. Sledgehammer training, tractor tire exercises, using a prowler or sled, lifting beer kegs and sand bags and other variations of strongman training are best suited to outdoor workouts where you can lift, carry and drop all manner of training implements without worrying about damaging the floor, damaging the training implement or scaring the yoga class participants. While these exercises are in no way miraculous cure-alls, I can tell you for a fact that they are great fun and, in my opinion, the more fun that can be had the better. Fun plus hard work equals a workout that you can stick with and that means great results.

Of course, there are a few downsides to training outdoors but none of them sufficiently outweigh the benefits. You need to consider the weather, transporting your exercise equipment to a suitable venue and choosing a good place to train but other than that, when it comes to outdoor exercise with or without a personal trainer, it really pays to get out in the great outdoors.

Author Bio

Mark Darco is a professional personal trainer with more than 14 years experience and has worked with hundreds of clients. He has successfully completed multiple certifications and continues to provide top class fitness training to clients of all ages in the NYC area.

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