Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Outdoor Athlete

One of my biggest challenges when it comes to training is staying motivated. I tend to get bored with a routine pretty quickly, so I'm constantly looking for new workouts and changing up my training program. Not only does changing up your routine help keep you interested and inspired to keep training, it's good for your body too! When your body becomes used to a specific task, you'll eventually hit a plateau and the exercise will loose its effectiveness.

I've read all the latest fitness magazines and surfed the web for ways to spice up my workouts - but it was hard for me to find new or non-recycled information. Recently, I came across an excellent training book... The Outdoor Athlete by Courtenay and Doug Schurman. I love how specific this book is - it's not a generalized overview for training, it actually focuses on specific outdoor pursuits. I'm new on the mountain biking scene and I was looking for training tips on how to strengthen my quadriceps for the grueling uphill climbs on a bike and I also knew I needed to improve my balance. This book actually specifically covers training for mountain biking adventures! It lays out a week by week routine, focusing on muscles or movements that are specific to certain outdoor pursuits. The workouts change every few weeks and intensify as your adventure approaches.

If you're training for a 3 day climb of Rainier, this book has you covered! How about an expedition to McKinley? Yep! There's a specific training routine just for you in this book! It's perfect for anyone looking for training tips and routines for mountaineering. You'll learn how to train specific muscle groups that you'll be using while climbing and how to balance cardio workouts with strength training. This book is a must-have for anyone who is looking to improve their performance in the mountains - or anyone who is simply looking to change up their exercise routine!



*Click on the image if you want to purchase this fantastic book!

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