Wherever you live, the rise in group outdoor fitness sessions is evident. None more so than in South West London. Scores of people take to parks such as Eel Brook Common, near Fulham Broadway or Bishops Park alongside the river Thames. A stroll here any time of the day will reveal runners, cyclists, individual doing step ups on benches and random blends of people seating it out at Bootcamps together. Outdoor group fitness is cheap, fresh, fun and sociable. People that exercise outdoors love it, and will turn up in all weathers.
My first experience of group outdoor fitness came in the form of a bootcamp in Fulham. With the session starting at 9:30 there was just one person present at 9:27! By 9:31 we were surrounded by 16 keen and eager weekend warriors! They appeared from all angles right at the last minute. As soon as people appeared for the start, they stuck around at the end. Outdoor group fitness serves an important social role for busy Londoners. Having gotten their exercise kick, people were happy to share their experiences of the workout. The workout facilitates connections.
Competitive Group Fitness
Take this love of group fitness further and you get competitive CrossFit competitions such as Tribal Clash. If you’re unsure what one of these sessions entails then simply imagine extreme outdoor bootcamp on steroids! Teams can vary from pairs to groups of 5-6 athletes. Athletes come in all different shapes and sizes. Competitions vary from 1 to several days depending on the size of the comp and level of the athlete. The Guardian newspaper recently covered this years Tribal Clash, a fitness competition held on the Devon coast. Teams of CrossFit box’s descend for a weekend of competition which pushes them to their limits. Events are varied and designed to test the limits of each individual within the team.
However, there is something to be said for competing as a team. There is opportunity to work to individuals strength and weaknesses. Quite often, one athlete gets a short rest whilst their partner is working. This allows each athlete to work at a faster pace. There’s nothing quite like that feeling at the end. Lungs burning, but knowing that everyone else has been through the same. The strength of the wolf is in the pack and all that!
If you would like to find out where your nearest CrossFit box is then visit their website for more information. If you don’t feel quite ready for extreme competitive group fitness just yet thats cool. There are plenty of other options. If exercising outdoors appeals to you but you simply don’t know where to start then feel free to contact us, Fulham’s leading outdoor personal trainers, for a free consultation.