Warm weather. These words alone bring feelings of happiness and images of blue skies and green grass. Throw in the fact you’re on a mission, and you may be itching to take your indoor workout to the great outdoors.
You’re not alone. Studies show that during the warmer months, people increase their activity, are more likely to do an outdoor workout, and exercise for longer periods of time.
While we love the many benefits of great indoor workouts (obviously…) — consistency and accessibility to equipment — outdoor exercise offers:
- Lowered blood pressure/stress
- Improved sleep
- Boosted Vitamin D intake
Like everything in life, balance is key. Your weekly workout plan can benefit from a combination of inside, air-conditioned efforts amped up by sunshine-induced sweat sessions.
So, what’s the best way to integrate indoor and outdoor sessions? Trust the trainers at MYX to have the answers. A few of our superstars dish on ways to extend your indoor workout routine when you step out into nature.
Take your cardio outside
Justin is known for his holistic approach to wellness, which means he is always up for whatever Mother Nature dishes out. His advice: “Pair indoor total body strength work with an outdoors hike or trail run.“
Lauren gives the nod to this and adds: “I absolutely love pairing an indoor strength workout with an outdoor cardio experience. Jogging, running, or even a brisk walk is a fantastic way to fuel recovery from a strength-training session.”
Miriam loves this approach, too, and offers an indoor-outdoor routine to add to your weekly workout plan. Do a full-body kettlebell workout indoors followed by track sprint drills, using the same sprint/recover format from one of our HIIT rides. For example: go all out for 200 meters, and then walk the remaining 200 meters. Or, if you want to work out with a partner, you run a 400 meter and then rest while your partner runs the next 400 meters. Repeat the latter suggestion four times, and you’ve just run an intervaled mile, which will boost your metabolism and fitness.
MYXing pre- and post-workouts
Your bike is the perfect way to keep you injury-free, according to Shaun. He says, “If you love to run, use your bike to warm up before a run and cool down after. I’ll usually begin with 15 minutes on the bike to increase blood flow and then go for a run.
“As soon as I get back, I’ll hop on the bike immediately and cool down,” Shaun adds. He follows that full aerobic routine with some focused stretching, which can be done indoors or out.
Slow and steady, fast and ready
Take a steadily paced class inside, like barre or Pilates, and then bust through some intervals outside. That’s Bri’s preferred MYX-it-up method for indoor and outdoor workouts.
Try any of these approaches, and you’ll keep your indoor work fresh while getting the most out of the glorious warmer days headed our way.
