How To Weight Train In A Remote Location
Remote locations, such as snowy, rocky, or forestry, are filled with naturally heavy items that can be lifted, pulled, or pushed to form resistance and build muscle. Unlike dumbbells, naturally sourced items require creative thinking and hands-on designing to optimize their use as a piece of gym equipment.
Depending on where you live influences what resources you have access to; however, we’ve got most terrains covered.
How To Use Water To Assist Weight Training
To weight train when you’re water-surrounded, you can either exercise inside the water or fill a bucket, bottle, or can with water and lift against the added resistance. Both utilize water’s mass to create additional weight to achieve hypertrophy.
If you’re close to a beach, lake or have a swimming pool near your home, using the physics of water can help build muscle. In addition, it’s free, allowing you to weight train with no extra cost.
When underwater, the water applies a downward force on your body, increasing your total weight. To rephrase it, this is exactly what a weighted vest aims to do. As a result, simple exercises become more muscle-demanding. Some to try:
- Vertical jump underwater.
- Curling with your arm submerged will feel exponentially more difficult, especially if you hold something like a can of soup, a water bottle, or an aftershave bottle.
- Crunches strengthen the core more rapidly by performing them underwater due to the pressure applied to your core.
As long as you can safely operate submerged in water, the above are great exercises to try.
If you weren’t looking to jump in the water, some alternatives include:
- Filling two buckets up with water and hanging them on a pole. With this, you can then squat with extra weight.
- If you only have access to one bucket of water, filling it up and using it as a kettlebell is an excellent use of resources. You can execute exercises such as kettlebell press, rows, or squats.
- You can complete a chest press exercise by lying on the floor with a bucket on your chest. However, prepare to get soaked if you struggle to lift it!
How To Weight Train In A Rocky Area
A rocky location has the best chance of finding obscure-shaped stones and boulders to replace traditional weights. They’re free to take, have 24/7 access, and are durable, so you can use them frequently.
Rocks come in various shapes and sizes, so the exercises you can completely depend on their size and weight – you could get lucky and find a rock shaped perfectly like a dumbbell! For example, to name a few workouts:
| Size of Rock | Exercises To Replicate |
|---|---|
| Round And Heavy Rocks | Overarm kettle push, tire flipping and weighted sit-ups. |
| Long Rocks | Bar bicep curls or shoulder presses. |
| Small Rocks | Work the forearm by doing wrist curls. |
The main downside is there is no adjustable, i.e you can’t increase or decrease the weight for something like a superset.
How To Weight Train In A Snowy Location
Snow can be shaped to create heavy structures that individuals can pull and push for weight training. Large snowballs are created to replace a weighted sled for athletes to roll along the floor, creating a compound exercise.
While a single snowflake feels as light as a feather, when grouped, it’s mass becomes significant enough to use as exercise.
Snow can mimic a variety of traditional weight exercises. For instance:
- Lying in the snow and lifting a giant snowball from your chest will mimic a chest press exercise.
- Making a huge snowball, about as tall as you, and rolling it along the floor will mirror a tire-pushing exercise, except you don’t have to pay for a tire.
- Depending on your location, they can be used as dumbbells if the snow becomes ice. This is because they’re small, heavy, and compact making the ultimate dumbbell. As a result, you can do exercises such as hammer curls, dumbbell lunges, or shoulder presses.
However, remember, the snow won’t last forever, and it will melt eventually – forcing you to repeatedly build another structure.
Why A Forest Is An Ideal Location For Weight Training
Forests have fallen logs, broken branches, or completely collapsed trees that can be lifted, pulled, or pushed to mimic exercises performed in the gym. It best replicates exercises used with a long weighted bar (such as squats, bench press, or mobility stretches) due to the log’s diameter and mass.
The size and weight will determine the ease of replicating exercises; however, some examples include:
- A log can be used to squat by holding it in between your shoulder caps and performing a weighted squat as usual. In order to perform this, you must be able to grip the log sturdy and find a log suitable for your strength level.
- You can curl smaller branches. For example, exercises like tricep curls, shoulder raises, or bicep curls.
- Find a suitable lengthed log, lay flat on the floor, and carry out a chest press. However, as there is no bench press rack, it can become challenging to put the log down once you have finished your set, and because of this, it’s a bright idea to train with a partner who can assist you.
- Using an axe to swing at a tree stump engage back and arm muscles.
It’s all about being creative and using what you have to maximize its functionality. Even if you can afford a gym membership, sometimes it can be more engaging and diverting to exercise outdoors, using nature!
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