Blog

Urban Run

What is an Urban Run?
How do you create one?
 
These are good questions, and believe me, the answers are worth reading about. Ok, that sounds a little braggy I guess. How about… “if you want to have some fun outside and shake things up a bit, you should learn how to do an Urban Run.”  That’s better.
 
Urban Runs are not rocket science. The key is to have a large enough tool box of exercises to have at your disposal at a moment’s notice, and make sure you scout out an area first to increase the chances of a successful workout.
 
What exactly is an Urban Run?  It is basically a short run, usually 1 to 2 miles long that passes through an environment where you can utilize the surroundings to add fun movements and exercises. It will be in a “follow the leader” format with you in the lead.  Just tell your group to do what the person in front of them did.
 
Here are some of my common exercises:
* Dips on bike racks
* Pull-ups on walls or bars at a playground
* Walks up & down small hills, such as Bear Walks, Crab Walks, Sabertooths, & Gorilla Walks.
* Box Jumps on benches
* Run up and down stairs (this works well even with a wide set that is not tall – just run up and down in a zig-zag fashion)
* Bear Walk down stairs (this is hard on barefoot runners, so take caution)
* Frog Jumps for short periods of time
* Burpees, Dive Bombers, Hindu Push-ups, or Air Squats on open areas
* Bodyweight Rows on railings
 
Try to use combos. So pause at a hill and demonstrate how you will do a Gorilla Walk up the hill, then dips at the ledge at the top, then a Panther Walk down the hill (or whatever combo you chose). The key here is that the group gets a rest while you demonstrate and then they do the combo 1 by 1 in the “follow the leader” format.
 
This is a great workout to do with anybody. If they can’t do Bear Walks down stairs for example, just have them run down it.
Tags: ,

This Post Has 4 Comments

Leave a Reply