The fitness fans going wild for gyms in the great outdoors
A workout in the open air is good for both the body and the soul, as Abigail Butcher discovers
It’s 7.30am and I’m crawling on my belly beneath some netting, propelling myself forward with hands, knees and feet. I’ve not been covered in so many grass cuttings since I was a child. Clambering to my feet, I run up one side of a giant see-saw made from a scaffolding plank, balancing on the top, around 4ft feet high.
As I’m waiting for the plank to tip over to the other side, sports scientist and holistic health coach, Ollie Martin, who is overseeing my progress encourages me: “It looks worse than it is, don’t worry.”
The ramp eases slowly to the ground, and off we jog to the next obstacle – some rails to hop and duck under, followed by monkey bars.
I’m in a farmer’s field outside Bletchingley in Surrey, having personal training with Ollie outdoors, and it’s been months since I exercised properly.
I’m normally highly motivated to be fit for my work as an adrenalin-seeking travel writer, but without a goal, I admit lockdown has made me lazy.
Mentally, I just cannot dial into the concept of exercising on the carpet in front of my laptop, so have been making do with daily dog walks and regular yoga.
These are normally supplemented with Body Pump and Body Attack classes in the gym but it may be a long time before fitness studios – with their sweaty atmosphere, heavy breathing and potential for superspreading – open again.
Although municipal outdoor gyms, along with children’s play parks, are still instructed to remain closed by the Government, personal training using equipment is allowed.
Coaches must work with clients outdoors, stay a minimum of two metres apart and utilise strict hygiene measures. Personal trainers are getting creative with their outdoor workouts and seeing many people sign up.
Ollie’s had a lot of interest “from those who were once devoted to studios – and especially from those over 60”.
Everything you touch has been thoroughly sanitised, but there’s more than enough to do without making contact with any object. Crawling in the grass, balance planks and see-saws are utterly absorbing and quite enough of a workout without
(as I did) moving on to the monkey bars and Inertia Wave (a rubberised version of battle ropes which work the upper body).
Being outside, as we are discovering as a nation, is good for the soul. The
Office for National Statistics last week released research that shows during the lockdown, people have increased the time they have spent gardening and doing DIY by 147 per cent, and time spent keeping fit is up 23.5 per cent. It’s been obvious how many people have put on their old trainers or dusted off their bikes to enjoy the great outdoors.
Studies have shown that being outside in nature gives an added value to the well-proven benefits of physical activity; with improved emotional wellbeing at the top of the list. And I can report that being in a farmer’s field, in the morning sunshine, watching a kite swooping low over the field while hunting, is indescribably good for the soul.
“Exercise has to be fun, otherwise it’s damaging both mentally and physically,” explains Ollie.
“We’ve enough stress in our lives without pushing too hard in a gym. I’ve found people are more engaged outside using natural objects and building strength. To make our bodies fit for life, we need movement and mobility before aerobic fitness.”
I can concur: crawling across grass or hopping from one tree stump to another is not only fun but uses muscles my gym exercise classes would never reach. While I might not have worked up the same sweat as I do in Body Attack, the experience set me up for the day. It was calming as well as physically rewarding and I had far more Doms (delayed-onset muscle soreness) afterwards than I would have got from my usual classes.
In Pembrokeshire, former physical training instructor for Parachute Regiment recruits, Ryan Naish, has set up a wild gym on the farm at his home in Narberth, ready for when restrictions are eased in Wales.
He’s gathered rocks, logs, built balance beams, hung climbing ropes and Olympic rings.
He will ask clients to wear builderstyle gloves and long sleeves and trousers and provide fresh water for handwashing and antibacterial gel.
“During lockdown people have been doing 20-minute HIIT session then being inactive for hours on end. If you make it fun, and accessible, you’ll want to do more,” he explains. “There’s so much you can do on a balance beam only half a foot from the ground, and dynamic exercises like throwing different-sized logs or big stones over your head can all be done.
“It’s not the classic workout but the power you can develop is massive. For me, a wild gym makes you fit for purpose. Take climbing ropes – losing your ability to grip is often the first thing to go as you age.”
Ryan and Ollie both hope that our newfound appreciation of the benefits of exercising outdoors on mental and physical wellbeing is here to stay.
Ryan says: “Hopefully, people can start to understand there’s more to a workout than finishing in a pool of sweat in a gym.”
‘It’s not the classic gym workout, but the power you can develop is massive’