There are lots of reasons to make the most of the summer months in terms of working out. The best one is that the muscles are not as tight and restrictive as they are in the summer, which makes it easier to stretch. The soaring temperature means it takes less time to warm-up, and you tend to hydrate a lot more.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to condition your body for summer workouts. Warmer weather means learning how to strategise your fitness time in a way that you are not completely spent after the workout. So here are six important routines to do to tune your body to the change in weather.
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10-minute stamina workout for runners: It is important to remember that training hard in hot weather equips your body to perform better in cold climates as well. This endurance can be built slightly faster in the summer due to the added challenge of the heat. Lean Squad’s 10-minute routine has over a million views and despite being remarkably simple in its choice of exercises. Every exercise is done only for 20 seconds with sporadic rests of the same amount peppered across it. Consisting of jumping jacks, burpees, high knees, and other usual suspects, this is a great warm-up to start off with building stamina especially if you’re into running.
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5-minute leg day warm-up routine: Given that the heat lets you tune your warm-up a little, this 5-minute routine by Mind Pump TV has some interesting exercises which don’t just focus on warming up the legs. Instead, it prepares you for leg day, which almost always sounds intense, even if it sometimes isn’t. This warm-up prepares your back, hips, and spine for the incoming squats and includes some rotations as well.It is easy to learn and has a few moves which you can also do before a non-leg day in the gym.
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10-minute morning endurance and muscle-building routine: Another advantage of summer is the early onset of daylight, which means you can start strong and get your workout out of the way in slightly cooler times. In case you are just getting into a proper plan and want to prepare to step up from beginner to intermediate, then ThenX’s quick shredding workout is a good place to start. It includes a couple of explosive exercises, a boat-hold and some basic cardio modifications to amp up the intensity. This is a workout which you can do every day at the start of the day, to see how your body reacts for bigger challenges.
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15-minute yoga for boosting recovery: Getting your body to a point of where it is ready for a workout is easier in the summer, but it might be more difficult to cool down for a lot of people. Cooling down is important to lock up the endurance and stamina you build with hard work, making sure your body comes down to regular temperature and breathing patterns, especially when this kind of weather might make you huff and puff. Breathe and Flow’s 15-minute routine is made of popular yoga moves, but done in an easy and careful way. You can do this after a workout as well to see how it feels.
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15-minute upper body routine: There are days when it is better to ease into a workout rather than rush through a quick warm-up just because your body feels warmer in these months. This upper body routine can be done in the first week of the heat setting in to figure out your stamina levels and also as a warm-up before a few compound exercises on a push or pull day. Creator of the video Kelly Gale uses light dumbbells, bands, and even bodyweight exercises to take you through this one.
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5-minute cool-down routine post HIIT workouts: With so many HIIT workouts available to do in the summer, and the longing to rush to the shower or the water cooler after training, this 5-minute cool-down routine is perfect to bring the heart-rate down and regulate yourself after a sweat-session, especially if you are running out of time. Created by Group HIIT, it targets everything from your wrist to the glutes.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.
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