Learning is a lifelong process – also for fitness coaches. That’s why I want to share with you my fitness-related learnings from 2023.
Beach Sprints and Jump Training
Explosive power is what makes you run fast and jump high. As someone who has played basketball for his whole life, jump and sprint training is not new to me.
However, I have to admit I almost didn’t add explosive exercises to my workouts over the last few years. I thought that doing various kinds of sports would cover the power part, so I don’t have to include it in my workouts.
However, since starting off my workouts with beach sprints and jump training in 2023, I felt how much it adds to the sports I do: I feel faster playing football and actually performed my first dunk in years on the basketball court.
My learning: Starting your workout with explosive exercises can boost your power in all kinds of other sports. You´ll feel it.
Regular Fun Cardio
Honestly, I can count on one hand how many times I´ve gone for a run this year. But that’s ok. Because I didn’t neglect cardio training. I just chose activities that I enjoy more than running. Every Wednesday I played football for an hour. Another day of the week, I played basketball. And then, occasionally, I went for a hike or whatever activity I felt like doing.
These activities are so much more fun and varied than running for an hour. And that didn’t only help me stay consistent. Doing different kinds of cardio activities trains my body in a more balanced way. Unlike with regular runs, I now don’t only train long-term endurance, but also power, agility, mobility, and coordination.
My learning: Regularly performing a set of demanding sports and activities is more beneficial for my fitness and well-being than these monotonous runs.
Bodyweight Training
Only 1 of the last 12 months I was signed in to a gym. I have to admit, that month was convenient. All the weights and equipment make it easy to get good workouts in. On the other hand, the gym feels unnatural to me: Every day I got on my motorbike to drive to a place where I go through the turnstile to then move on the spot for an hour, listening to shitty music.
That’s why I stopped going to that gym after the first month.
So, I got back to training in parks, on my terrace, or at the beach. And even though training outside is often less convenient, this is where I truly enjoy working out.
I just grab my sling trainer and a set of resistance bands, and do my workouts watching either the sunrise or the sunset. But I don’t only prefer these open-air workouts because I enjoy them more. Training with your own body weight is a more natural way of moving your body through space. I truly feel that regular and challenging bodyweight training is what gets you adventure-ready these days.
My learning (once again): Bodyweight workouts ftw.
