How to Have Your Your Fittest Summer Ever
Exercising outdoors isn’t just more fun — it’s more effective. (Photo Courtesy of Dougal Waters)
Here’s all you need to get strong this summer: the right gear, the best apps, and an all-purpose, on-the-go meal. Plus, quick exercise routines for the beach.
Related: The Only 8 Moves You Need To Be Fit
Learn How to Breaststroke
(Photo: Courtesy of Matt Henry Gunther / Getty Images)
Forget the crawl. The real powerhouse move of the pool: the breaststroke. “It incorporates all the major muscle groups, including everyone’s favorite beach muscles — the pecs,” says Keenan Robinson, Michael Phelps’ strength and conditioning coach. And because the breaststroke requires a glide, a big breath, then a total-body movement, Robinson says swimming laps is like a mini-interval session. Here’s how to do it properly.
1. Glide
Get into the pool and push off the wall, gliding forward in the water with your arms extended in front of you, toes pointed and body tight. Glide under the surface for one count — any more than that and you’ll lose your momentum.
2. Arm Sweep
Sweep arms apart with palms facing out so you’re pushing the water away from you. When your arms reach your sides, bend your elbows and quickly bring your hands in front of you as you raise your head to break the surface and take a breath.
3. Leg Squat
Lower head and move arms straight out in front of you as you bring heels close to butt — “like you are in the deepest of deep squats,” says Robinson. (Note this happens after the arm sweep; you’re not moving arms and legs at the same time.)
4. Jump
Once your arms are fully extended, kick heels backward as hard as you can. “Think of it as an underwater squat jump,” Robinson says. This motion propels you back into your underwater glide, and you’re ready to repeat steps 2 and 3.
Related: 4 Tips to Swim Stronger
Pro Tip: Tread Water
(Photo Courtesy of Thomas Barwick / Getty Images)
Seriously. Treading continuously is exhausting — it burns the same number of calories as running at a 10-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time. It’s also an easy way to add some cardio on days when your main goal is simply to chill by the pool.
Get in Shape on the Track
(Photo Courtesy of Robin Skjoldborg / Getty Images)
The oval’s precisely marked sections increase focus, boost intensity, and provide the perfect setting for high-intensity intervals. Add the bleachers and the outdoor space turns into a total-body gym. Here’s how to use it.
Intervals
The fastest way to see gains in cardiovascular fitness is to do intervals. Professional runner and two-time USA Track & Field Olympian Nick Symmonds suggests going for 200 meters at a time — a distance far enough to push your heart and lungs but not so long that it torches your legs. His workout: Jog two laps to warm up, then go for your first interval. “Run that 200-meter sprint very, very hard,” he says. (Symmonds aims for 25 seconds; you should go for 30.) Then you get a breather: 200 meters of bounce-back walking time. Do this eight times total, ending with two more laps of slow running to cool down. “By taking your body out of its comfort zone — jogging — you stimulate your muscles to use fat as fuel during and after the workout,” he says.
Ladders
A descending ladder drill — running distances that gradually get shorter and shorter — won’t only fight monotony. It can also make you run a little more than you would if you’d just set out to jog laps. The idea is simple: Run hard for a certain distance (400 meters, say), jog the same amount to recover, then repeat the run-jog couplet for 300 meters, 200 meters, then 100 meters. A ladder routine like this will help to up your endurance and make a typical run around the neighborhood feel easier, says Cliff Rovelto, director of track and field at Kansas State University. And psychologically, it’s motivating to know the workout is only going to get easier as you go.
Related: The 10 Best Workouts to Burn Fat
The All-Purpose Summer Smoothie
(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
Make this power shake for breakfast, post-workout, or whenever you need an energy boost. Made with summer’s freshest produce (berries and greens), it has the perfect three-to-one carb-to-protein ratio to speed muscle repair, and fiber from whole grains, veggies, and fruit to curb hunger and keep blood sugar stable. Throw the ingredients in a blender for two minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or nonfat milk
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp almond butter
½ cup blueberries
½ cup mango chunks
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
½ raw beet, chopped
¼ cup rolled oats (uncooked)
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Small handful raw spinach or chard
Small handful of ice
Created by New York City sports nutritionists Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke
Related: 10 Healthiest Fruits and Vegetables
Download this Running App
Studies show that when runners synchronize their strides to a beat, they can run longer and more vigorously. Spring pairs your favorite music to the specific run you’re doing — slog jog, intervals — so your playlist’s tempo matches your cadence.
Related: 10 Apps That Will Extend Your Life
Pick Up a Jump Rope
(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
For melting fat, jumping rope is “practically a surgeon’s scalpel,” says Michael Olajde Jr., who trains the likes of Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Go beyond basic jumping by adding in these three moves to a 10-minute routine, and, Olajde says, you can burn 15-plus calories a minute while defining your arms, shoulders, legs, and abs.
1. Squat Jumps
Turn the rope at half normal speed, while pushing off the balls of your feet to explode up and land in a half-squat position. Use the quads and glutes to absorb impact. Jump again.
2. Double Turns
Turn the rope quick enough so that it passes under your feet twice with each jump. To do it, focus on circling your wrists faster, keeping arms relaxed, core tight, and posture upright the entire time.
3. High Knees to Butt Kicks
While jumping, raise your right knee as high as possible, then your left, then immediately kick right foot back toward butt, and repeat with left foot. That’s a rep. Try for 10 in a row.
Related: 7 Jump Rope Workouts to Blast Fat and Get Fit
Pro Tip: Freeze Cut-Up Watermelon
(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
Eating icy slices before a hot workout can help you stay cooler, and the fruit’s high concentration of the amino acid I-Citrulline can help bring down your heart rate, aid in muscle recovery, and make you feel less sore from your workout the next day.
Related: The 8 Best Pre-Workout Foods
Download This Cycling App
No app gives you more ride data than Cyclemeter GPS. The program tracks 25 metrics from every session —including distance, elevation, speed, cadence, and power, and you can turn on an audio alert that will update you on your numbers in real time. Post-ride, review your stats with easy-to-read progress charts that you can sort by day, week, month, and year.
Boot Camp on the Bleachers
(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
Every summer, Holly Rilinger, a Nike master trainer in New York City, puts clients through an outdoor boot camp that uses a two-part system to build strength and burn fat: Fire up the muscles with short-burst cardio, then fatigue them with body-weight moves. Use Rilinger’s plan on the track bleachers, running up and down a flight of stairs before doing each exercise.
Decline Pushups
Place hands on the ground and prop feet on the bottom bleacher. Keep back flat and abs tight for a set of 10 reps.
Bleacher Jumps
Stand facing bottom bleacher and, using arms to propel you, jump up, hop back down. Go for 20 continuous reps.
Plank-Offs
Go back to your decline pushup, and hold that top position as long as you can. Too easy? Put a hand behind your back; switch hands halfway through.
Pro Tip: How to Stop the Sweat
(Photo Courtesy of Brandon Tabiolo / Getty Images)
Post-workout, drink ice water immediately (when it hits your stomach, it signals your brain to curb sweating), and hold a frozen water bottle to the back and sides of your neck. You have large arteries here that are close to the skin; cooling them helps cool your whole body.
Download this Strength Training App
Head for a park and cue You Are Your Own Gym. The app has step-by-step video instructions for more than 200 body-weight exercises that are scalable to any fitness level. Your coach, Mark Lauren, a trainer who consults with U.S. special ops, demonstrates perfect form for every move.
By Lauren Steele
