Friday, May 11, 2012

MOVE: May 2012

FOUND IN (SOCIAL MEDIA) SPACE


The "found in (social media) space" article is a new feature in 2012. We ask a member of the geekdom to pay attention to the social-space and stringing together, in some fashion, some of the themes being bantered-about "out there in space" as they relate to the elements. Sometimes these will just be lists of interesting posts, sometimes there'll be some original content.....follow along and find out for yourself.



This month one of our trainers, Phil Cyphers, reports on MOVE. 



Warm weather, rainy days, pollen dusted cars and the sound of lawnmowers at 6am. It must be spring! As the warmer weather approaches and the snow we never saw melts away, many of us grease up the chains on our bikes, buy new running shoes and throw the kayaks on the roofs of our cars to take our workout outdoors. We all know of the many great outdoor exercises; biking, running, Pilates, swimming etc. etc. But once we do all these whats next and how beneficial is being outdoors compared to the nice climate controlled gym indoors??
Outdoor circuit running.  Outdoor circuit running consists of trail running a certain distance, stopping and doing body weight exercises, and then continuing with your run. I know you may be saying "well, why not just run on the treadmill at the gym, stop jump on the squat machine, do a couple reps, then jump back on the treadmill?" Well, you could do that, but OCT is specific to you. Let me explain. While the treadmill is a great start if no other options, when running on a treadmill the machine is doing some of the work for you. By running outside you increase workload from 2% to about 10% due to wind resistance only. This means the harder you run the harder it gets. Trail running also increases proprioception (your recognition of your body in space) by forcing your body to dodge branches, jump over rocks and not trip into a stream. 


After about a mile or so you should stop and do some body weight exercises such as body weight squats. The benefits of body weight squats can outweigh that of the squat machine because they allow your body a more natural movement.  When using a traditional "smith" squat machine, your often forced to be in a specific position, usually seated, and push weights in a single direction which is guided for you. When you do a body weight squat you are engaging everything from your core to your toes to stay balanced and in proper form, and the weight is transferred through your entire body.


Body weight training has also been shown to promote lean muscle growth (not bulk), and adding in outdoor activities in the sun helps many of us gain some much needed Vitamin D. (Studies have shown seasonal depression and low vitamin d counts go hand in hand).  Check out the sample "OTC" workout if you're interested in getting started!

Sample OTC Workout
 1 Mile Run
15 Push ups
15 Squats
15 crunches
1 Mile Run
15 Diamond pushups
15 Lunges
 
1 mile Run


Here are some other interesting articles we found on the benefits of outdoor exercise and some of the newest crazes:

-The Benefits of Outdoor Exercise 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacy-berman/outdoor-exercise_b_1423925.html

-4 Benefits of Outdoor Exercise
http://jamesgreenblattmd.com/blog/?p=75



-6 Steps to Create an Outdoor Bootcamp
http://www.active.com/women/Articles/6-Steps-to-Create-an-Outdoor-Bootcamp.htm

-American Gladiators......the exploding popularity of obstacle races...
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/first-look/American-Gladiators.html?page=all 


Here is what's being tweeted about:


Have you heard about the recent growth and popularity of  events? Check if this is something for you: Click Here



Summer is on its way. Get qualified to train groups outdoors with our Outdoor Fitness course running regularly... Click Here





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