Nike Women en_EMEA Blog

How to turn your closest friends into your toughest trainers

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:48:34 GMT

If you’re a gym loner you might be surprised how rewarding working out with your friends can be. Choose the right friends and they will help you stay motivated, make sure you are always challenging yourself, keep an eye on your technique, get you to try new things and make your workout experience a lot more fun.

This is particularly true for outdoor workouts, which require an element of creativity. Simply grab your friends, hit a park, playground or running path and challenge each other to see who can think of the most exercises to do there. Once the competitive instincts are engaged, you might be surprised how easy it is to give yourself a great workout and how much fun you’ll have in the process.

Friends not into the workout scene? Asking gym buddies if they would be into an outdoor workout is an excellent way to turn them into lifelong friends.

Looking for a bit more structure? Sign your friends up for a Nike Training Club team and get a complete customised workout.

Playgrounds: the perfect outdoor gym

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:44:51 GMT

If you’ve been following the blog, you know that creating the perfect outdoor workout requires finding things to climb, pull yourself up on, hang from, push off of or dip from. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that a well-equipped playground is just about the ideal setting.

To give you an idea of just a few of the things you can do with a good playground, check out the exercises we’ve listed for the playground image above.

1. Incline push-ups (feet on ground)
Decline push-ups (feet on ladder)
Hand-stand push-ups (feet higher up on ladder)
Step-ups
Pull-ups (from inside of ladder)

2. Parallel bar arm walk
Dips
Dips with raised legs

3. Inverted rows
Incline balance push-ups (hands on swing)
Decline balance push-ups (feet on swing)
Unstable surface plank (incline or decline)
Ab roll-out (plank with hands on swing, push-away hands and bring them back in)

4. Seesaw walk (walk along the beam of the seesaw)
Side lunge (stand on the pivot point of seesaw with feet shoulder width apart. Shift weight from right to left to lunge side to side)
Unstable surface push-ups. (hands on either side of the pivot point)

5. Dips off the end of slide
Incline or decline push-ups
Step-ups
Box jumps
Split squat jumps

6. Pull-ups

7. Stretching rack

Did we miss any? Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Need more workout ideas? Join Nike Training Club for free customised workouts you can do on your own or with friends.

This is not a swing set

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:42:13 GMT

You’ve seen the videos, now it’s your turn to show us how creative you can be. How many exercises could you do on today’s piece of equipment – a swing set. List your ideas in the comments.

For more exercise ideas, join Nike Training Club for a complete customised workout.

Sofia Boutella on challenging yourself

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:29:38 GMT

After two successful tours dancing with Madonna, you’d think Sofia would be past getting her hands dirty. Turns out there’s nothing she loves more.

Ready to start your own outdoor training regimen? Visit Nike Training Club for a customised workout program based on your goals.

Sport-specific outdoor training: train to win

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:27:53 GMT

The whole idea behind sports-specific training is to train using the motions and muscle groups that you use when you play your sport. You can do this with strength training, speed work and agility. You can even break down the motion into parts to work on improving your form.

For instance, if you’re a volleyball or basketball player that doesn’t have much of a vertical leap, you can do one-legged squats to build up your leg strength or jump squats, where you go from the bottom part of a squat into an explosive vertical leap and then back into a squat, to try to build your speed and height. You could try to do fast standing jumps onto a bench. It’s all about targeting the areas you want to improve and thinking about how you move your body and what you need to do to get where you want to be.

Training outside is perfect for this. Say you’re into mixed martial arts and you want to work on putting more power into your punch. You could try to do a push-up where you explode from the bottom position to the top position then control the motion back down. Done on a gym floor, it would help build your strength, sure. However, if you do that same exercise on the ground, the uneven surface will force you to recruit more of the stabilizing muscles in your shoulder and core. Take it even farther and do that same motion with your hands on a swing and your body will have to stabilize even more, helping you further strengthen these supporting muscles.

A footballer that wants to work on their agility and speed might try to do a zig zag drill where you quickly leap on the diagonal from one foot to the other as fast as you can for a set distance. When you do this on grass or turf, it will also strengthen your ankles, helping to reduce your risk of injury in a game.

Stuck for ideas? Visit Nike Training Club for a complete customized outdoor workout based on your needs and goals.

