A personal goal of mine is to find workout routines that aren’t simply effective, but also exciting – or at the very least, interesting. Many individuals hop on the ‘fitness bandwagon’ but fall off before long, usually because the exercise methods they’ve employed aren’t simply producing inadequate results, but because they’re drop-dead boring too! Why not subscribe to a fitness regimen that is both rewarding as well as entertaining? It’s not impossible!
In short, no workout should ever be boring – period. If you’re willing to keep be open-minded, you can find a seemingly endless breadth of workout methods and styles. What’s more, mixing and matching different workout styles won’t simply keep you from getting bored, but you will also build stronger joints by reducing the problems that can arise from repetitive movement.
Before I walk through fifteen different non-traditional styles that I particularly favor, I think it bears mentioning that the best way to sculpt a healthy and muscular body is through sticking with a consistent weight training routine that utilizes free weights. My advice is to try to incorporate the suggestions below with period weight-training exercises. Intertwining all of these techniques will leave you not only with a healthier system, but muscles bulging out that you didn’t even know you have!
And now, onto the fifteen suggestions:
1. Wind sprints, hall sprints
This routine involves finding an open field and attempt 50-yard sprints (If you’re exceptionally daring, you could attempt 75- or even 100-yard sprints!). After each one, rest for 1-2 minutes – or however long it takes you to recover and catch your breath. Then go again! Do this anywhere between 10-20 times for an exhausting, but productive, workout. Hill sprints are another excellent way to burn fat; you simply sprint up the hill and then walk back down in order to properly catch your breath. After 20-30 minutes, you should be feeling beat. Like the stair-based workouts, this routine will work out the largest muscles in your body, completely exhausting them.
Consider the physiques of your average world-champion 100 meter sprinters, and how ripped they are compared to, say, your average marathon runner – who is usually fairly thin and maybe even out of shape. If you enjoy running marathons, then by all means, go ahead and do so – but don’t expect tremendous results in terms of your physical health, and you certainly won’t find that you’re looking any more fit after running them for a while.
2. Staircase workouts
This is a straightforward workout benefited by the fact that, well, stairs are more or less everywhere! You can use stadium stairs/seats at a football field, any building that has stairs in it (a hotel, for example – where most people will take the elevator anyway, meaning that you won’t feel too self-conscious), and of course, the stairs in your own house. With enough intensity, a stairs-based workout routine can be incredibly effective in burning fat, building muscle, and increasing metabolism. For a particularly intense full-body workout, consider combining sprinting up the stairs and follow it with an upper-body exercise such as pushups or sit-ups.
3. Bodyweight workouts
A great time-saving way of getting into better shape is to spend 1 or 2 workouts a week with nothing but your own body as your instrument. This is fantastic because you can manage to get an intense routine done in 15 – 30 minutes without even having to leave your own home! Just alternate between squats, lunges, floor abs-exercises, and pushups (multiple variations) continuously without stop for upwards of half an hour. If you need to rest, try to keep those rest periods as short as possible. As you become stronger, you can incorporate more difficult exercises – such as hand-stand pushups, one-legged squats, and one-arm pushups.
4. Kettlebell training
This great training methods utilizes a type of free-weight notable because of their uneven weight distribution and unique construction. These kettlebells actually resemble cannon balls with handles, and they can offer an entirely different range of exercises than what is possible with simple weights such as dumbbells or barbells. In fact, professional athletes have been using kettlebells for decades, but they’ve only recently been introduced to local gyms and the like. They aren’t cheap, at about $100-200 per kettlebell, but I can tell you from experience that they’re certainly worth the investment! With just one or two kettlebells you have literally given yourself all of the equipment you’ll need to remain fit for the rest of your life
5. Swimming
The benefits of swimming go without saying, for the most part, but allow me to speak on this full-body workout a little nonetheless. One of the more obvious benefits of swimming is the full-body resistance you receive from the water. Like with sprinting, it is best to actually swim as hard and fast as you possibly can for a single lap, then rest for about 30 seconds and go again. If you use a different type of stroke with every lap, the benefits to your body will be absolutely astounding – and you won’t be sore! This is because there is no eccentric movement (ie. the negative portion of a lift); on the other hand, this type of workout won’t strengthen your bones. Still, making it a point to go swimming 1-2 days a week will not only prove to be very beneficial, but refreshing as well!
6. Ring training
This is a type of training that utilizes the portable rings that you see gymnasts use. Throw the straps over a high bar strong enough to support your bodyweight, and you will find that you are able to adjust them and do pushups, pull-ups, leg raises, dips, body rows, and so, so much more! Pushups and dips are particularly difficult, but all the more rewarding as they really work your muscles rather thoroughly. You can hang the rings up in some interesting places – including a pull-up bar, or even the crossbar in a football field. If you’re up for a challenge, you’ll find no better investment than a couple of gymnastic rings.
