Part 1: How to build muscle using your body weight: Upper-body workout

One of the most common misconceptions of working out is that lifting heavy weights is the only way to build muscle.  However, everyone from gymnasts to runners to breakdancers have been proving this wrong for years.

Heavy weights and machines are used to create muscle tension and while tension is needed to build lean muscle, you can lift your body weight through specific movements that maintain the tension along the full length of the muscle.

Try this upper-body workout in any London park. It has been design to build the chest, back, arms, shoulders and abdominal muscles.

  1. Wide press ups – 40 repetitions in as little sets as possible

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Wide press ups are a great way to create tension along the full length of the chest muscles. Try to complete the 40 reps in less than 4 sets, resting as little as you can in between sets.

  1. Chin ups – Four sets of five repetitions

chin-ups

If this is too easy, try making the negative (downward motion of the chin up) as slow as you can.

To make it easier, try jumping up to the bar and then controlling your self down.

  1. Suspension Trainer Pike ups – Three sets of 10 repetitions

pike workout

This is a great way to build and define the abs. For variation and to train the obliques, try pulling your feet up to each side. By pulling your hips over your shoulders they will be under the perfect amount of tension to incite muscle growth.

If you are you unsure about any of the exercises, why not order a TruBe trainer to come to your local park and show you how!

 

8 best parks in London for your TruBe session

With the evenings getting lighter, the milder weather returning and flowers appearing, Spring is definitely returning to London. It’s time to get outdoors and mix up your TruBe training routine.

To give you some inspiration, TruBe decided to put our heads together and list our favourite London training spots.

1. Victoria Park, Hackney

Victoria_Park_london

This park has just about everything you could need. A beautiful tree lined four mile loop for running or cycling, an amazing rope climbing frame for the big kid in you, plus an outdoor gym area for resistance training. And when you’ve finished your TruBe session pop into the beautiful Crate Cafe overlooking the lake for delicious food and coffee.

2. Clissold Park, Hackney
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A favourite with runners, Clissold Park provides a well maintained wood-chip trail loop, tennis courts and plenty of open space for your TruBe training sessions. When you’re finished pop along to one of the stylish cafes on Church Street for your post session nutrition.

3. Finsbury Park, Haringey

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Conveniently located, this park may not be the prettiest, but for athletes it’s up there with the best in the city. It’s hilly terrain provides the perfect environment for those high intensity sprint sessions and it boasts a fully floodlit running track.

4. Crystal Palace, Bromley

Crystal_Palace_Park

This former Victorian pleasure park boasts 200 acres of beautiful greenery and testing hills for even the strongest runners. It’s also home to the National Sports Centre one of the countries premier athletics venues.

5. Holland Park, Kensington and Chelsea

Holland Park,

Widely considered one of the most romantic and peaceful parks in West London, it features facilities for tennis and cricket, and its central location makes it a great choice for a post-work TruBe session. And if you’re lucky, you may even spot a peacock roaming around the park.

6. Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith and Fulham

Ravenscourt Park London

Designated an archaeological priority area, this park is lined by beautiful plane and cedar trees. It’s steeped in history and offers a peaceful place to train.

7. Clapham Common, Wandsworth

Clapham Common

The Common is a hive of fitness activity at any time during the week. It has beautiful wide open spaces, stunning views and great routes for running and cycling. Well worth a visit, especially in the spring.

8. Hampstead Heath, Camden

Hampstead Heath

Perhaps the jewel in the crown of London’s centrally located parks. Hampstead Heath offers the best trail running in the capital, brutal hills and well-maintained fresh water swimming ponds. We’d recommend doing a workout from the top of parliament hill the view is a sight for sore eyes for any London lover.

Why not have your next TruBe personal training session at one of the parks you haven’t visited before? After all, it’s a great way to explore more of London, see if your performance improves when you change location, and see if the grass really is greener on the other side…

Did we miss any out? Tell us your favourite place to train in the capital.

Download our app now and book your personal training session in the park.

P.S. Subscribe to the TruBe blog or follow us on Social Media for more inspirational ways to reach your health and wellness goals!

Image Credits:

  1. By Cristian Bortes
  2. By Sarah Charlesworth
  3. By Ewan Munro
  4. By Ewan Munro
  5. By Piotr Zarobkiewicz
  6. By Peter Smyly
  7. By Ewan Munro
  8. By Charles Drake