These are not stairs

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:35:18 GMT

You might be surprised how easy it is to use everyday outdoor objects to give yourself a serious full-body workout. Today’s object – stairs.

Stairs are everywhere and, chances are, you’ve never given them a second thought. Nike athlete Anouk Hoogendijk shows us how you can use one of the most common outdoor objects to give yourself an excellent full-body workout. From side planks to dips to step-ups, you’re only limited by your imagination. Can you think of some exercises Anouk has missed?

Looking for more outdoor exercise ideas? Join Nike Training Club for a complete outdoor workout programme based on your goals.

For footballer Anouk Hoogendijk, it’s all in a day’s work.

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:33:12 GMT

When you play for one of the world’s top football teams, hitting the turf is just another day at the office. How does she keep it from being routine? Turns out, all you need is a little help from your friends.

Ready to take your own training on the road? Visit Nike Training Club for a complete outdoor workout based on your needs and goals.

Varying the intensity of your outdoor workouts

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:23:40 GMT

At the gym, slowing things down or kicking them into a higher gear is as easy as hitting a button. How do you do that in the real world where there are no buttons to press or knobs to twist? Actually, it’s easier than you think. You just need to learn a few basic principles.

1. No rest for the wicked.
The shorter you rest in between exercises, the tougher those exercises get. If your usual rest time is a minute and a half in between sprints or push-ups or step-ups, take it down to a minute and you will notice your second and third set feeling a whole lot harder.

2. It’s all about leverage.
For exercises like planks and push-ups, use a raised platform like a bench or stair to increase or decrease the difficulty. For example, if you do a plank or push-up with your hands on a bench and your feet on the ground, it will feel much easier as most of your weight will be on your feet rather than on your arms. If you reverse that so your arms are on the ground and your feet are on the bench it will feel much harder as the bulk of your weight will be on the muscles doing the exercises.

3. Use unstable surfaces.
Want to really up the intensity? Use unstable surfaces like swings, sand, hobby horses or anything else you can find. When you try a plank with your hands on a swing, for instance, you are forced to recruit additional core strength just to hold yourself steady. Or if you can find a swing low enough, try a one-legged hip raise with your leg on the swing. You’ll definitely feel it the next day. Even doing your regular exercises on the beach will take the intensity up a notch. However, take it slow, be smart and always remember to stay safe. Keep the bulk of your weight on the ground until you get the hang of it.

4. Feel the need for speed.
Another way to increase the difficulty of a standard workout is to pick up the pace. Do your normal routine, only 10% faster and you will be surprised how much tougher it gets. Or you could add a 20 second sprint in between each set to get your heart rate up and burn extra calories.

5. One more for the road.
The last technique is simple enough. If whatever you’re doing isn’t enough, do more. So if you’re doing three sets of push-ups with 15 reps per set, try doing 20 push-ups per set or adding a fourth set of 15. Even just adding one extra per exercise will help build your strength and endurance.

Need some more help? Join Nike Training Club for a complete customised workout based on your needs and your level.

This is not a wall

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:49:55 GMT

No matter where you live, you’ve got one of the best-equipped gyms in the world waiting just outside your front door. You only have to learn how to open your eyes to see it. In this series, we’ll show you how to use the objects you pass outside every day to give you an excellent full-body workout. Today’s object – a low wall.

Watch the video to see how many exercises Nike athlete Christina de Medrano can do using only a wall.

Ready to start your own outdoor training regimen but need a few more ideas? Visit Nike Training Club for a complete customised outdoor programme.

Cristina de Medrano on doing what you love and loving what you do

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:20:06 GMT

With the best gyms in the world at your disposal, why on earth would you want to work out in the real world? For Nike athlete Cristina de Medrano, it’s all about fun.

Not sure how to begin? Visit Nike Training Club for your free customised outdoor training program.

Dressing the part

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:05:30 GMT

How to pick the perfect outdoor training gear.

Training outside works well because it exposes your body to a lot of stresses that are hard to duplicate inside the gym. However, in order to prevent injuries and stay comfortable no matter what the world or the weather throws your way, it’s important to be sure you’re properly equipped.

When your feet can take you anywhere, your shoes should be able to take you everywhere.

