Have you ever walked into a gym and seen an indoor turf field and avoided it like the plague? We get it, seeing all that open space with the equipment you probably haven't used before is intimidating, and it feels much safer to bee-line towards the familiar cardio and HIIT equipment. But, how many times can you run on a treadmill or push through an elliptical workout before you get burned out? We're going to help you switch things up by giving you the rundown on indoor turf fields and why you should be utilizing them.
Indoor turf is a padded area in the gym filled with various equipment to help you build muscles and do cardio. The extra padding helps prevent injuries and is easier on your joints. It’s also resistant so there’s less chance of slipping and hurting yourself.
Before we jump into how to use indoor turf areas, we're going to go over how to gain the confidence to use them. Feeling nervous trying something new at the gym is normal. The key to overcoming your nerves at the gym is to work out like no one is watching because they're not! Everyone is focusing on their workouts, so go all out, make mistakes, try new things, or you will struggle to reach your fitness goals. You might discover that you love this new workout and wish you had given it a try sooner! Keep in mind this does not happen overnight. Even fitness professionals can have a hard day at the gym. Keep working hard, and you’ll begin to see a positive change.
Somewhere along the way, turf fields became known as a workout space meant for athletes, not people who go to the gym for a cardio/strength-building workout. This could not be further from the truth. Turf fields can benefit everyone of all ages. It's an amenity that everyone should be using to build muscles while also burning fat. Don't be shy, hustle on in there and claim your space!
Getting into the logistics of indoor turf areas, the equipment you’ll typically find in there is medicine balls, kettles bells, sleds, cones, ladders, and other HIIT and cardio equipment. These are all great tools to improve agility, speed, get your heart rate up, and build muscles quickly and effectively.
Now that you're familiar with the equipment you can use while in the functional turf area, let's jump into some effective exercises you can do on the turf.
Agility Ladders: Improve your coordination and speed with agility ladders. The key here is quick feet and lots of focus. You'll be able to see your progress over the weeks with your speed and your accuracy of the steps. Lay out a ladder, and practice short hops and quick steps. Once you practice that, you can start by running a couple of drills such as the River Dance, Ickey Shuffle, and the Centipede.
Conditioning: This is a great workout to build endurance and get your heart rate pumping. A couple of great conditioning workouts are gassers, where you sprint at full speed to the opposite side of the turf and back. That counts as one gasser. The next drill is 300-yard shuttles. Run to the 25-yard line and back 6 times in a row without stopping. When you're just starting, do it as fast as you can, and eventually try to do it in under 80 seconds.
Cone Workouts: These help increase agility and your ability to change direction quickly. Set up cones a few yards apart and run back and forth quickly changing direction.
Strength Conditioning with a Weighted Sled: Ready for an explosive workout? Sled pushes will help build your lower and upper body strength quickly and effectively. You can push the sled across the turf or strap the harness on and pull it behind you to strengthen and tone your legs.
Now you have the full rundown on indoor turf workouts, exercises to try, and the confidence to execute them! The next step is to watch our video on our indoor functional training area and claim your 3-day free pass to Gold's Gym SoCal so you can utilize our indoor turf fields and put our advice to good use!