Summer means longer periods of sunlight, giving you more opportunity to work out and enjoy the outdoors. This makes the summer season perfect for sports training.
Though you might feel a little overwhelmed by the thought of suffering from the heat, training and workout exercises are essential to keeping up with your fitness and in-game condition. There are dozens of different workouts that can apply to sports of all kinds, from soccer training to fastpitch training.
Here are a few training workouts you can perform during the summer.
Circuit Training and Weights
Keeping up your strength is obviously the key to most all summer sports. The summer sun allows you to escape your dusty room or crowded gyms. Find a comfortable, open spot in your garden or local park.
Circuit training is the best way to target several muscle groups in one workout session. Choose a handful of exercises, like:
- Press ups
- Crunches or sit-ups
- Squats
- Lunges
- Planks
Do three to five circuits of fifteen reps for each exercise. Start with a minute and a half of rest between each circuit. As each week passes, add more exercises or decrease the resting time.
You can also buy yourself a small weight set and use those outside. If you’re on a budget, use sandbags, water bottles, or old logs with your regular weight training.
Jogging and Running
Get off the treadmill and go for a jog or run around your neighborhood or a nearby park. Jogging is a great way to warm up before starting your workout session, or you can go for an extended jog to burn the fat and tone your leg muscles. A morning jog is a great, refreshing way to start the day.
If you want a more intense workout, sprints should do quite nicely. Sprints allow for a more intense workout in a fraction of the time.
Hill running adds even more intensity to your normal jog. If you live near the beach, running in the sand will add even more drag to your steps, forcing you to work that muscle much harder.
Swimming
With the summer sun shining down full force, a swim is just what the doctor ordered. Swimming is a great all-around exercise that works your heart and your muscles. Swimming is also low impact, perfect for people with joint pains. Short swim sessions make for a great warm-up or cool-down alternative to the jog.
Thanks for the summer inspiration! I am addicted to the treadmill, because it keeps me going and I feel like I can’t run as well on pavement. But, you are right, a morning jog outside IS a great way to start the day, so I think I’m going to start. Thank you for the motivation!