Cross-training fun in the sun
- Parks and Pavements
- Aug 25, 2018
- 3 min read
Today I got up, had breakfast and headed to the bathroom for the daily wash and tooth-brushing routine. Nothing extraordinary there - except I happened to glance in the large wall mirror and caught sight of myself standing there. Eek! While it's safe to say that I'm fairly comfortable with my body shape (I'm not particularly big, and I don't bother with diets, salads etc.) I've never quite been able to shake off the little 'comfort' belly I acquired in my 20s when laziness and junk food prevailed. If I could change any aspect of my body this would probably be it. Oh, and maybe adding a bit more muscle to my upper arms because quite frankly I'm so weedy even my 8yr old son can shame me at pull-ups!
Anyhow, this got me thinking; how can I improve these areas without paying out tons of money to a local gym or a personal trainer? The answer came to me in a flash - simply run to my local park and incorporate a set of reps on the outdoor gym equipment for each lap of the main field I complete. Genius! This way I get to benefit from the run as well as muscle work targeted to my core and arms.
It was turning out to be a lovely, bright morning and after getting ready I headed out and jogged to the closest corner of Brittons Park. This point would serve as my start/finish line for each short lap (approx. 3/4 of a mile) and a good place to stop for a breather. I started off running gently around the gravel path which leads slightly uphill past the car park and a selection of push-up and parallel bars (maybe next time folks). After turning and passing the deserted skate-park I stopped at the gym area, taking a seat on the lateral pull-down machine to catch my breath. Having not used the equipment seriously before I wasn't really sure how many reps of each to do, but started with figures that I thought would make a good starting point - and that I could move up from in the future. This turned out to be as follows:
Lateral pull-downs x 20
Sit-ups x 10
Chest press x 7
Of the exercises above I found that the pull-downs were about right, the sit-ups were probably a little easy, and the chest presses were just plain nasty! Next time I will aim to increase the sit-ups to around 15. There are a couple of other machines on-site but these are more for improving flexibility and as I already do a variety of stretches I decided to give them a miss.
After completing the first set of reps I got running again - cutting across the grass to the path that borders the local schools - and back to my start point in the corner. This first lap had measured approximately 0.8 miles, so it was time to repeat the whole thing another couple of times. Despite the extra effort I was putting in I found that I really enjoyed myself, and was getting rather warm under the glare of the late summer sunshine. Perhaps the sheer novelty of it was making me run with a constant smile! Upon reaching the finish line at the end of lap 3 I stopped my watch for the final time and slowed right down to walk the short distance home. The whole session had taken just over 30mins and I had covered almost 2 and a half miles in total.
So, had it been worth the hassle? Had the weight work made any difference at all? The answer (from my abdominal muscles at least) was a big 'yes'. Only a small difference as it was just the first step, but a difference nonetheless. For the rest of the afternoon I could feel my muscles complaining about the work they had undertaken and in my mind I felt fitter because of it. The next step is to commit to repeating this activity on a regular basis so that the work isn't undone and I can begin to feel a general improvement. Watch this space...
Further information
For more information about local outdoor gyms and how to use them I recommend the following sites (personal opinion, not endorsed):
Major outdoor gym manufacturer whose website includes a list of facilities they have set up in the London boroughs. Also includes very useful videos from the 'TGO Trainers' about how to make the most of the equipment, and how to perform exercises correctly.
An initiative run in partnership with local councils to provide FREE exercise sessions at local parks and outdoor gyms. Great if you would prefer guidance from a trained coach or simply prefer to exercise with others. No courses in Havering as yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.
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