Outdoor Fitness: We want to get out!

People who want to get their figure in order or finally walk to the third floor without breathing difficulties have exactly two options. Either you sign up in a gym and try to survive 45 minutes on a cross trainer regularly. Maybe that will work out, but maybe these people will also ask in between what they are doing while the sun is shining outside, at best the air smells like nothing and their view is made up of 30 other faces that distort as desperately as they do own. Or: You walk through a park, train your stomach between daisies and rhododendron, feel raindrops on the skin and have a nice companion.

The second option is more attractive than the first? That's probably why more and more athletes and those who want to become an athlete enter an outdoor fitness club. Even if the assumption is obvious, behind "Outdoor" hide neither rafting nor free climbing, but quite simple endurance, strength and coordination training in groups, under the guidance of a professional trainer in nature. In wind and weather, sun, rain and snow.

"We want to offer an alternative to the gym," explains Maike Haselmann, 31, who founded "Onlysports" in Hamburg with two friends. Inspired by British Military Fitness of London, an outdoor training course developed by British officer Robon Cope, which is offered in hundreds of parks in the UK. Maike Haselmann and her partners changed the program according to their own ideas, working together with professionals from the sports university - and Onlysports was done. "Basically, we do not train differently than in any studio, with two little differences: we're ALWAYS out, and it's all about the sport - no bar, no music, no sauna - just training."

That's what Hamburg looks like: Five times a week, Planten un Blomen or the Hafencity Onlysports courses take place after work. Duration: 60 minutes, Demand: moderate to quite exhausting. "We make sure that the whole body is fully stressed and challenged", explains Maike Haselmann.

The coaches have different emphases - from martial arts to aerobics - and are allowed to build their courses as they please. For the participants this means choice, variety and never boredom. Only sports coach Sonja keeps the good mix of strength and stamina. On a Monday night, she does "regular" training for people who can handle more than ten pushups and three jumping jacks. Beginners meet in the "technique" classes, super athletes in the "speed" training.

The training at Sonja really has it all. Between individual running units, the movement-willing men and women have to make jumps on steps, felt 400 abdominal exercises in the meadow, butt training on walls, pull-ups on railings. In addition: Jumping Jacks, slalom runs, Skippings. Although after 60 minutes everyone looks like they have fallen into the water, the enthusiasm is great. "I knew immediately that this was my thing," says Melanie, 34. "I'm out in the fresh air, and training with others totally motivates me."

That is exactly what drives many members of the "Fitness Bootcamp Berlin" to come to the training. "There are people who are not individual athletes, and who makes squats on a public lawn alone?" Says Katrin Hentschel, 36, who started her club in Berlin Tiergarten last year. "When I train in the group, it does not matter if walkers comment on my sit-ups, and I'm 'watched over' by the others, and if they persevere, I'm not going to go limp myself." Although some might like to squeeze now and then.

In Berlin, people sometimes work with the whistle if someone does not get up or down the tree fast enough. A little Bootcamp character may already have the whole thing. The "outside" unites all outdoor clubs, whether they are building circuit training courses in Cologne, offering six-week complete packages in Munich or taking over the parks in Hamburg; as well as the fact that in all clubs as many men as women train.

And then there are the low prices. Since none of the clubs have large expenses for electricity and water, rent and cleaning crews, the contributions for an annual membership at all between 19 and 33 euros per month. There are five or ten cards and fair notice periods. "We want our members to be able to choose flexibly how long and how often they want to work out." "By gagging contracts, people do not even end up coming," says Katrin Hentschel.

The sports scientist Michael Steinkohl, 44, from Rosenheim, sees exactly the same. He founded his outdoor club "37 degrees Celsius" in Rosenheim three years ago, making him the first in Germany. In the foreground is clearly: feel good. "We do not want to see top performance," he explains his concept. "Everyone should train here, how it suits him." Among other things, at "37 degrees Celsius" back training is the focus. "The back is a core issue, so we offer classes like Pilates."

Especially beautiful in front of the Alpine panorama - a burning back musculature is guaranteed to hurt only half as much. In such an environment, of course, Nordic walking and mountain biking are almost inevitable, probably also a reason why "37 degrees Celsius" now has 350 members and two branches, including in Austria. Cross-country skiing and skating in winter is the only option, as there is rarely a course taking place in the clubhouse when there is so much snow that Pilates would be silly on a mat. "Quiet sports in the snow are still the absolute trend in our club," says Michael Steinkohl.

In addition to the enthusiasm for being outdoors, Michael Steinkohl observes something that makes outdoor clubs so special: the great sense of community. "Real friendships are formed, the members go hiking in the huts together or drive to the beer garden together - a great side effect." But it lacks any form of Vereinsmeierei. Also in Hamburg, the onlysports groups grow more and more friendly together. "Some members are now going on holiday together or participating in a marathon as a group, and we others are standing on the edge and cheering them on," says Maike Haselmann.

Especially community-promoting is really bad weather. Hamburg is also the only exception: the hamburgers are out in the worst of conditions. "Then the thick layer of ice on the floor is just built into the exercises," says Maike Haselmann. "If you've stuck muddy with 30 centimeters of snow or in the pouring rain, that's not only fun, but also quite proud."

Tip: Outdoor training has been taking place in Bonn since 2011, in the outdoor gym.