Outdoor Fitness feature on Wild Forest Gym

8/14/2019 Outdoor Fitness feature on Wild Forest Gym

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48 | OUTDOOR FITNESS OCTOBER 2013

GYMS MAY BE handy for a convenienttraining session that will get the job done,but theyre ultimately stifling. You can getcreative there, but youll still be duellingthe assorted ills of air-con, sweat pong,duff music and thumping treadmills.

By contrast, heading outdoors offers aworld of possibilities but even so, manyof us fall into the same old pattern of fixedexercises, reps, sets and the stopwatch.

There is no reason why training has totake the form of a pre-packaged sessionat all. Show a kid a bike and theyll ride it,put them near a tree and theyll climb it.They wont consider any of this training,but theyll be working harder than mostof us do in any so-called session.

Learning from kids can reap hugedividends in terms of both fitness and fun.

All it requires is a little mental rewiring and thats something that Michael Cohenat Wild Forest Gym is expert at.

The forest is an environment wherepeople can breathe and enjoy it. Everyturn you make youll come across

something different. In the forestI train organically, its not all planned.I tend to just move, see stuff, then use it.I think of the forest as one big playground:a gym thats there to be connected with.All of which means that from being

a place for the odd run, your local wood issuddenly transformed into the ultimateopen-air gym somewhere you canphysically push and mentally regenerate,and all this using nothing more than yourbodyweight and a healthy imagination.

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F O R E S T

F I T N E S SI F Y O U G O D O W N T O T H E W O O D S T O D A Y D O N T

B E S U R P R I S E D T O F I N D T H E M F U L L O F F I L T H Y

F I T N E S S N U T S G E T T I N G B A C K T O N A T U R EWordsWarren Pole PicturesMykel Nicolaou


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49OCTOBER 2013 OUTDOOR FITNESS |

I see the forest asone big playground a gym thats there to

be connected withMICHAEL COHEN

Play time: Trainingin the woods is allabout channellingyour inner child


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The cornerstone of Cohens

wild forest philosophy, this is

about achieving gains in a functional way.

Rather than simply developing strength,

endurance or speed, you develop all three

together to produce a stronger, more

resilient and more efficient body.

Gym machines limit your range of motion

and develop your strength in set movements

that rarely fit the demands of everyday life.

Ever bicep-curled the shopping into the

back of your car? Thought not. Training

outdoors can have similar limitations,

because in most parks the ground is flat.

But when you hit forest trails, youll find the

constantly changing terrain stimulates both

mind and body to adapt and improve. And

no two forest workouts are ever the same.

When we start moving functionally

crawling, climbing, lifting or jumping were

training our muscles to work in every plane

possible, says Cohen. We become more

adaptable for life in general, and can push

our boundaries further as a result.

At first, unlocking the value of functional

natural movement in your local woods

requires more thought than simply racking

out reps in the gym. But once you get the

hang of it, it is brimming with benefits

that youll feel from top to toe.

In the forest,youre trainingyour muscles towork in everyplane possible

FUNCTIONAL NATURAL MOVEMENT


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Here is a workout with a difference. Forest fitness is about freeing yourself from traditional physical and mental confines and that

means no rep-counting. Some drills, such as the bear crawl (see below), can be done for a fixed period of time, but the essence is to try

each exercise, work to your limits and find your own inspiration in your surroundings. This is harder than hitting a set number of reps

and requires more self-motivation. Your aim should be to concentrate on form and feeling, and to take yourself where you need to go.

1BEAR CRAWLGet on all fours and feelfor your centre of mass the place where

your weight is evenly spread between your

hands and feet. Keeping your knees and

hips low, move forward with opposite

hands and feet working in tandem. Speed

is unimportant, fluid movement is all. Then

reverse the direction. This move works

your core, shoulders and quads.

3 CROCODILE STALK PRESS-UPSThese are like regular press-ups, but instead ofsamey reps,break the pattern by shifting position on each one. Stretch an arm out, lean to

the side, put your legs on a tree trunk, crab across the ground, vary the width of your arms

and legs, or any combination of the above. The more you play around, the stronger you get.

2 CRAB CRAWLThis is an upside-downversion of the bear crawl (above). Again,

focus on smooth movement rather than

speed or distance. Let your feet and hands

soften to absorb the ground beneath, and

keep your hips high and level by engaging

your core abdominals. This works your

core, triceps, glutes and hamstrings.

