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Urban landscape offers opportunities for cardio and muscle-conditioning workouts

7 August 2011

In need of reliable workout partner? Try the city
Urban landscape offers opportunities for cardio and muscle-conditioning workouts

Dayton Daily News
By Robin McMacken, Staff Writer
August 7, 2011


In the classic scene from Rocky, Sylvester Stallone runs up the steps to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and then triumphantly throws a few punches in the air as children flock around him in admiration.

We can all take a cue from Rocky Balboa and pound the pavement in our quest for fitness and better health. The urban landscape, from parks and playgrounds to stadium steps or bleachers, provides opportunities for cardiovascular and muscle-conditioning workouts.

Make the city your workout partner – one that doesn’t cancel at the last moment, whine or otherwise impede your progress toward a buff body. And best of all, the streetscape is free.

Jackie Brockman, a personal trainer and associate executive director at the YMCA Neighborhood Development Center in Trotwood, says she has used the urban jungle often with the clients in the Y’s Move to Lose, a 12-week exercise program that meets twice a week.

“I use the outdoors a lot. I love to do fitness training outdoors,” Brockman said.

The Trotwood Y had 14 people in the last Lose to Move, which ended in May, and participants lost a total of 96 pounds.

“You can do fitness anywhere,” added Nashanda Peeples, a personal trainer and a client of Brockman’s. “The key is to keep moving.”

First things first

As with any workout regimen, be sure to have the proper shoes and comfortable attire, said Brockman. Also take into account the elements – this summer, for instance, has been a particularly hot one, so stay well-hydrated and wear sunscreen.

Brockman starts her workouts with a 10-minute warm-up, which could be jogging or walking.

This prepares the body for exercise by increasing the blood flow to the muscles, elevating the heart rate and increasing the body temperature. This will help prevent muscle strain and injury.

Cardio blast

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, we should engage in moderate cardiovascular activity for at least 30 minutes five or more times a week. Alternatively, vigorous-intensity exercise can be performed for at least 20 to 25 minutes on three or more days each week.

Running, bicycling, hiking and walking are natural outdoor activities that get the blood pumping and raise the heart rate.

If you really feel ambitious, try running or walking up stadium steps or bleachers. You exercise at high intensity for short bouts as you run up the bleachers, then cool down a bit as you walk back down.

Poised for the concrete pylons

The ACSM recommends muscular strength and endurance training should be done at least twice a week, focusing on two to four sets for each major muscle group.

A parking lot and its concrete pylons can provide both interval training and muscle conditioning.

For interval training, which involves repeated bouts of higher-intensity work interspersed with easier work, toe taps can be performed on a pylon. Stand in front of the pylon, and touch the right toe to the pylon, jump up and switch the feet in mid-air, touching the left toe to the pylon.

Continue alternating toe taps as quickly and safely as you can for 30 to 60 seconds.

Squats also can be performed on the pylon, according to Brockman. Stand to the side of the pylon and place one foot on the pylon and the other on the ground, making sure to keep a wide stance so the knees are not going over the toes as you bend the knees into a squat. Your weight should be in your heels.

The bench mark

Back to the Italian Stallion for a moment.

Remember the running scene in which Rocky hurdles over park benches? OK, that might not be advisable, but the park bench or even the bench of a picnic table can be a training equipment in other ways.

Brockman said you can do push-ups, for instance, on a park bench and successfully engage the chest (or pectoral) muscles. Place your hands on the bench with legs extended and push your way toward health and wellness. To make this old-school move even harder, put your feet on the bench and your hands on the ground. Keep the spine neutral and avoid locking the elbows, said Brockman, as you bend and extend the arms.

To exercise the triceps at the back of the upper arms, place your hands shoulder-width apart on the bench with arms straight and the legs extended out. Bend at the elbows and lower the upper body toward the ground. Then slowly push the arms and keep the elbows soft in order to concentrate on the triceps.

Where to go

Just open your front door, and no doubt you’ll find most of the amenities needed for a “Rocky”-inspired urban workout. The sidewalk is the first step for walking, while the streets are open for bicycling.

The tracks and the playgrounds at the Dayton Public Schools are available for public use after school hours, according to Melissa Fowler, communication specialist for the DPS Public Information Office.

Five River MetroParks, too, offers recreational opportunities. Call (937) 275-PARK (7275) for more information or log onto www.metroparks.org.

With the August heat still blazing, be sure to take some extra precautions when heading outdoors to exercise.

Melissa Paris, a New York City-based personal trainer, offers these tips for keeping your workout safe and cool:

• “Before exercise, you should already be very well-hydrated,” she said. Throughout your workout, as well as afterward, you should be drinking fluids.

• Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to dehydration and an excessive loss of water and salt through sweat. It can happen if you are overexposed to the heat and the body’s sweat response stops working. If untreated, then it can lead to heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.

Signs that you or someone you know has heat exhaustion are a fast and weak pulse; dizziness; headache; pale, cool or moist skin; disorientation, fainting or loss of energy.

• Wear light clothing so your skin can breathe, allowing your body to maintain a comfortable temperature.

• Avoid exercising during peak heat hours. Try to exercise early in the morning or later in the evening.