Our Fitness Blog - Prism Fitness

5 Exercises to Support Your Hiking Habit

Take A Hike!

Whether you’re just getting into hiking or are already an avid trekker, implementing some key exercises can keep you exploring for years!

Hiking is an incredible way to strengthen your body and your mind! Hiking is both a weight-bearing and cardiovascular exercise which can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and can help you manage your weight and prevent osteoporosis.

Unlike regular walking, hiking forces us to navigate uneven terrain and awkward angles, which allows us to burn calories faster and engage and strengthen muscles we might not otherwise use.

In addition, hiking offers psychological benefits. Getting out in nature and taking in the sights and smells encourages feelings of enhanced well-being. Studies show that exercising in nature can also lead to better creativity, attention span, and memory.

While hiking offers variety and interest we may not get from the gym, it also presents challenges. Treading on rocks and tree roots, weaving around obstacles, and moving our bodies up and down steep terrain requires strong leg and core muscles and astute balance in order to help prevent injury.

These challenges are why it’s important to do strength training outside of your hike.! Try our these 5 exercise to help you avoid injury and have more enjoyable hikes!

5 Exercises To Support Your Hiking Habit

What You’ll Need:
SMART Medicine Ball
SMART Stability Ball

Russian Twist with a SMART Medicine Ball

Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lean back, holding the medicine ball to your chest, until you’re at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Keeping the ball near your chest, twist your upper body to the right, return to start, and then twist to the left. Do two sets of 10-15 reps per side.

Wood Chopper with a SMART Medicine Ball

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Holding the medicine ball with both hands, lift it up and to the left, on a diagonal, until your arms are extended. Then bring the ball down and across your body to the right, allowing your waist to rotate. Keep your knees bent and pivot your feet as you bring the ball down. Repeat by bringing the ball up and across your body on the same diagonal. Do two sets of ten reps on each side.

Lunges with a Twist with a SMART Medicine Ball

Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and hold the medicine ball in front of you. Step forward with your right foot into a basic lunge position. Keep your knee over your right foot. From your torso, twist your upper body to the right, engaging your core muscles and squeezing your glutes. Bring your arms back to the center. Step the right foot back up and return to standing. Repeat on the opposite side. Do two sets of ten reps on each side.

SMART Medicine Ball Plank Leg Lift

This exercise will help strengthen your core and glutes, and promotes better balance. Begin in a high plank with your hands on the medicine ball, directly under your chest. Engage your core. Keeping your feet wide, slowly lift your right leg up, hold at the top for a few seconds, and lower back down. Repeat with the left leg. Do two sets of ten reps on each side.

Improve Balance with a SMART Stability Ball

Incorporate SMART Stability Ball exercises into your weekly routine to help improve your balance. The SMART Stability Ball features 13 exercises—printed right on the ball!

Stronger Muscles. Stronger Joints.

Build stronger joints with the Smart Straps Body Weight Training System

The evidence is in! Most people, even those suffering from mild to moderate arthritis, can benefit from regular strength training. One of the greatest benefits of strength training is stronger joints, which allow us to move freely and enjoy life to the fullest!

Joints occur where two bones come together and are connected by muscles and ligaments. Joints also contain cartilage which helps distribute force and allow for smooth gliding when we move. Some joints, like our knees and elbows, operate like a hinge. Others, like our hips and shoulders, allow for more complicated movement and rotation.

We may not think about our joints until there is a problem. Arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, and tendonitis are just some of the conditions that might cause us to pay attention. Building and maintaining healthy joints now can help you stay active and prevent problems in the future.

One of the most effective ways to support your joints is to increase the strength of the muscles that surround them. Stronger muscles help absorb the forces that impact joints and cause strain. Muscles that work well may protect joints from excess wear. There is also evidence to support that strength training can relieve symptoms like joint swelling, pain, and stiffness, improving the function of joints with mild to moderate arthritis.

Exercises that include body weight, resistance fitness cables, or weight lifting will all serve to strengthen your muscles. To get the most benefit, aim to complete your strengthening routine two to three times a week for 30 minutes each time. Make sure exercises are done with correct form, reducing resistance or weight if needed. Finally, include a warm-up and cool down and don’t forget to stretch all major muscle groups.

Strengthening Routine – No Gym Needed

What You’ll Need:
Fitness Cables
Smart Straps Body Weight Training System

Squats – 3 sets, 10 repetitions
– Stand on the Fitness Cable with both feet and hold the handles near your ears.
– Lower yourself down, as if you’re sitting in a chair. Do not let your knees pass over your feet.
– Hold for 15-30 seconds if desired.
– Rise up to a standing position.

Lunges – 3 sets, 10 repetitions on each leg
– Stand on the center of the Fitness Cable with your front foot and hold the handles near your ears. Drop into a lunge position, keeping your trunk upright.
– Raise your arms above your head as you lunge for added shoulder and arm strengthening.
– Using your front leg, push yourself back up.

Push Up – 3 sets, 10 repetitions
– Position the Fitness Cable behind your back as you hold the handles and get into push up position.
– A modification to a traditional push up is to rest on your knees or do the push up standing up, with arms placed against a wall.
– With a straight back, lower your chest toward the floor and push back up.

