Summer Training

So, the weather’s improved a bit and summer’s just about to kick in – do you change your training accordingly? 

It’s not essential, but a nice way to mix things up a bit and keep it interesting is to change your training to suit the seasons. 

Obviously, you need to train towards your specific goal(s) but it’s a good idea to make the most of the better weather, and you’ll likely have spent the last couple of months “getting in shape” for summer, so you can change the focus of your training a bit to maintenance and building your fitness levels. 

A good split that I like to use in the summer months is to complete two resistance (weights) workouts per week to maintain strength and muscle mass, and then include a couple of outdoor workouts – that could be anything from playing a sport, to going to an outdoor fitness class, to taking a couple of kettlebells into the garden for a workout to make the most of the good weather. 

Any outdoor sport would be good for this – paddle-boarding, climbing, mountain-biking, football… anything that gets you moving in different ways and challenges your coordination and reactions is fantastic. 

Walking is ok, but you should be doing that anyway. ‘Physical activity’ is NOT the same as ‘exercise’ or ‘training’. 

It needs to be a bit higher intensity than just walking and moving around. It’s also a great time to add in some sprint work and really work on your High Heart Rate training. 

Find a track or a big field and work some intervals. 

Why in Earth would you want to do your HIIT training in a gym when you can do it outside in the sun?! 

The main thing is that you capitalise on the warmer weather and get outdoors as much as you can. 

Tweak your training routine to include outdoor training (trust me, by Autumn you’ll be missing it!) 

Sun, fresh air and being in contact with the Earth are incredibly good for us – essential in fact. 

So make the most of this opportunity. 

And you don’t even need to have a strict weekly plan! 

On the rainy days – do your gym workouts 

On the sunny days – do your outdoor workouts 

Don’t get too hung up on Monday’s being ‘chest day’ and Wednesdays being ‘Legs’, just aim to get something done on the days you can train, the order really isn’t that important if you’re not a professional athlete! 

As a special summer offer you can now get your first month free at www.MoveBetter.Club where you’ll find a range of workouts that can be done outdoors, at home or at the gym and would fit perfectly into your summer training to mix things up. 

PLUS you still get all of the Nutrition and Lifestyle content that’s on there too! 

Head over to www.MoveBetter.Club and use the code ‘Blog’ to get your free month.

Mark