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Moving to a flat in W1 a month ago has seen me inherit many of the challenges my clients face in getting fit when there are less than optimal facilities available. It would be easy if I worked in a gym, but I made the decision over two years ago to turn my back on mainstream gyms. So my recent comments on applying exercise economy to training programmes has proven timely as I make a few changes to my own training.

My postcode has little public green space that isn’t small and lacking privacy. A run can be frustrating along streets teeming with workers and tourists. Plus, I have given up a concrete yard in which I could weight train to my hearts content for downstairs neighbours that require a quieter time of it.

On top of all this, on some days my work schedule won’t permit me to travel outside the local area to an outdoors gym.

So, I have scoured the West End for street furniture I can use with a bodyweight programme and out-of-the-way steps and inclines that make a run more challenging.  As I now live on the 4^th floor, with no lift, my stairs have become an essential part of my cardio training. And, because I think I’d get a little self-conscious doing hamstring stretches on Oxford Street, I’ve brought my flexibility programme indoors into the front room.

Finally, when I can get to an outdoor gym, I make best use of the occasion. I use every piece of equipment I find to supplement my new, ‘urban’ workout. The key is programming home workouts that complement outdoor training in order to keep seeing results.

This morning’s edition of The Times features an article on outdoor gyms to which I was asked to contribute. Their journalist gave me free reign to chose a venue for testing the effectiveness of such equipment and I chose to meet her at the outdoor gym in Cantelowes Gardens, Camden, north London

This site was designed and installed by Georgie Tarrant of the Great Outdoor Gym Company. Hew own indoor gym membership led her to decide to emulate the fitness equipment found in mainstream indoor gyms and the pros and cons, as I see it, of this approach are neatly summed up in the article.

However, there is no disputing that it is possible to achieve excellent fitness results from outdoor workouts. I myself have been using such equipment with my clients and in my own training, since 2005.

I’m also always very happy to see a well-respected platform like The Times cover a fitness story that isn’t just a fad piece of equipment or wonder supplement. It is the proximity and accessibility of these outdoor gyms that make them a key component to a successful fitness programme.

Finally, it’s always fun introducing someone new to the advantages of outdoor exercise. The Times’ journalist, having only experienced indoor gym training before, was sceptical at first. But by the end of our session, she really seemed to appreciate the alternative this outdoor experience can offer.

Another entry in an occasional series of reviews of London’s outdoor exercise spaces.

Overview:

From the late nineties up to 2005, I lived in Highgate Village, N6. This quaint adjunct to Hampstead Heath, is often overshadowed in people’s minds by the glitzier, more celeb-dominated Hampstead proper.

Whilst living on North Road, I would cross Archway Road and walk up Muswell Hill Road to go for  a run in Highgate Wood. The park contains 70 acres of ancient woodland, a cricket pitch, a children’s playground and the Pavilion Café.

Stations:

The wood’s mini-trim trail, is situated at the far end of the cricket pitch, leading up to the practice nets.

Its three stations are: push up platform, parallel bars and pull up bars. This may seem like not worth a trip but the essential element of any trim trail (a facility for completing pull ups) is amply supplied by the three pull up bars plus the parallel bars.

The rest of your workout can be improvised. As the Wood is a rougher environment than other outdoor gyms I’ve used, you can use numerous tree stumps as step up boxes and fallen trees can be hurdles during a run.

Privacy:

The wood is dense with oak and hornbeam and provides many little private areas that you can utilise for bodyweight exercises.

Public Facilities:

There are two sets. One is next to the children’s playground and the other is found behind the Pavilion Café. There’s a drinking fountain within the Wood, roughly located behind the Café.

Advantages:

The tree-lined trail that circles the Woods affords a good deal of protection from inclement weather.

This path is about 2 kilometres long and offers a picturesque running track plus a few inclines (particularly one at Bridge Gate).

Of the millions of words published online about fitness, very few help dispel confusion about what exercise and proper nutrition can and cannot do for you.

To avoid the online ‘blah, blah, blah’, when I come to write a blog, I concentrate on the real factors that affect people’s fitness levels, weight and wellbeing. Issues such as psychology, logistics and personality. For instance, here’s a blog on Healthy Eating To Suit Your Personality.

Rather than me describing the latest exercise physiology research, it might be of more practical use for me to give some simple advice on the Horrible Running Styles I see on a daily basis. Running before you can walk won’t help the average layman lose weight.

» Read more: Not Just Another Fitness Trainer Blog

I’ve seen my fair share of strange or unsuitable workout gear.

Flip flops whilst squatting? And let’s face it – no one looks cool doing a quadruped. I thought to share my opinions on the best workout clothes to wear for fitness training.

Natural Fibres:

Cotton sweats are a classic look, warm and comfortable. But they encourage sweat marks and after washing take ages to dry. » Read more: What Not To Wear (When Training)

Scheduling little acts of good behaviour, helps you step-by-step towards a healthy lifestyle.

It can be difficult to stick with the challenge of a new exercise programme. You get an advantage if you compliment this good behaviour (activity) with other healthy habits – which can be anything from choosing to snack on nuts and seeds; to drinking more water; to cooking a post-workout meal. And the more healthy choices you can cluster together, the easier you’ll find fitness success, as the individual acts of good behaviour tend to support the entire framework. » Read more: Healthy Habits & Little Acts of Good Behaviour

Abandon your search for the food of the gods, whether it’s goji berries or krill oil.

The search for a perfect list of ‘super foods’ undermines your good intentions to eat better.

I call this quest for the ultimate food, the ‘Steel Cut Syndrome’ – a term I’ve adopted following a conversation with a young, overweight man looking to change to a healthy eating diet. Part of his eating plan, he said, was to have a breakfast of porridge oats everyday. » Read more: The ‘Steel Cut’ Syndrome – Super Foods