Alternative Outdoor Summer Workouts

It’s no secret that we had a historically bad winter up here in New England.  It all seems like the distant past though, now that summer is in full swing.  If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to get outdoors and take full advantage of the weather.

While I love to push and pull heavy iron around just as much as anyone, getting a workout in outdoors is a great change of pace. The best part about it is that it doesn’t even feel like a workout half the time!   It’s an added bonus if you can lift weights outdoors, but more on that later. Below are some of my favorite outdoor activities in the Boston area that can easily take the place of your traditional gym workout on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.  If you don’t live in the Boston area, odds are that you can still do similar activities wherever you live.

Go for a walk, run, or bike ride.

While this first one may seem obvious, it’s still worth mentioning because it’s free (or very cheap, if you don’t own a bike) and you can do it almost anywhere.  Why would you go to the gym and get on the treadmill or a stationary bike when it’s 70 degrees out and sunny?  I can’t think of a good reason.

Boston is one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the country, so you should take advantage of the countless walking and biking trails that the city has to offer. My favorites are the loop between the Museum of Science and Watertown Square along the Charles River Bikepath and the loop around Castle Island in Southie.  The city has many more paths than you could imagine, and it’s a great way to see parts of the city and surrounding metro area that you didn’t even know existed.  Visit MassBike to find a path near you.  They have great suggestions for paths outside the city as well, in case you’re looking for a change of scenery.

Although I’ve yet to do this, running the stairs over at Harvard Stadium is a great option is well.  There are numerous running clubs, such as November Project, that frequently do free organized workouts here.

Hiking

A couple weeks ago I went hiking in Dover, MA with my fiance and a few of her friends.  Getting out on the trails and away from the hustle and bustle of the city was such a nice change of pace.  I even saw a frog, which I tried (unsuccessfully) to catch.  Hiking is something that I’d like to do more often and it can really be a great workout if you find the right trails.  As with the walk/run/bike ride section, I can’t think of a good reason to go to the gym and do cardio when you could do the same exact thing on a hike.  Alltrails.com has great options for local hiking trails no matter where you live.

Titan Barbell

If you’re an iron junkie like me and need to hit the weights, Titan Barbell in Medford is the best of both worlds. It’s a garage gym owned by professional strongman Eric Dawson. When the weather is nice, he usually keeps the garage door open too. The facility has everything you need to get a full workout in, as well as unique strongman equipment that can be used out on the driveway. If you’ve ever wanted to flip tires, toss kegs, or load an atlas stone, this is the place to go. Check out the website to find a full list of equipment and swing by on a Saturday afternoon during open gym to get a lift in.  Here’s a video from a few weeks ago of me flipping a tire.

Messing around with a 425# tire today at #titanbarbell #strongman #powerlifting

A video posted by rosenthalec (@rosenthalec) on Jun 27, 2015 at 12:22pm PDT

Kayaking on the Charles

This one is a great alternative for a back day, and you’ll get a ton of cardio in as well. I did this for the first time last summer and had a blast. I started out in Watertown and paddled down to the BU Bridge and back in about two hours. Something that I didn’t really anticipate was the strength of the tide. It made for quite an adventure on the return trip as it was not only pushing me in the opposite direction, but towards the banks as well. Needless to say, my lats were pretty sore the next day and I had a new found respect for rowing.

Esplanade Outdoor Gym

The outdoor gym on the esplanade is one of my favorite hidden gems in this city and it goes hand in hand with a run down the Charles River Bikepath.  When I was living in Coolidge Corner last year, I would frequently run down to this spot along the Charles and bang out a few sets of pull ups and hanging leg raises before making the return trip.  In addition to pull up bars, they have a bunch of equipment that allows for a great body weight workout.  You can work every major muscle group here if you’re creative enough.  The easiest way to get to this gym is via the Silber Way Footbridge off of Back Street behind BU.

This list is certainly not all-inclusive, so I’d love to hear what some of your favorite alternative outdoor workouts are!