Full-Body Fitness at Outdoor UW

Posted By Katherine Kermgard on May 13, 2019 |

Activating your core and engaging your deltoids may be the furthest thing from your mind when you’re sitting at the Memorial Union Terrace enjoying Babcock Ice Cream, but just a hop, skip and jump away from the Terrace lays Outdoor UW.

Located on the lower level of Memorial Union, Outdoor UW provides rentals and various outdoor activities for all to enjoy, including teaming up with Rec Sports for outdoor yoga. Below are some ways Outdoor UW activities can provide a full-body workout!

1. Core
   • Outdoor UW yoga class
     • Almost every move you make in yoga engages your abdominal muscles, from cat pose to plank pose. An adventurous (and core-activating) activity to try: stand-up paddleboard yoga at Outdoor UW! Outdoor UW even offers yoga classes that happen right on the Terrace!
   • Stand-up paddleboard (SUP) rental
     • You activate your obliques when you turn your shoulders and twist your core for every stroke! A group activity to try: SUP Squatch — a 3 to 8-person stand-up paddleboard experience.
   • Rent a kayak or canoe
     • Constantly twisting and turning works your abdominals. Additionally, the small movements of keeping balanced in the water help build your core strength!
2. Arms
   • Outdoor UW yoga class
     • Your downward-facing dog and locust pose will help tone your biceps and triceps. During your upward-facing dog on the Terrace, you catch a peak of the billowing waves in the distance.
   • SUP rental
     • Engage your deltoids, triceps and biceps when paddling through the water. Lake Mendota pushes back!
   • Kayak or canoe rental
     • Your triceps work hard when you paddle. Your forearm muscles also come in to play for the paddling motion. Plus, the circular motion of the paddle uses your rear, lateral and anterior deltoids. Truly a full arm workout.
3. Chest
   • Outdoor UW yoga class
     • Bridge or cobra pose will work to stretch and open up your chest. Many other poses, like upward-facing dog, open up your chest and stretch your entire upper body.
   • Kayak or canoe rental
     • Use your pectorals to put power into your strokes! While they may not seem like active participants in rowing, they are put under pressure with every stroke.
4. Legs
   • Outdoor UW yoga class
     • Try the crescent lunge, warrior pose or squat to activate your legs! It may sound simple, but the view from the Terrace will make it more engaging.
   • SUP rental
     • Your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes support your body on the paddleboard. Toning these parts of your legs is an additional benefit to not falling in the water.
   • Kayak or canoe rental
     • While they might not be the first part of your body you think of working when in a boat, your legs are bending and turning throughout the activity! They are also in contact with the inside walls of the boat and help with paddling, turning and stability.
5. Back
   • Outdoor UW yoga class
     • Child’s pose and chair twist are optimal poses for working your back. Child’s pose focuses on your lower back while you elongate your spine. Chair twist works your mid and lower back. These poses are perfect for preparing you for sitting in Terrace chairs all summer long.
   • SUP rental
     • Work your trapezius and latissimus dorsi (the largest muscle in the upper body) when paddling. You’ll also activate your erector spinae, which runs almost the entire course of your back and helps you extend your body. Talk about an upper body workout.
   • Kayak or canoe rental
     • Your latissimus dorsi moves your arm down, back and then rotates your arm inward. In turn, every stroke works your latissimus dorsi.

Swing (or paddle) on by to Memorial Union to try out all Outdoor UW has to offer! With a Wisconsin Union membership, enjoy many discounted services and activities.

For more information about Outdoor UW, click here. And to find out more about Wisconsin Union membership, click here.