Get ready for warm weather with these five TRX Tips for a successful outdoor workout. Get out of your comfort zone, find a sturdy tree, playground, pole, fence or any solid outdoor anchor point where you can set up your Suspension Trainer so that the locking loop is six feet off the ground and get ready to have some fun in the sun.
1) Get creative and use your environment:
You found the perfect lifeguard stand at your local beach to hang your TRX. Take advantage of the soft sand and do some short sprints in between your sets for a unique and fun challenge or seek out interesting obstacles, like stairs, grass hills, a playground or big rocks. Try box jumps, sprints, bear crawls and traveling burpees to add a component of high-intensity interval training your workout.
2) Bring along a friend:
An outdoor workout can be the perfect excuse to connect with a fit friend and catch up over a few burpees. Bringing another person into your training will help you stay accountable to your goals, plus a little friendly competition can help you nudge through any plateau.
3) Ditch the headphones:
Take in nature’s symphony, and save the Skrillex for the stairmaster. Popping out your earbuds provides an excellent way to tune into your environment and your workout, plus it helps keep you alert to unexpected dangers, especially at a highly-trafficked park or beach.
4) Use your effort, not your sweat to determine how hard you’re working:
Training outside can be deceptive, because often the humidity, temperature and wind speed differ vastly from what you’re used to experiencing indoors. Understand that just because you might not be sweating as hard as you do in a gym or a group class, you very well could be working just as hard. Same thing goes for the heat. High temperatures can make your normal workout harder than you’re used to it feeling, and it’s ok back off a bit. Listen to your body, know your limits and enjoy.
5) Plan ahead:
Be smart and prepare for the elements. Check the weather. Make sure you’re not likely to get stuck in a sudden torrential rain storm—unless you like working out in that sort of thing. If you can, choose your time of day wisely, and avoid the middle of the day when temps are likely to be the highest. Pack your sunscreen, wear comfortable, breezy workout clothes and consider a hat for extra protection.