You should exercise outside. Why? Because the best exercises are the simplest—you don’t need a full set of dumbells or a Bowflex to churn out rock-hard abs. Also, because Kyle Jones, Canadian triathlete and Olympian, runs 80 to 100km, swims around 30km and cycles anywhere from 300 to 400km every week, and he says you should. So this summer, ditch the smell of drying sweat and treadmill lineups of your local gym and embrace the great outdoors, the greatest gym facility of all.
We got Jones to take us through his three favourite outdoor exercises to get you shredded, and a couple to keep your stamina up.
But first, a word on simplicity: “Some exercises look simple,” says Jones. “But if you’re always thinking about engaging your core and focusing on quality over quantity—whether it’s for sit-ups, pushups or lunges—you’ll find they provide a good challenge. Ten great pushups is worth way more than 20 half-assed ones.”
