PFI Online Blog

If you’re a certified personal trainer or working to become a certified personal trainer, you know how important it is to switch up exercise routines for your clients and yourself, especially when nice weather makes a return.

When we’ve spent a whole winter doing the same things on the same machines, we all can get in a workout rut. Maybe your clients feel the same way and are sick of missing the beautiful weather by spending their workouts inside.  Maybe running on the treadmill like hamsters is driving them crazy.  Maybe they’re just so burnt out with the gym scene, you can’t even persuade them to meet with you.  Summer is the perfect time to break out of a routine and get outside.  Your clients can get the same results exercising outdoors and get a much-need break from the gym.

Work with your surroundings
Just because you don’t have dumbbells and stair steppers outside doesn’t mean you can’t tighten and tone like you do in the gym.  You just have to get creative with what you do have.   Parks, playgrounds, walking trails and even bus stops all make great makeshift gyms.  At the park you can find a picnic table or bench to use for triceps dips.  Basketball courts give you the perfect space to do lunges back and forth.  Anywhere you can find stairs you can do calf raises or sprints to burn extra calories.  Look around on your walk or run to find unexpected ways to increase your workout.

Grow a garden
A summer hobby could actually be disguised as a daily workout.  A University of Virginia study found that gardening ranks right up there with other moderate to strenuous forms of exercise like walking and biking.  The key is to spend at least 30 minutes in the garden digging, planting, weeding and watering.  Gardening works all parts of your body: your abs, arms, buttocks, calves and shoulders all get a workout without even knowing it.

Back to basics
For some of the most intense cardio, you don’t need anything at all.  Running is one of the best cardiovascular or aerobic exercises, and all you need to do is put on your shoes.  As one of the most vigorous exercises out there, running is an excellent way to burn fat.  Running burns up to 100 calories per mile and is a top aerobic exercise for your heart and lungs.  For a student training to become a certified personal trainer, you’ll learn how to inform your clients of the advantages of running outside compared to running on a treadmill. When running on a treadmill, the belt keeps you moving, which makes it easier.  Running outside also has huge health advantages by providing wind resistance and uneven terrain.   Wind resistance increases the difficulty of your workout by 2 to 10 percent.  Uneven terrain challenges your muscles and your balance.

So, if you’re a certified personal trainer or working to become a certified personal trainer, remember how important it is to let your clients break free of the confines of the gym.  Let them explore the possibilities of taking their workout outside.  You both may find the fresh inspiration you need to keep exercise exciting!