4RUNNING AWARENESS The forest ispacked with obstacles, so you need to beat

them by constantly scanning ahead. Flick

between immediate detail and the bigger

picture. A vital trail-running and obstacle-

course skill, this improves proprioception,

the sense that tells you where parts of your

body are without the need to look.

5 ONE-LEGGED DUEL Face a partner, bothstanding on one leg. Lock hands and then

try to unbalance your opponent. Simple, fun

and surprisingly hard work as your core

and standing leg fight to hold you upright,

this also helps you to understand your own

centre of mass and balance, which filters

into every other exercise you do.

FULL-BODY FOREST WORKOUT

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Arriving in Epping Forest on the

Tube for my debut Forest Gym

session, I stand stretching in a clearing as

a shirtless Michael Cohen climbs trees for

our photographer, drawing the odd gasp

from meandering nearby dog walkers.

Soon the group has all arrived and Cohen

delights in getting everyone filthy all part

of breaking our preconceptions about

being outdoors. Slopes are crawled up,

streams are splashed through, fallen trees

are vaulted over and balanced on all made

more entertaining by the massive piles

of thorns awaiting fallers on either side.

Great for focusing the mind!

Going barefoot is a surprising highlight:

as mud squishes between toes, the

connection with my surroundings is

heightened. Its invigorating. I may have

trained harder elsewhere, but Cohens

approach is mental as much as physical

and the more you learn, the greater the

long-term benefits. Good movement is

key to great performance, and he unlocks

this in a stimulating setting, whether for

general fitness or obstacle-course racing.

On the train home, Im the muddiest

person in the carriage by a mile and I

couldnt care less. An excellent morning.

Warren Pole

FOREST GYM: MY FIRST SESSION

Slopes are crawled up,streams are splashedthrough, fallen treesare vaulted over


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6 POSTURAL ALIGNMENTTo move effectively when training, you need an understandingof correct posture. Imagine you are being pulled vertically upwards by a hair on the crown

of your head, and stand tall, confident, level and ready for good movement. This also opens

your vertebrae from hip to neck, avoiding any condensing of your spinal cord and allowing

free nerve communication throughout your body.

7 FULL SQUATSquats work almost everymuscle group. Stand tall looking straight

ahead, relax your arms and shoulders, and

align your feet so that they are parallel

do this from the groin not the ankle for best

alignment. Now slowly lower as far as you

can, leaning forward to counterbalance

and keeping your heels on the floor. Take

a beat at the bottom, then stand again.

8 GO BAREFOOT This is hardly a newidea, but in the forest youll experience a

heightened awareness of your environment

as you navigate the ground around you

without injury. Your feet need to relax to

absorb impact, and your posture must be

correct to allow any speed. Increase the

intensity by balancing on fallen trees and

using single-leg holds.

JONO WOLMAN

Aged 34 from

London, co-founder

of the extreme

sports network

sykose.com

My fitness goals are very different

from most peoples, because six

years ago I was diagnosed withankylosing spondylitis, an incurable

form of chronic arthritis. The

rheumatologist told me I needed to

exercise or Id be in a wheelchair

for the rest of my life. So while

other people train towards races,

for me every day is a goal in itself.

I met Michael Cohen through

work and realised hed had similar

mobility issues, and had managed

to work through them. That inspired

me. Im from South Africa originally,

so feel at home outdoors, but in

the UK most activities are indoors

because of the weather. WhenI heard that Michael was training

outdoors I jumped at the chance.

ALEXANDRA

MERISOIU

Aged 26 from

Ealing in London,

personal trainer

I signed up for a Tough Mudder

event last year and started going to

a local gym to train. But then I came

across Wild Forest Gym. It caught

my attention right away Ive loved

forests ever since I was a kid.

When I read that training continued

all year round regardless of the

weather, I thought This is for me.

After two or three sessions I

cancelled my gym membership.

Being in the forest felt like a real

escape from day to day life, and

the gym just wasnt giving me that.

I do a lot of strength and endurance

work in the sessions, and Im much

more aware of my body and

general posture because of it.

FOREST GYM:

WE LOVE IT!Wild Forest Gym runs courses

in Epping, Surrey Quays, Ruislip

and Bracknell: for more info visit

wildforestgym.wordpress.com

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Outdoor Fitness feature on Wild Forest Gym