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Outdoor Workout

There is no better feeling than exercising outside. Walking is one of the best exercises to burn calories and to maintain and control your weight.

This exercise is designed to challenge you when walking as it includes some exercises that will also look to tone and build muscle as well as burn fat.

Tips to Remember:

Wear comfortable clothing to suit the weather

If it is cold, wear a few layers to keep warm

If it is warm, wear loose fitting clothing that can be easily removed if you get too hot

At night time, wear safety clothing so that you can be visible to cars and traffic

Where comfortable shoes as you will notice how quickly you will progress and you will walk a greater distance and you will be able to walk for a longer duration.

Know the route you are going to be taking, so you know if there are any obstacles and turns you are taking to make the workout harder or easier.

Carry a water bottle with you to keep yourself hydrated.

If possible, workout with someone like a family member or a friend to help push, motivate and encourage you.

Always let someone know where you are going, just for safety reasons.

Walking

There are 3 different walking techniques and speeds that you are able to perform.

Level 1: This level is usually used in the warm up stage as it is just a nice walking pace that slightly elevates your heart rate. When walking at this level, stand up straight, chest out and let your arms swing by your side while performing a gentle stride.

Level 2: This pace could also be classed as a brisk walk and will increase your heart rate a little bit more. This pace is just beyond your comfort speed and is designed to push you. When performing this walk, quicken your pace, increase your stride and your arm swing should have a greater range of movement.

Level 3: This walking pace is also termed as race paced walking and is the type of walking that is used in athletic games. To perform this walk, quicken your pace to as quick as you can go without breaking out into a jog or a run. You can do this by shortening your stride, bending the elbows at 90 degrees and keeping the arms close to the body. Do this level walking in short bursts or about 15-30 seconds and it will greatly affect your fitness levels.

Stretching

When out walking, always remember to complete after your warm up and then after your workout when cooling down.

Hamstring

Keep abdominals pulled in and tight with back straight. Keep knee aligned with spine and feel the stretch in the back of the leg. Hold and switch legs.

Quad

Keep the knee that is supporting your body slightly bent, keep thighs parallel and knees together. Hold and switch legs and hold onto a sturdy object to keep you balanced if required.

Calves

Make sure both feet are pointing forwards, keep spine aligned with back leg and feel the stretch in the calf muscle. Hold and switch legs.

Chest

Squeeze shoulder blades together and keep elbows slightly bent.

Back

Keep elbows bent and abdominals pulled in, clasp hands and round the back.

Adductors

Keep knee of straight leg slightly bent, keep hips and shoulder facing forward and feel the stretch in the groin area. Hold and switch sides.

Triceps

Keep abdominals pulled in, put one hand on the elbow of the arm being stretched to apply gentle pressure to increase stretch. Hold and switch arms.

Obliques

Keep abdominals pulled in and lean to on side with one arm above the head. Hold and switch sides.

For more stretches see the Stretching & Flexibility page

Exercises whilst walking:

Incorporate these exercises into your walk at any time to improve muscle tone. You don’t have to do them all together, you can do an exercise every 2 minutes or every 100 yards for example.