Indoor workouts provide a variety of benefits

When the weather turns cold, the snow starts to fall and the sidewalks get icy, exercising outdoors loses its appeal. Luckily working out indoors is not only an excellent alternative, but it provides with you great benefits you can only get from being physically active on commercial fitness equipment. Getting the most out of your indoor workouts One such advantage is altering your fitness plan to incorporate more strength training. If you have a tendency to focus your workouts mainly on the cardio aspect, like running on commercial treadmills like a True PS900 Treadmill, then you might be missing out on the full benefits of a total workout. Rewriting your workout regimen to alternate between cardio and weights – whether it’s on machines or using free weights – can get you over a fitness plateau or keep your motivation high. Strengthening your muscles is also crucial for a safe and more effective cardio workout, especially the muscles of the lower body like hamstrings, quads, calves and core. After spending some sessions strength training, you’ll notice an improvement in your running or biking, which can encourage you to keep working hard and challenging yourself when it comes to your workouts. Another great benefit of working out indoors is that workouts become completely customizable. Often exercise is based on the conditions outdoors. If it’s too cold (or too hot), you might have to cut your run or bike ride short. This might also be the case if it starts to rain, snow or storm. Inside, on the other hand, you don’t have to worry about the elements. Equipment like commercial exercise bikes and treadmills are completely programmable, so you can create a new custom workout each time you ride. “But with a treadmill you have at your fingertips the ability to tailor, customize and vary your workout every single day: to focus on speed, or to add intervals, or hills,” Jessica Matthews, California-based yoga instructor and exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, told Reuters. Exercising outdoors is, more often than not, a completely solitary activity. While this can be meditative, incorporating a social aspect when working out indoors can be beneficial. In the gym you may meet people who have similar fitness goals with whom you can share tips and workouts that have been effective or not. You can also make new friends who share you passion for staying physically active. You can learn new techniques to improve your running or suggestions on how to burn more calories during your bike ride.