7. Mountain biking
While you will want to avoid a stationary bike, like the ones used in gyms, mountain biking provides excitement and intensity in a way that few exercises truly can. Mountain biking means you’ll have a consistently-changing environment, and you’ll also be facing differing sorts of obstacles. Moreover, you will be using energy in bursts while also receiving intervals wherein you are still exercising, but at a more relaxed pace. And don’t get me started on the adrenaline rushes – especially when you bike downhill! This can be a tough workout, both physically & mentally, but the phenomenal challenge of working your way uphill without getting off of your bike will be a rewarding one once you succeed. Many people become addicted to mountain biking for this very reason!
8. Sandbag training
Sandbag training provides a nice alternative to your other types of strength training, adding some variety. Your body will be working with an unstable object, causing you to use types of muscles that would otherwise be ignored. This intense form of exercise can be very intense, and tiring as you’ll be working out muscles that tend to be initially very weak! You can use the sandbag to do squats, presses, shouldering, lunges, throws, heaves – the list goes on and on! You can even do a simple workout by carrying the sandbag up a hill. I need to be very clear, here: working out with sandbags will leave you ripped in no time flat!
9. Stick wrestling
A lesser-known form of exercise is known as ‘stick wrestling,’ and it’s a fantastic way for you & your friends to engage in some friendly competition. A genuine ‘guy thing,’ you’ll be having your own “Fight Club”-like tournaments to see who amongst you is the toughest. There are sticks designed just for the purpose of stick wrestling, but even a strong broomstick will do the trick in a pinch, so long as it is cut down to 30-40 inches and taped over the ends to prevent injury. You’ll also need a mat or soft-carpeted area (grass works, if you’re outdoors) to fight on. Simply put, you and a friend grab each end of the stick, and then thrash around in an attempt to swing your opponent away from the stick. Whoever lets go first loses! Feel free to be creative in coming up with rules; I find that two-minute timed matches work well.
10. Strongman training
This is a little hardcore than other forms of training, but it’s a lot of fun for those who are looking for something a little different. Basically, you’re looking to compete in exercises not unlike what you see in “World’s Strongest Man” competitions – and with a large enough yard, you can even create your own routine involving various weight-training exercises that will leave you having a decent amount of fun. Some favorites include: flipping and rolling a tractor tire; log lifts and carries; keg lifts and tosses; carries and boulder lifts. Just use your imagination, and remember that you don’t have to be a warrior to do any of these. Handle what you can and go from there.
11. Indoor or outdoor rock climbing
Speaking of fun, thrilling methods of getting into good shape – rock climbing will challenge you physically & mentally, just like mountain biking. Indoor rock climbing centers have been popping up across the country, mostly because of how fun this particular form of workout really is. Expect to be left sore in the morning! You’ll push yourself further and further, using your legs, back, and arms – especially your forearms! This could be just the sort of thing you need to spice up your fitness routine.
12. Bag boxing
This one requires little to no explanation, though that doesn’t mean that it isn’t incredibly effective! Grab a heavy bag (though a speed bag or rebound bag will also do) and start your boxing! The heavy bag provides the most resistance but it will also test your rhythm on top of it. Bag boxing works well for warming up or as a finish to your strength training routine.
13. Rope climbing
Remember high school gym class? Okay, maybe you don’t want to – but rope climbing can be a lot of fun and it will certainly provide for a grueling sort of challenge! One excellent way you can incorporate rope climbing into a larger routine is to climb up and then climb back down, and while your upper body is recovering, you can focus on a lower body exercise such as doing squats. You can even run up & down some stairs before hitting the rope again!
14. Skipping rope
Kids aren’t the only ones who jump rope – so do plenty of professional athletes, including boxers, who want to keep in tip-top shape! More importantly, it’s fun as all get-out! You will find that you can skip rope much faster using a plastic rope than a fabric one, meaning that your workout will be that much more intense. As you get better at jumproping, you can introduce different types of hopping into the mix (2-legged jumps, one-legged jumps, double jumps, arm crossovers, and so on and so forth). Another good way to make skipping rope worthwhile is to alternate 10-20 second bursts (where you skip as fast as you possible can) with 15-20 seconds dedicated to recovery wherein you skip slowly and prepare for your next round. You’ll be surprised just how fast you will be tuckered out by such a simple activity!
15. Jumping exercises
There are a surprising number of ways a person can hop! You can do squat jumps, broad jumps, lunge jumps, box jumps, etc., to incorporate this great—and underrated—form of exercise into your routine. Consider the sudden nature of jumping, and how it uses all of the body in the process. In fact, one university study found that squat jumps were responsible for the best testosterone production out of any exercise they tried! Combine jumping with upper body exercises for some particularly intense workout routines!
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this insight into some of the simple, straightforward, accessible ways you can lose weight while also having a great time. Some of these might seem a little ‘out there,’ but remember that if you can open your mind to these new activities, your body and your life will never be the same!
Mike Geary is a Certified Personal Trainer and author of the Best-Selling Abs program, The Truth About Abs, with readers in 150+ countries. Learn why most workouts don’t help you lose weight and build muscle and visit his website now.
{ 1 trackback }
Comments on this entry are closed.