The hot summer weather is on its way out, it’s getting darker earlier and the cold winds and rain are starting to creep in… Even though your outdoor training environment can be a tad unpredictable at this time of year, we’ve got some great Autumn workouts that you can try both inside and outside.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Consisting of periods of intense exercise followed by a short period of rest, interval training is great for getting your heart pumping and the blood flowing. If the weather is decent outside, download an interval training app like Gymboss, make a list of exercises to take yourself through and pick your work time vs. rest time.
For example, you could do 7 different exercises such as squats, push ups, burpees, lunges, tricep dips, crunches, and a plank. 50 seconds of each exercise followed by 10 seconds rest will take you 7 minutes to complete. Give yourself a decent minute or two drink break to recover once you’ve gone through them all, then start again. Don’t forget your warmup and cooldown/stretching, and your full workout will take around 30 minutes. If 50 seconds is too long, start playing around with the times until you’ve got a workout that will not push you over the edge but will still be challenging.
Weather too blustery to head outdoors? Either take it into your lounge, or alternatively there are an increasing number of bootcamps and fitness classes that cater to interval training as it’s becoming widely recognised for building your fitness quickly and burning a lot of calories. Look for words like ‘intervals’, ‘HIIT’, and ‘Tabata’.
Go for a travelling workout
It’s easy to get into the habit of thinking you can either go for a jog or go for a resistance training workout. Rather than picking one over the other, why not mix it up and tackle both at the same time? Take advantage of the crisp autumn air and map out a running route through a park, down a forest trail or by the seaside. Use fences, park benches, clearings and lampposts along the way to make stations for bodyweight exercises such as squat jumps, push ups and situps.
Weather no good? Head to the gym and do it using the treadmill – you could even build up to your ‘stations’ by doing 4 minutes run or walk, then do your squats somewhere nearby. Next, do 5 minutes run/walk and your push ups. Keep working to increase your running time and speed as you progress through the workout.
Try something new
Shaking up your exercise routine can be key to keeping you excited about your training. Do some research and find a class or group exercise activity that you haven’t done before and give it a go. Recruit a friend to join in if you’re not keen to go it alone.
Bootcamps, water walking, dance classes, martial arts, boxing, yoga, pilates, cycling… You could even take some beginner lessons for a new activity or sport such as swimming, ice skating, surfing or standup paddleboarding. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor options to get stuck in (and don’t be put off by the cold for swimming activities, wetsuits work wonders!). Give your chosen activity a go once – if you enjoy it you can keep going, if not, you can just pick something else.
Image / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – digidreamgrafix