If you're like me, exercising can sometimes feel like a chore. You're stuck at the gym with a hundred other sweaty people. It smells bad. Someone's always using the squat rack as a hang-out spot, rather than a serious piece of exercise equipment designed for optimum muscle shock. Working out at home works, but sometimes the motivation isn't all there, and you don't have all the equipment you need. So what are you to do when you don't want to make the drive to the gym, and you don't want to stay cooped up inside, but you want to give your body a great workout and shock muscles?
I find that turning a nice, leisurely evening walk with my wife into a spontaneous, multi-faceted intense total body workout is just the cure. If you try the occasional walking workout, you're out of the house, you're with a loved one, and you're never bored. Plus, you get a crazy intense workout. And let's face it: a truly grueling workout makes us feel good eventually, but the actual working out can be painful and unpleasant. Why not make it fun? Making your workouts enjoyable experiences can make you forget you're actually exercising. You won't even notice the muscle shock you're feeling.
Shock Me Like
Next time you take a walk, look around at your environment. Figure out what you can use as impromptu workout equipment. If you broaden your horizons, I think you'll find that the natural environment offers a lot of options. See that low hanging branch? Use it for pull-ups. See those two garbage cans set out for morning pickup on the curb? Use them to do dips. See that set of stairs? Run stair sprints up it.
Begin by walking normally. All of a sudden, call out something like "lunges!" and then do lunges for 20 paces. Walk normally again, then call out "pull-ups!!" Hop on the nearest branch, pipe, or ledge and do a set of 10 or 15 pull-ups. It keeps your body guessing, and that's the best way to build strength - by causing muscle shock and reducing muscle memory.
There are a ton of exercises you can do on your spontaneous walking workout. Other than the aforementioned pull-ups, dips, and lunges, here are several other examples:
Push-ups
The classic body weight exercise, these can be performed anywhere. All you need is the ground. For added weight, get your partner to sit on your back.
"Box" Jumps
Unless your neighborhood is populated with random boxes, you'll have to settle for park benches, rocks, or stairs. These work great.
Leaping/Bounding
Instead of just walking, leap or bound for a couple hundred yards. You might get weird looks, but it's great for your leg muscles.
Skipping
Not just for kids, skipping is actually a fun anaerobic workout that really shocks your leg muscles.
Sprints
Sprint for thirty seconds!
Running Backwards
Sprint backwards for thirty seconds!
Burpees
A great total body workout. After doing a push-up, bring your knees up to your chest and explode upwards in a squat jump. Come down and repeat.
The key is enjoying your workout. If you love your gym and get a lot out of it, keep going! If you can workout at home and stay motivated, good going! For those of you unhappy with your current routine, maybe a muscle shocking walking workout full of compound movements is the answer.
Muscle Shock With a Spontaneous Walking Workout Shock Me Like
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