Fitness trails: fun, exercise and fresh air for everyone
Finally, it’s the weekend and time for the family. But how do you accommodate all of your wishes? The kids want to go to the playground, mom wants to go to the forest, dad wants to do sports. A place that combines all of this is currently experiencing a rebirth: the fitness trail.
Since the pandemic, when sports clubs remained closed and people rediscovered nature, the demand for easily accessible training and exercise opportunities in public spaces has risen sharply. And the trim trails are ideal for this: circular courses of 3 to 4 kilometers in length with 15 to 20 exercise stations that offer a combination of running, stretching and strength exercises on various sports equipment .
Anyone can train on the fitness trail: no membership, no costs, and no set training times . The outdoor courses are also suitable for all age groups and all fitness levels . More and more cities and municipalities are responding to this, investing in new exercise parks or restoring old fitness trails.
One person who welcomes this trend is Professor Dr. Theodor Stamper, a sports scientist at the University of Wuppertal. “The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 minutes of endurance and 40 minutes of strengthening activities per week for a healthy lifestyle . A large part of this can be covered with a 40-minute trimming session,” he explains.
According to the WHO, children and young people should be active for at least 60 minutes a day and work up a sweat three days a week to strengthen their muscles and bones. However, less than 20 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds worldwide achieve this.
Trim-yourself trail: training with many variations
In order to get more people off their desks or sofas and into their sneakers, the German Sports Association designed the first fitness trails in the 1970s . With a mix of pull-up bars, slalom courses, monkey bars, balance beams and bars for squat jumps , they challenge the muscles in a variety of ways . The classic is now being relaunched in many places – with new equipment and exercises that correspond to current training trends .
Made of stainless steel: modern fitness trails
For a few years now, outdoor gyms , a type of fitness studio in the fresh air, and so-called calisthenics facilities have been supplementing the classic fitness trail. The term calisthenics comes from Greek and literally means “beautiful strength”. The equipment is usually made of stainless steel instead of wood , concentrated in one place and resembles a mini gym in nature . With one difference: instead of weights, calisthenics trains with your own body weight .
This has the advantage that the risk of injury is kept as low as possible . Many machines also have a QR code attached that takes you directly to an exercise video on your smartphone , which even explains different levels of difficulty – almost like free personal training.
Fitness trails: healthy for body and mind
Even if modern facilities look different from the classics, they have one thing in common: they are outside, in a green environment. This means that training not only promotes physical health, but also mental health . According to a study by the Max Planck Institute, just 60 minutes of exercise in nature can help reduce stress . And according to Professor Stemper, anyone who trains outside not only in good weather, but also in changing weather conditions , also strengthens their immune system .
Outdoor fitness – something for every level
The exercises on the fitness trails are based on current sports science findings and usually offer two levels of difficulty . This means that both beginners and advanced users can train according to their fitness level.
Professor Stemper: “Fitness trails are the perfect general store for anyone who wants to exercise.” All you need is a feeling for your own abilities. If you are unsure, the expert recommends getting a sports partner to start with . This also promotes another positive aspect of training: social interaction .
Whether for families, friends, young and old or – thanks to many barrier-free facilities – for wheelchair users: fitness trails are the ideal place to combine exercise, nature and community. So it is worth motivating yourself to do sport in many ways .
Five simple fitness exercises for young and old
Do you have an outdoor fitness facility or a fitness trail nearby? We have put together a few exercises for you that will have a positive effect on your fitness.
Balance beam or slackline
Training effect: coordination, balance and whole-body strengthening. The focus is on the legs.
For adults: First, approach the exercise with help. If you are training alone, you should start at a low height. To increase the training effect, you can alternate between long lunges and small steps.
For children: Children are usually better at balancing than their parents. Who can walk backwards? Or stand on one leg?
Staircase
Training effect: coordination, balance, strength and endurance.
For adults: Walk forwards up the three to four steps of the station and then backwards down again. You can gradually increase the pace. Advanced users should start at a faster pace. You can increase the intensity by taking two steps at a time every now and then.
For children: Just copy mom and dad’s exercise. Stay focused so you don’t slip.
Pull-up and horizontal bar station
Training effect: Strengthening of the arm flexor, chest, back shoulder and upper back muscles.
For adults: Pull-ups are one of the hardest bodyweight exercises. There are often bars of different heights so that your feet can initially maintain contact with the ground. Grip the bar shoulder-width apart and lift your feet off the ground without swinging. Pull your body up as far as possible, pulling your shoulder blades together. Hold briefly at the highest point, then slowly lower your body back down without swinging.
For children: Have mom or dad lift you up. Then you can swing from left to right and even try a pull-up.
Rope swing
Training effect: Endurance, coordination, strength. The focus is on the arms.
For adults: Grab both ends of the rope and swing your arms up and down in wave-like movements. 3 rounds of 15 seconds each for beginners, 30 seconds each for advanced users.
For children: Swing the rope with both hands for three rounds of ten seconds.
Push-up and parallel bar station
Training effect: Strengthening of the arm extensor, chest and front shoulder muscles as well as whole-body tension.
For adults: Grab one of the bars with both hands shoulder-width apart (the lower you go, the harder it is) and slowly lower your upper body. Hold this position briefly, then push back up. Tighten your stomach. Do this three times, five times. You can increase the intensity by bringing your arms closer together or pausing briefly at the bottom.
For children: Make sure that your pelvis does not fall to the ground instead of your shoulders. Alternative: Hold a plank position with your arms straight and your body stretched out, 3 times for 15 to 30 seconds.