Build muscle in the wild
Leave the treadmill behind and achieve full-body fitness using the gym your body was designed for: the great outdoors.
Recent research by the Mayo Clinic found that gym equipment like the leg press and pec deck put undue stress on your joints, which can leave you weaker in the long run. Unlike the unconventional movements we're forced to make when we use gym machines, these outdoor exercises are based on activities for which our bodies were designed. "You would be doing a lot of these moves if you were a hunter gatherer," says Barry Bogin, anthropologist at Loughborough University's School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.
Thankfully, you don't have to relocate to the wilderness to stir you inner Neanderthal. Use this workout to transform the suburbs or city into a primeval playground.
Do one set of both exercises one and two to warm-up, then perform exercises three to nine as a circuit. Complete all the reps for each move before progressing, and perform the circuit three times in total.
On a narrow plank or street curb, balance and walk forwards for 20m. Then walk back the same distance. “Keep your body straight and use your arms as little as possible,” says Verdier. Repeat five times for greater stability in every move you make.
Move forwards for 20m on all fours, with a stone or book on your back. “This forces you to keep your back flat,” explains Verdier. Repeat five times, increasing the speed. To make it harder, follow a straight line on the ground, keeping both feet and hands on the line to engage your core muscles.
Find a rail that you can duck under without touching it. Walk from two paces and drop under it, keeping your back straight. Stand up again. Repeat 20 times.
Natural advantage: This is your thighs' worst nightmare. Plus, you are forced to maintain good posture, which helps prevent back pain.
Sprint up a hill for 40m. Walk back down and repeat five times. Start with a very steep slope. When it gets a bit easier, switch to a gentler slope and increase the distance.
Natural advantage: It burns calories and improves explosiveness. Running uphill limits your speed to prevent muscle injuries.
Stand an arm’s length away from a wall. Jump as high as you can, touching the wall with your outstretched hand. Repeat 15 times, landing on the same spot.
Natural advantage: This engages under-used muscles in the lower body and core, to increase flexibility and explosive power.
Squat down to a heavy bag and lift it to waist height. Repeat the move 20 times, alternating between using both hands and only your left or right.
Natural advantage: The imbalance of the bag calls on stabilising muscles that are often ignored in the gym. Do your worst, Ikea.
With a training partner, throw and catch a medicine ball or sandbag, keeping it around chest height. After 10 throws, increase the distance and repeat until failure.
Natural advantage: This builds your upper body, as well as training you to predict the trajectory of an object and react faster.
Ask your partner to hop on your back and carry them for 50m. Keep your back straight throughout. Repeat four times, progressively increasing your speed.
Natural advantage: It reinforces your lower back musculature and works the legs better than any leg press in the gym.
Climb a pole, apeman-style – your arms pulling, legs pushing. To start with, aim to increase the time you can hang in the position pictured here. Hold for 1min. Repeat seven times.
Natural advantage: This works your back and leg adductors with resistance and endurance – so you'll be strong for longer.
Photography: Adrian Weinbrecht; Model James Farmer @ Andi Peters Models