For a full strength training workout, check out Prism’s Smart Straps Body Weight Training System which has 12 self-guided exercises printed directly on the straps for easy reference!

HIIT and the EPOC Effect

After a hard workout, we often experience satisfaction and a boost in mood thanks to the release of endorphins. But another type of boost is happening as well. EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, relates to the increased oxygen your body consumes and calories it burns as you return to a resting state following a workout. This metabolism boost means the effects of your workout can last long after your cool down.

When you exercise, the fuel used by your muscles can be produced using aerobic pathways (with oxygen) or anaerobic pathways (without oxygen). Workouts that rely on anerobic pathways can increase the body’s need for oxygen afterward, thereby increasing the EPOC effect.

Studies show that HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is the most effective way to spark the EPOC effect. HIIT involves alternating extremely intense periods of activity with periods of rest. When you push your body to its limits, your muscles will rely on anaerobic pathways for energy. This energy will be immediate, but in very limited quantities—you won’t be able to sustain maximum effort for long periods of time. The rest or low intensity period is just as important. Forcing your body to repeatedly shift between high intensity and rest provides excellent cardiovascular conditioning and can lead to increased endurance and speed.

There is a direct relationship between the amount of energy used during a workout and the effects of EPOC. A 20-minute HIIT workout will require more EPOC than a long, slow run, for example. You may also increase the EPOC effect by employing more major muscle groups during your workout. The key is focusing on intensity rather than duration.

Good To Know
– HIIT is a convenient form of exercise when your time is limited.
– HIIT workouts that involve bodyweight or added weight, like medicine balls, can increase the EPOC effect.
– Choose exercises that allow you to be explosive and keep your heartrate at or above 80% maximum for the greatest EPOC effect.
– Because you’re working out at high intensity, technique is very important. Make sure you can do an exercise with proper form at lower intensity before going all-out.
– Allow 48 hours of recovery between HIIT workouts.

HIIT Workout (Utilizing Only 2 Pieces of Equipment!)

What You’ll Need:
SMART Medicine Ball
Agility Ladder

Time: 18 minutes

3 Rounds

SMART Medicine Ball: Lunges – 60 seconds
Rest – 30 seconds
Agility Ladder: Jumping Jack Feet – 60 seconds
Rest – 30 seconds
SMART Medicine Ball: Mountain Climbers – 60 seconds
Rest – 30 seconds
Agility Ladder: High knees, two-feet per rung – 60 seconds
Rest – 30 seconds

*Agility Ladder exercises may also be done with the SMART Medicine Ball to increase intensity.

Watch our Cardio SMART Medicine Ball Circuit Video on YouTube!

Here’s Why You Need a Cool Down.

What is a Cool Down?

Generally, a cool down involves exercise at a reduced intensity and slower pace and includes stretching and deep breathing. A cool down allows your body to gradually return to a pre-exercise state. Just as it’s important to warm up before working your body, it’s also crucial to cool down.

What Happens to Your Body During a Cool Down?

Understanding what happens to your body during and after a workout can motivate you to make the cool down an essential part of your exercise routine. When you exercise, your heart beats at an accelerated rate, your respirations increase, and your muscles contract rapidly. All of this occurs to ensure that blood is oxygenated quickly and delivered to your hard-working muscles.

When you stop exercising, your heart rate and blood pressure drop suddenly and muscles stop contracting at the same rate and force. This can cause blood to pool in your extremities, slowing its return back to the heart and brain. Veins, which carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart and lungs, are equipped with one-way valves that prevent back flow. When blood movement slows, there is less pressure available to pump blood through the valves. All of this can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting.

After intense exercise, lactic acid accumulates in the body. A good cool down is an effective way to help the body begin to clear this by-product from the body and reduce post-exercise soreness.

The Importance of Stretching and Breathing in Your Cool Down Routine

During exercise, your muscles become warm and pliable. Consistent stretching after exercise allows muscles to lengthen, which, over time, allows for increased range of motion and a possible reduction in injury.

Adding deep, relaxed breathing to your cool down can help you take full advantage of the euphoric state that is often experienced when dopamine and serotonin are released.

Cool Down Routine

What You’ll Need:
SMART Mat

SMART 6mm Mat with Direct Print Exercises

Cool Down Goal: Return your body to baseline

Time: 10-15 minutes

Start with a light form of cardiovascular exercise. You can take the workout you were doing and simply reduce the speed and intensity for five minutes. If your workout was focused on weight lifting, you could start your cool down with five minutes of walking or cycling. Aim to get your heart rate below 120 beats per minute.

End with stretching and deep breathing. Carefully and gently stretch your muscles, focusing on those that were used in your workout. The SMART Mat has 14 stretching poses printed on one side to guide you.

Hold each stretch for 30 seconds per side. If you discover an area that needs more stretching, repeat the set. Do not bounce while stretching.

Practice deep breathing to experience the full benefits of your cool down. Slowly exhale as you begin the stretch, and then slowly inhale while holding the stretch.

Why Cross-Training Makes You Fitter

Add cross-training for a boost to your workout!

