Fitness Trends to Help Outdoor Athletes
If the only way you train for cycling is by riding your bike, you’re not going to be your best. The same is true of any sport. Studies show that cross-training can improve your endurance and injury resilience, as well as stave off routine fatigue.
The problem: doing calf-raises and crunches at the gym gets boring fast. That’s why a growing number of outdoor athletes have turned to fitness classes to supplement their training. But when choosing which of these you want to try, there’s more to think about than just fitness alone—some of these programs can be pricey, tough to find in your town, or simply have a culture that you don’t quite vibe with, leading to a lesser workout.
So, which popular fitness movements will make you a better runner, rider, climber, backpacker, or mountaineer? To help us decide, we called in Doug Kechijian, doctor of physical therapy and co-owner of Resilient PT Performance in New York City, and Jim Ferris, a Philadelphia-based trainer who’s been working with pro athletes for nearly two decades. Together, we analyzed seven of the most talked-about fitness trends of the past decade and ranked them from worst—east helpful to the outdoor athlete—to best—the most helpful—based on a holistic evaluation of cost, accessibility, whether the method improves your outdoor game, what it’ll do to your body, and who you’ll meet doing it.
Goal: Build strength, flexibility, and control by performing exercises on the floor or on an apparatus called a reformer. Which Fitness Trends Actually Help Outdoor Athletes? | Outside Online