Do you train outdoors?

It might seem like a gimmick, but give it a try and you’ll find you ache in places you didn’t know you had!

There’s a good reason for this! You have probably done thousands of reps of push ups, bench press, and squats during your fitness journey. Every single one of those is near-enough identical.

But do a push up outdoors and things change. The floor might be a slight gradient, meaning you’re engaging slightly more or less of the delta. You might find one hand is higher than the other, forcing you to readjust the way you brace your core.

And then you’ll need to breathe through the biting cold, or the scorching heat. Every SINGLE set of push ups will be different and you will literally be training connective tissue and motor patterns that haven’t been tested before.

This is a mild example. It’s far MORE true for pull ups from tree branches, overhead presses with logs and branches, trail running, tree climbing…

The world outside is not FLAT and is not predictable. Movement should not be binary.

None of this is even to mention the fact you have more space to run and jump and throw when you’re outside. Or that being outside means greater sensory stimulation and beautiful views.

Get in a few outdoors workouts and try experimenting with tools like medicine balls, kettlebells, Bulgarian bags, sandbags, etc. to further facilitate this type of training.

Have fun!