If you look at a traditional running shoe, the sole is made to move in one direction – forwards. That’s fantastic when you’re running, but not so fantastic for obstacle courses, quick shifts or multi-directional movements. For that, you need a shoe that’s a true cross-training shoe – that will be as supportive side-to-side as it is front-to-back.

Also, be sure to consider the surfaces you’ll be running on and the conditions you’ll be running in. Having decent shock protection will be key to your comfort if you’re on hard pavement, whereas close-fitting support will be vital for uneven surfaces like sand and gravel.

To stay comfortable in any conditions, lose the cotton and don’t forget the layers.

Nothing ruins a good workout like being damp and sticky or cold and shivery, so ditch the cotton in favour of a material that wicks away sweat and dampness from the skin, helping to keep your core temperature perfectly regulated.

Since even the weatherman isn’t always right, it’s important to dress in layers. You won’t feel the lightweight hoody tied around your waist, but you’ll sure be glad of it if there’s a sudden downpour.

Still not sure what to wear? Check out our outdoor training collection. Steam is the perfect choice for hot days and Splash will keep you going when it’s grey and wet.

This is not a bench

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:48:26 GMT

You don’t need to go to the gym to keep yourself in shape. However, you do need to change the way you see the world around you. In this series, we’ll show you how to think of everyday objects in a whole new way – as killer workout equipment. Today’s object – a park bench.

Wherever you go, you can find a good solid park bench, but if you think they are just for sitting, think again. A park bench can be used for step-ups, box jumps, push-ups (both incline and decline), stretches, dips, planks, leg lifts, modified handstand push-ups - the only limit is your creativity. To get you started, we asked Ashlee Nelson, a Nike-sponsored sprinter from the UK, to show us how many exercises she can do on a bench.

Looking for more outdoor exercise ideas? Join Nike Training Club for an outdoor routine based on your needs and goals.

Ashlee Nelson takes on the elements

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:20:43 GMT

Come snow, rain or sun, you’ll find Nike sprinter Ashlee Nelson doing what she does best – training on the outdoor track by her home. When Mother Nature is your training partner, there is no such thing as a dull day.

Not sure how to begin? Visit Nike Training Club for your free customised outdoor training program.

Keep your body guessing

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:46:25 GMT

Switching surfaces can lead to a more effective workout

Fact. It only takes your body 3 or 4 weeks to adapt to an exercise routine. Once that happens, it starts to lose its effectiveness. Want to avoid the dreaded plateau, but not sure how to vary your routine? Try working out on different surfaces.

The drills you run in the gym will require a lot more strength and stability when you run them on wet grass in the park. Toughen up your yoga routine by taking it to the beach. Or, if you’re really looking for a challenge, try your regular circuit workout on a hill.

With a little creativity and some imagination, you can take almost any workout you do in the gym and port it to the real world. Give it a try, and the results may just surprise you.

Still not sure how to begin? Visit Nike Training Club for a customised outdoor workout based on your needs and goals.

Sonja Moses on the fastest way to fit

nikewomen_en_EMEA — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:49:52 GMT

Why spend hours in the gym when you don't have to?

In this video, Nike Master Trainer Sonja Moses teaches you how you can up the intensity by taking your training on the road. To start getting more out of your workouts, hit play.

Ready to get started? Check out Nike Training Club for a customised outdoor training program.

Nike Women en_EMEA Blog

How to turn your closest friends into your toughest trainers

SEE ALSO

Playgrounds: the perfect outdoor gym

SEE ALSO

This is not a swing set

SEE ALSO

Sofia Boutella on challenging yourself

SEE ALSO

Sport-specific outdoor training: train to win

SEE ALSO

These are not stairs

SEE ALSO

For footballer Anouk Hoogendijk, it’s all in a day’s work.

SEE ALSO

Varying the intensity of your outdoor workouts

SEE ALSO

This is not a wall

SEE ALSO

Cristina de Medrano on doing what you love and loving what you do

SEE ALSO

Dressing the part

How to pick the perfect outdoor training gear.

When your feet can take you anywhere, your shoes should be able to take you everywhere.

To stay comfortable in any conditions, lose the cotton and don’t forget the layers.

SEE ALSO

This is not a bench

SEE ALSO

Ashlee Nelson takes on the elements

SEE ALSO

Keep your body guessing

Switching surfaces can lead to a more effective workout

See also

Sonja Moses on the fastest way to fit

SEE ALSO