Faye Stenning does more than half her training outdoors, taking advantage of the fresh air and terrain just beyond her front door in Calgary. The top-ranked Spartan athlete encourages people to tailor workouts to activities they enjoy and, for her, there is nothing better than breaking a sweat out in Mother Nature.
“Am I addicted to lifting weights in the gym? No,” she says. “The fresh air, the vitamin D, the spiritual benefits — I think I’m addicted to being outside in beautiful places with friends.”
To make working out work for you, Stenning says it has to be enjoyable. She suggests finding a training partner at your skill level and doing activities you enjoy like cross country skiing, hiking or trail running. And, “train like an athlete, even if you are not one.”
Here’s a no-cost workout Stenning has for IMPACT readers. All you need is a bucket or sandbag, a hill and some motivation.
Warm up
- 10 to 20 minutes of jogging.
The Workout
Supersets
- 15 to 30 jump squats (body weight or using sandbag for more difficulty)
- 300-500 metre run, fast as you can
- Sandbag or bucket carry uphill (incline and distance of hill depends on availability and ability)
- Cycle through exercises 1 to 3 trying to rest as little as possible, if at all.
- Repeat 5 to 10 sets depending on fitness level.
Partner push-up pyramid
Start with 10 push-ups, rest while your partner does 10, then 9, then 8 etc. When you hit 1, count back up to 10. If you can’t make it through the whole pyramid with good form, just count down from 10 to 1 and not back up.
Dead hangs
Complete 3 sets for max time on monkey bars, a soccer goal post or whatever you can find. For more advanced version, try single-arm dead hangs.
Cool down
10-20 minutes of jogging and some stretching.
