Outdoor and park workouts might be a summer activity, but their not only suitable for when the morning are bright and the trees are full and green. This time of year is one of our favourites for getting outside before work and getting in a miniature outdoor adventure. With the burnt oranges and warm browns of Autumn all around you, there’s no better feeling than the sharp, brisk morning air as you run through the empty parks before heading back at dawn for breakfast.

This programme, created for the new season by Sophie Everard of Mad To Live, focuses on boosting mobility and strength and endurance through the autumn winter period, gearing up the body for the full-blown energy of spring and summer. Follow the training plan below and refer to the handy instructional video of Sophie, to get some of the trickier exercises just right.

By the time Spring comes around you will have spent the darker months still working and and with nature, conditioning your body and raising your strength – and you’ll have the health and fitness level to take on a summer of adventure.

KEEN TRAILFIT TRAINING SESSION

Duration: 60 minutes

Warm Up: 

• Forward and side leg swings: Standing on one leg, swing the leg forwards and backwards, keeping the spine neutral, with straight legs.  Complete and change leg.  Move on to Side Leg swings, swinging the leg across the body in front.
• Deep Squats with open arm extensions: Drop into a deep squat, keeping the weight on the heels. When fully down into the squat, bring the hands down to the feet, and extend through one straight arm, looking up towards the hand and sky.  Return hand to earth and repeat on other side.
• Walking lunge with twist: Flex the knees as you step forward with one leg, dropping the hips.  Lower until the rear knee touches the ground, inhaling.  The body should remain in an upright position with the front knee above the front foot. Twist through the body to face side of lowered knee, and slowly return to centre. Driving through the front foot heel, extend both knees to return to standing.  Repeat on opposite leg.
• Shoulder rotations: Standing with feet hip distance apart, neutral spine, extend arms and make large circles forwards, then backwards.
• High Knees on Spot: Drive alternating knees high, maintaining a braced core and knees thrusting high to hip height.

Main Workout: 

Take one minute rest between sets in set exercises Depending on fitness level or to increase difficulty, decrease rest time to challenge yourself, down from 60 seconds, to 45, to 30. 

• Light Jogging for 3-5 minutes.
• Interval Training 5 Rounds: If you’re short on time and can’t fit in longer training sessions, interval training is hugely beneficial, boosting cardiovascular fitness and endurance and strength, in short sharp high-intensity bursts.
• Setting out a distance of 25-35 metres, sprint as hard as possible the entire distance, then jog back to starting point to repeat
• Breathing Squat (3 sets of 8-12 repetitions): With the feet planted hip distance apart and toes angled out around 10 degrees, push back the hips as you inhale, lowering and following with the knees with weight on the heels.  Exhale as you return to standing position.
• March with Twist (3 sets of 15-18 repetitions): Standing with the feet hip width apart and the arms held overhead, core engaged, bring the right elbow to the left knee whilst twisting through the waist, then return to start and repeat on opposite side.  Utilising the core to execute the movement and engage the obliques through motion.
• Single Leg Sprint (3 sets of 15-18 repetitions): Standing in a low lunge, bend at the left knee with the right leg straight, arms extended overhead.  Hinging from the hip so the chest is over the left thigh, engage the core to lift the right knee to the chest, arms coming in at the sides.  Replace leg on the ground and quickly drive forward again.
• Hip Hinges (3 sets of 10-15 repetitions):  Standing straight with hands on the hips and feet slightly wider than hip distance apart, engage the core and push ribs down and shoulders back with a neutral neck.  Bending at the waist slowly, maintain shoulders and hips in line and glutes, back and hamstrings engaged.  Bend until parallel, before returning to start position.  Be careful NOT to round the back – a neutral spine must be maintained.
• Clock lunges (3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per leg): Commencing with the hands-on hips and feet hip distance apart, step the foot forward into a lunge until the knee performs a 90-degree angle.  Return to standing.  Next lunge out to the side with the same leg, the leg bending to 90 degrees at the knee and hip.  Return to standing.  The final movement is to lunge backwards with the leg, with both knees at 90 degrees, return to standing.  Complete 8-12 rounds then switch legs.

• Single leg: Romanian lift (3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per leg): With the feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in the knees (knees soft), raise a leg off the earth. Flex the knee on the standing leg to activate glutes, and hinge at the hip, lowering the body until it is nearly parallel to the floor.  Pause, then activate and squeeze glutes, thrusting the hips forward to raise the body back to starting position. The hips should be pushed back on the down phase and glutes squeezing as you return to standing, keeping the knees soft throughout.
• Skating Windmill (3 sets of 10-15 repetitions): Standing on the left leg with the right leg bent behind the body, foot lifted low above the ground bend the left knee and lean forward, reaching to the ground with the right arm in front of the left foot, extending the left arm behind the body.  Jump off the left foot and leap right, bending elbows and hands to bring together mid-air.  Land on the right leg with knee bent.  Repeat other side.
• Squat jump onto bench / or on ground if no close bench/wall (3 sets of 8-12 repetitions): With the feet shoulder width apart, toes outward at around 10 degrees. Inhale, lower into a squat.  On the exhalation explode in the air with maximum power, driving powerfully through the legs and pushing into the air with the feet, hands above the head in the air and with the core activated and engaged.  Land on the feet with the legs slightly bent before returning into a squat position.
• Broad Jump to Fast Feet: With Feet hip distance apart, bend at the knees and hinge hips back, with chest remaining upright.  Engage the glutes and core, and propel forward with both feet, landing sot and with chest remaining up. On the toes, take small fast steps back to starting point.
• Spider man push-ups (3 sets of 5-8 repetitions): In a normal push up position, ensuring the body is aligned from the head to the ankles, inhale and lower the body to the floor, lifting the right foot and take the right leg out sideways, trying to make contact between the knee and elbow.  Return to starting position.

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