EXTREME WORKOUT IDEAS
So we all love our time in the gym with our favorite trainers and best workout buds. But what can we do during this amazing summer to get OUTSIDE and around this gorgeous town of ours? We recommend adding an EXTREME WORKOUT into your mix!
This week we are focusing on some extreme workouts you can do around Charleston and Mount Pleasant! Now this goes without saying, that you should NEVER do any extreme workout (or any workout for that matter) without talking to an expert first and without using the proper safety equipment. Also, one last thing: Before starting any new exercise, be sure that you are cleared by your doctor first!
Be sure to check out the links after each sport opportunity to find out where you can practice these awesome outdoor exercises in a supervised and safe setting!
EXTREME WORKOUT #1: WINDSURFING
If you’re an expert, you know that windsurfing is a major workout. But for those who are starting out, take HealthFitnessRevoution’sword for it, no matter what level you’re working at, windsurfing is a killer in the exercise department!
HRF explains: “As a beginner, you’ll probably spend most of your time learning how to stand on the board of the windsurf. This involves using your leg muscles to balance on the board while employing your shoulders, forearms and lower back to control the force of the sail. Novices might spend half their time in the water, but this is all part of a workout. Falling off the board means you are constantly pulling yourself out of the water which works your arms and increases your calorie output.”
But in terms of numbers? HFR states: “Expert windsurfers burn up to 1000 calories per hour, and recreational windsurfers burn around 500 calories an hour.” That’s a pretty rock-solid workout!
DUFF recommends checking out Force Kite & Wake where they offer group and private wake boarding lessons. Click HERE for more info.
EXTREME WORKOUT #2: ROCK CLIMBING
What can be more “extreme” than incorporating safety harnesses in your workout? Bring in your rock-climbers. Whether it’s at an indoor gym or out in nature, rock climbing requires full-body dedication.
Time Magazine, in their article titled Why Rock Climbing May Be the Ultimate Full-Body Workout explains: “Exercise is all about engaging your muscles—from your heart to your biceps and quads—and asking those muscles to perform work. And when it comes to activating and training a diverse range of muscles, few exercises rival climbing…Even if a 155-pound person is climbing a few notches below ‘maximal effort,’ he or she will burn between eight and ten calories per minute while climbing…The fear component of climbing can further crank up your heart rate and caloric expenditure.” That means that according to Time, on average, you will burn around 480-600 calories per hour. Outside? Check! In nature? Check! Killing it workout wise? DONE!
DUFF recommends checking out Coastal Climbing where they offer climbing lessons with a focus on fitness. Click HERE for more info.
EXTREME WORKOUT #3: SKATEBOARDING
Not just for extreme teens anymore, the Skateboarding generation has grown up and is happy to substitute crunches at the gym for some time at the park. Men’s Journal states why it’s great to rip it on the reg: “Believe it or not, skateboarding is a rigorous cardio workout. Michele Olson, Ph.D., a professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Alabama, compares the fitness benefits of skateboarding to those of jumping rope and even spinning, because it ‘goes from pacing to more explosive efforts.’”
Olson continues, “Even if you’re not attempting any elaborate tricks, just pushing around a board on flat terrain can “accelerate your cardiovascular system and burn between eight and an impressive 12 calories per minute,” says Olson.” That means that skateboarding can burn up to 720 calories an hour. No doubt that workout will help you keep up with the kiddos!
DUFF recommends checking out SK8 Charleston a state-of-the-art skating facility with safety gear rentals, helpful employees and lots of room for all levels to participate. Click HERE for more info.