Traditionally, to get better at a sport, you practice the physical activity that supports the skill set required to perform at increasingly higher levels. However, focusing on only one major muscle group or only working to develop a certain range of skills may limit your capacity for athletic growth. Cross-training, because it can involve multiple types of exercises across various platforms, can allow you to go beyond your primary athletic activity and strengthen muscles, joints, and ligaments throughout the body. Runners, cyclists, swimmers, and all types of sports athletes can benefit from conditioning all parts of their bodies. In fact, you don’t even need to be an athlete of another sport to reap the benefits of a cross-training program. If your goal is to boost your overall fitness level, a cross-training program can get you there.

Avoid Hitting a Plateau

Exercise puts demands on the systems of the body by increasing blood flow, respiration, and circulation. Our bodies are designed to adapt to these stresses on the system. Eventually, doing the same exercise repeatedly becomes easier because our bodies become more efficient at the execution. Changing up the exercises, either by frequency, intensity, time, or type of exercise, will force the body to work harder as it’s in a constant state of change. This variety in routine will continually advance your fitness and keep your body from hitting a plateau.

Increased Aerobic Capacity

When you limit yourself to a particular sport, you may burn out from engaging in only one type of movement or group of movement patterns. During cross-training, when you’re feeling maxed out or sore, you can switch to a different exercise which allows you to continue your training session. Being able to go longer during a session increases your stamina, leading to greater aerobic capacity and a higher level of overall conditioning.

Increased Sports Performance

When you develop a habit of engaging multiple muscle groups, you create dynamic flexibility in your body that can make you able to respond faster and adapt quicker as you play or compete. Sports-specific training is essential to develop and master certain skills, but you will notice an overall performance boost when your whole body is conditioned vs. if you simply practiced your athletic skill of choice.

Mix Up Your Workout!

5 Days of Cross Training Workouts with just 3 pieces of Equipment

What you’ll need:

SMART Stability Ball

SMART Medicine Ball

SMART Ab Core Wheel

Day 1

SMART Stability Ball: Jackknife

SMART Medicine Ball: Lunge Pass

SMART Core Ab Wheel: Core Wheel Plank

Day 2

Stability Ball: Reverse Bridge

SMART Medicine Ball: Superman

SMART Core Ab Wheel: Bridge Hold

Day 3

Stability Ball: Side Leg Lifts

SMART Medicine Ball: Mountain Climber

SMART Core Ab Wheel: Knee Tuck

Day 14

Stability Ball: Back Extension

SMART Medicine Ball: Hip Hinge Toss

SMART Core Ab Wheel: Plank To Pike

Day 5

Stability Ball: Passovers

SMART Medicine Ball: Overhead Circle

SMART Core Ab Wheel: Wide Stance Front Roll Out

Why You Should Add Medicine Balls to Your Fitness Toolbox

Medicine balls are the perfect addition to your home workout equipment collection. For one thing, it’s a fantastic all-around fitness tool; excellent for building fitness, strength, posture, movement mechanics, and general athletic skills. It’s also very versatile because it can be used at all levels and ages by simply changing up the exercises.

Medicine Balls are helpful for almost every exercise movement you can imagine. You can use them while seated, standing, lying flat, and both static and dynamic movements. They are often used in sports training scenarios that add a new dimension by reproducing specific actions. This is usually done to boost the speed and accuracy of your movement.

Medicine ball training is versatile, cost-effective, and simple to learn. In addition, it can be time-efficient because it requires multiple body parts to work together. Using just one weighted ball can help you improve in a variety of areas.

INCREASE BODY AWARENESS

Using a medicine ball, you will be able to create movements that work an entire chain of muscles. In fact, the medicine ball improves your proprioception (perception, body awareness/positioning).

Try this:

Knee Lift to Runner’s Balance

Holding the ball between your hands, raise it up over your head and lift one knee up. Next, move the ball diagonally across the body toward the hip of the opposite leg that is lifted (your static leg). At the same time, move your lifted leg behind you, leading with your heel into a runner’s balance, keeping your static knee soft. Repeat in a fluid motion, or, if you need to build into the balance, tap the floor with your moving foot as you pass by.

WORK DEEPER MUSCLES

Adding a weighted dimension and putting your body off-balance helps to work deeper muscles in your body. When you strengthen the muscles that are vital to maintaining good posture, the result will be reduced injury rates (better core stability, stronger back). Even better, by developing your intermuscular coordination, including abs and lower back muscles, you’ll end up burning more calories by using more muscle mass.

Try this:

Side Lunge to Overhead Press with Knee Lift

Holding the ball between your hands at chest level, step one foot out horizontal into a side lunge while reaching the ball toward the lunging leg. Next, bring your leg back and immediately lift your knee up while simultaneously reaching straight up with both hands, holding the ball directly above your shoulders.

GREAT FOR BOTH BEGINNERS AND PROS

Our SMART Medicine balls come in various weights to provide a challenge in a variety of exercises and are great, whether you’re a complete novice or a pro. Five weights and sizes are available: 4lb 6lb 8lb 10lb, and 15lb. They come in fun colors and have self-guided workouts printed right on the ball if you’re ever stuck for a workout.