Thursday, July 15, 2010

Training Surfside


Most people associate the beach with relaxation, enjoying the sun and just chilling out.  It can also be a great place for some heart pumping training.

Living in the New England area, when summer comes along I want to take advantage of the beautiful sunny weather and take my training outdoors.  Training at the beach can bring variety and fun to your usual workout routine.

In sunny Rhode Island working out at the beach is common practice.   If your a beginning exerciser walking on the soft sand is a great place to start, it's a great workout for your legs and calves.

Walking/Sprinting/Running on the sand is less impact on your joints, but try to be sure to look for the most flat surface possible.  You may want to spend a little more time stretching afterwards, the soft sand puts a bit more stress on the Achilles tendon (back of your lower leg).

Here is one of my Surfside Workouts:

I usually bring my little Gym Boss (perfect for intervals), a Towel and some Water.
High Intensity Intervals
one minute intervals with 10-15 or 30 seconds rest (depending on your fitness level)

Sand Circuit Workout

Lateral Step-Out Squat
Push-ups
Lunges
Sprints
Crunches
Planks
repeat 5 rounds or more.

 *Swimming in the ocean is also great!  Try to have a partner when swimming in the ocean, you never know when you are going to get a cramp or get caught in a riptide.  Or see a shark! LOL

Try to keep things new, fresh and challenging.  Put some fun back into your workout, and enjoy the day!

2 comments:

TheFitnessFreak said...

I had the opportunity to workout on the beach with my favorite instructor. It was so much harder moving in the sand and I sure sweat up a storm! The only bummer is that my knee did not like it as much : ( Definitely a calorie burner!

Nicole

Judi said...

Hi there
I would love to be able to work out by the ocean and yes I can see where walking on the sand would be a great workout. I'm going to check out the Gymboss I've never heard of that one.
Hope you have a great day today...enjoy the beach!
Judi