Nobody likes logging hours in the gym when it's beautiful outside. The solution: Replace fat with muscle using this outdoor alternative to traditional cardio. The varying intensities will shake up your metabolism and boost endurance, and the agility and throwing involved also improve athleticism.
Jumping Rope
Jump rope for 90 seconds. Try hopping on one leg to increase balance, alternating between legs. So you'll jump once on your right foot, once on your left, twice on your right, twice on your left, and so on, until you're alternating every 10 jumps between right-leg hops and left-leg hops.
Shuttle Run
Position five small objects — agility cones, tennis-ball cans — in a row approximately 10 to 15 yards away from you. Sprint toward the objects and retrieve them one by one. The drill is complete once you've brought all five objects back to the starting line as quickly as possible.
Squat Thrust
From a standing position, bend at the hips and knees to lower yourself into a deep squat. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, then kick your legs back so you're in pushup position. Immediately bring your legs forward again so you're back in squat position and stand up. Perform 10 squats.
Football Rundown
On a large field, throw or kick a football as far as you can. Run to retrieve it, then repeat. Do six to eight reps. No ball? Do stairwell sprints: Sprint up five to 10 flights, jog back down to the starting point, then repeat once.
Last Updated: 12/04/2006 13:00:37
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