Outdoor cardio exercises to improve your fitness

Step into Fall: Outdoor Cardio Exercises to Improve Your Fitness

Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES

Say goodbye to training monotony and hello to fresh air and fall colors! This season, extend your outdoor training by adding trails and steps mixed with high temperatures. Outdoor cardio not only boosts your fitness routine, but also takes your endurance and strength to the next level. With the change of season comes an opportunity to challenge your body in new, exciting ways.

This workout takes full advantage of the outdoors, using everything from park benches to hills, stairs, or even your backyard to create a fresh, invigorating challenge. By combining cardio with weight training, you’ll not only burn calories, but you’ll also boost your cardiovascular health, build muscle, and shake up your routine. It’s time to get outside, embrace the season and break through your fitness plateau!

The Power of Strength & Cardio Workouts

Strength training and cardio go hand in hand when it comes to achieving peak fitness. Here’s why combining the two in one workout gives you the ultimate fitness advantage:

• Burn calories: Mixing strength intervals with cardio creates an intense metabolic burn, keeping your body in fat-burning mode long after the workout is over.
• Improved Cardiovascular Function: Cardio exercises boost your heart health by improving blood circulation and lung capacity, making everyday activities easier.
• Endurance & Endurance: Cardio exercises like hill climbing or stair running push your body to sustain effort over time, which strengthens both your heart and muscles. This constant challenge improves your stamina and endurance to help you perform more and tackle more demanding fitness tasks.
• Functional endurance: Functional Strength: Strength intervals at Total Gym build lean muscle, while outdoor cardio prepares your body for everyday movement. Whether you’re running up the stairs, hiking a steep trail, or chasing after your kids, this combination boosts your ability to move confidently in real-world situations.

Steps & Power: An innovative outdoor workout

Let’s shake up the routine and use what’s around you! A set of stairs outside your home, a hill in your neighborhood, or any spot nearby can become part of this exciting workout. The best part is that you can work at your own fitness level, keeping the exercises low impact and walking through the motions, or kicking them up a notch and keeping the intensity high. The beauty is that it is entirely up to you! Let’s go now!

Instructions

Find a set of stairs, a hillside, bleachers, or even use your front steps to create an effective cardio workout. Start with a Cardio Endurance activity of your choice (20-30 minutes), then proceed to Step Drills. Perform each exercise step for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of active rest. Then be done with it Step-Strength training. Ultimately, aim to incorporate this style of training into your weekly schedule at least 2 days per week and alternate strength days. Here’s a simple way to structure it:

• 2-3 non-consecutive days: Do a strength workout in your Total Gym.
• 2 days: Head to the great outdoors for Steps & Strength workouts.
• Professional advice: These workouts are perfect to pair with any other strength or cardio routine you’re currently doing. Mix and match to keep things exciting!

The training

CARDIAC ENDURANCE:

• Power Walk, Run, Bike or Blade
• 20-30 minutes

DRILLING STEPS:

• Supplement these cardio exercises (listed above)
• Perform 30 seconds, repeat 2-3 sets of each drill

1. Sprint (walk/run each step)
2. Double sprints (walk/run every other step)
3. Cross Over (do both sides)
4. Hop

STEP POWER:

• Round out your cardio with some strength moves on the stairs.
• 10-20 repetitions, 2 sets

1. incline push ups (hand on an elevated object)
2. Rejection of push ups (legs placed on an elevated object)
3. Dips

Check out the video to see a demonstration of how to perform these cardio exercises for a killer outdoor workout!

Performing cardio exercises along with strength exercises will give your workout an innovative twist to challenge your muscles.

Take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and make your fitness routine more exciting by getting outside. The combination of outdoor exercises not only breaks the monotony of indoor workouts, but also pushes your fitness to a higher level.

So, grab your sneakers, breathe in the fresh air, and start your fall workout!

Mary

@GROOVYsmallWEAT