Ski Touring: The Ultimate Workout!

[Chris Jones]

Okay, well I may be heavily biased in my opinion there. But then again, how many outdoor activities do you know of that allows you to work almost every muscle in your body from head to toe while focusing on your core muscle group, and is fun beyond compare (in terms of exhilaration and adventure), as well as easy on the joints*?

That's not a rhetorical question; I am seriously asking. Why? Because it's no longer winter, and I am looking for a spring-summer-autumn activity that does the same thing (gives me a decent all-body workout with emphasis on the core). I hate going to the gym because the scenery never changes.

Any ideas or suggestions, or should I just head south of the equator?

Thanks…

*YMMV here; it's easy on my joints as I prefer gentle, rolling terrain

[Roger Caffin]

I remember watching an old guy skate ever so casually past me, uphill, on the loops at a resort. I complimented him on how easy he made it look.
His reply? "I'm busting my guts out!"
Ah well.

Cheers

[Gerry Volpe]

How about mountain biking? Great workout, lots of fun.

[David Chenault]

Get a singlespeed mountain bike.

[ROBERT TANGEN]

Some competitive swimmers need to consume 6,000 calories per day, so you know they are using almost every muscle on their bodies.

[Chris Jones]

I am not opposed to mountain biking. It seems like good fun, and I enjoy clicking through the bikepacking.net forums and reading their trip reports.

But biking of any kind focuses primarily on the leg muscles, no?

[David Chenault]

Chris that's largely true. Mountain biking in general uses the upper body and core more, and singlespeeding much, much moreso, especially the core. It can be right up with ski touring if you ride hard and try to clean all the climbs.

For even more value per mile, get a rigid fork and build forearms of steel.

[Paul Magnanti]

Problem with MTBiking is that on weekends I want to hike and not bike. :)

Agree with ski touring being the ultimate workout. When I was unemployed two winters ago, I skied at least 20/30 days a month. (IF not more?). Man..was I in excellent shape!!!

If you can't stand the gym, a quick and dirty all-around workout are burpees.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_%28exercise%29

Do them in your basement/spare room/ rec room/ where ever you have a small amount of space.

Short and intense. Do as many as you'd like (or can!) to get in a full body workout without needing any extra equipment. :)

[Sam Haraldson]

Riding a rigid mountain bike will leave you feeling like you've been doing pushups all day so I assure you it's not just a leg workout.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

When I was a XC racer I trained in the summer with roller skis and tungsten carbide tipped poles. Fantastic workout. Look online for them.

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rowing

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