Outdoor Fitness > Indoor Fitness
Content Focus: Training
Coach Joe Walsh
As you heard from both Coach Anna and I we will be rotating through 4 content topics. Week 1 will always be Training, week 2 will always be Mindset, week 3 will always Lifestyle, and week 4 will always be Nutrition.
Now why is Outdoor Fitness greater than Indoor Fitness.
Consistency
In my opinion consistency is the biggest obstacle when trying to improve someones fitness. When I am working with a client I listen to their goals and I’ll give the best possible training recommendations for their goals. Having a training program that enables you to achieve your goals is only a small fraction of the equation, a client actually has to execute their training program and execute it week after week, month after month, consistently. So not only does a client need a training program that gets them to their goals, they also need a training program that allows them to have the highest possible adherence to their training program, consistency, and this is where Outdoor Fitness comes into play.
Outdoor Fitness For Consistency
When I was younger and would train for track in the summers my team would bring barbells and bumper plates out to the track and combined sprint training with olympic weight lifting. This was one of the most enjoyable training experiences of my life. Why? because it broke the norm of training inside a gym, and don’t get me wrong I loved training so going to a gym was great for me both physically and mentally but there was just something different about training outdoors that truly made me happy. Maybe it was because of the new environment. Maybe it was because it was only a seasonal experience and it was something I could look forward to, almost like a reward for me. Maybe it was the sunlight and fresh air. What ever it was training outdoors truly was fun and made consistency so easy for me. I am going to say that one more time “…training outdoors truly was fun and made consistency so easy for me.” Motivation comes and goes and I can tell you that I am definitely not always motivated but what stays and what transforms your life and health is consistency. Make consistency easy for yourself, make it so the path to your goals is something you truly love to do and that’s what training outdoors did for me.
How to Train Outdoors
Training outdoors doesn’t have to be bringing barbells to a track, the majority of people probably don’t even own their own barbell.
Training outdoors could mean something realistic. This could mean taking a few dumbbells to your backyard and doing your training routine in the sun and fresh air.
Training outdoors could mean adding outdoor cardio to your routine like running or biking.
Training outdoors could even mean taking advantage of physical outdoor activities that don’t involve traditional fitness equipment. If you go hiking you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to get in a great workout for hours without even realizing it’s a workout. Riding your bike could be a specific route and pace but you can also just get a friend and go for a leisure bike ride around good scenery, and just experience how easy it is to do cardio when you enjoy it.
The fastest route to your fitness success will be consistency progressing. The greatest training program in the world will never yield results if you can’t consistently do it. Work smarter not harder, consistently improve your fitness with training you enjoy. In other words Train Outdoors for consistency.
Additional Thoughts
Writing this brings up all the memories of my Outdoor Training and inspirers myself to start incorporating more outdoor training. It’s easy to forget how much you enjoy something when you aren’t currently doing it.
Training outdoors during track was amazing. Going on hiking adventures have been so physically demanding and fun at the same time. And most recently when quarantine first started I struggled with consistency in my training because gyms were closed and I didn’t have my routine. What broke that struggle was bringing dumbbells and bands to the track with Coach Anna and getting some outdoor training in. It was exactly what I needed to enjoy fitness again and get myself back into a routine.
