There are many outdoor activities and routines that are well known for their health benefits, including Jumping Jacks in the park, Boot Camps with personal trainers, 6 AM swims, tennis and mountain climbers to name a few. Below, we name 5 of our favourite routines to help you burn calories fast, which are more intense and recommended for higher standard athletes.
Sprinting
Sprinting is the weightlifting of the running world. It is high intensity and high impact and promotes muscular growth — especially in the posterior-chain muscles like the glutes and hamstrings.
Warm-up by jogging 2 laps (approx 800m) and then doing a pre sprint workout. Do some lunges, high knee kicks, side steps, burpees and some stretching exercises for 3 rounds at 30 seconds each.
For the sprinting exercise itself, you will want to do a combination of the sprint for 100m, then walk for 100m, back to back for a total of 8 times through. For your cool down, walk 2 laps (approx 800m).
Distance Running
Distance running improves both your mind and body. If you are not ready to take to the roads and run for 1 hour straight, use the following workout including intervals, to help you build the stamina and confidence to work progressively up to longer-distances.
Warm-up for 10 minutes, alternate between walking and jogging in 60-second bouts. Then progress to running at a moderate pace for 5 minutes, then into walking for 1 minute and repeat for 5 rounds, for a total of 30 minutes. Take a break for some stretching and do some lunges and crunches before heading into a cool down final run for five minutes, alternating between walking and light jogging in 30-second bouts.
Cycling
Outdoor cycling requires insane intensity and focus.
Cycle at an easy pace for 5 – 10 minutes. Increase to a moderate pace for 15 minutes. Cycle up a hill as quickly as possible with maximum intensity for at least 10 minutes, then rest one to two minutes at the top. Coast down the hill and then resume into a moderate pace for 15 minutes and then into a cool-down cycle at an easy pace for a further 5 minutes.
Stairs
Stair workouts burn fat quicker than many other types of cardio.
No gym equipment can simulate a lung-busting, total-body, muscle-burning stair workout. It will also burn fat quicker than many other types of cardio. You could burn more than 1,000 calories in an hour of running up and down steps or stairs. For this workout, find some stairs at a school or college, or find a traditional staircase in a parking garage or public park. Since the size and number of stairs will vary, perform each section of this workout for 12 to 15 minutes.
Warm-up for 10 minutes by walking up and down the stairs, alternating to skipping a step every second turn. Do this for 10 minutes.
Single-Step Run – Sprint up the stairs as fast as you can, hitting every step. Jog back down.
Double-Step Run – Sprint up the stairs as fast as you can, skipping every other step. Jog back down using every step.
Two-Legged Hop – Stand facing the staircase with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms in front of you. Quickly push your hips back and swing your arms behind you to load your posterior chain, then swing your arms forward, extend your knees and hips, and jump onto the first step, landing softly. Pause briefly, then repeat on each step all the way to the top. Jog back down.
For the cool-down, walk on a flat surface at an easy pace for 10 minutes.
Hiking
A light hike gets you moving, but walking with a backpack incorporates cardio and strength training into your activity and makes this outdoor exercise into a proper calorie-burning workout. You can start small with 5KM of hiking and add on distance and elevation as you strengthen your legs, back, and core.
Hiking is a moderate-intensity workout. When done on rough terrain and with elevation changes, hiking will ensure you reap the cardio benefits. Not only does it oxygenate your heart, but it also helps keep your mind sharper and your body calmer.
