Exercising outside in Florida

[Snow Walker]

Hi everybody!  Snow Walker here.  I'm new to the community and live in Florida.  Originally from upstate New York and I dream of moving back to the cold, frozen North. Hence the name. 

 

I am am looking to get into some weight lifting and was thinking of building my own power rack. So far I have been doing everything inside in various places in the house, but I want a place for pull-ups, back squats, and benching.  It would be preferable to workout indoors as summer is miserably hot and humid. However, hubby and I are in the middle of remodeling our house and there is not much room left between stacks of tile, 2x4s, and drywall. Depending what we work on, I have to find different places to workout or modify my workouts. So in an effort to get my rack and pull-up bar together, I found a designated spot outside. Humidity will cause metal to rust, so I was planning to build a rack with wood and just keep up with protecting/cleaning the pull-up bar.  Pull-ups are a goal of mine and I want to be able to work toward them, even if that means just hanging around for a bit. (Pun intended).

 

Does anyone have any experience with lifting/working out in the outdoors in Florida in the summer? I have lived in the Tampa area for 5 years. The most functional I am all summer is mowing the yard and getting the flowerbeds weeded, which seemed like a good start to being able to take the heat.

 

Eventually I can get something set up inside, but we have been at this remodel for a year and a half now as a DIY and I don't want one more thing on the list of "someday after the remodel is finished I will ...(insert dream here)." I am hoping we could be done by January 2018 but we still have 2 bathrooms (read that as taking out the pipes and starting over from studs) to go.  

 

Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Kathleen's Adventure]

Was just going to ask about the name but then I remembered, Florida is getting it's share of snow! Did you get any?

I don't have any suggestions for you since I'm from the great white north and don't have to deal with the heat but I'm sure you will come up with a great idea on how to have a work out area and get the reno's done in a timely manner.

Good luck!

[ElRoberto]

Even though it's been 5 years if you keep working out outdoors you will eventually get used to it. I actually prefer to workout outside with the humidity and the heat, but you do have to be smart about it. I normally go for short runs during the middle of the day in the summer and mountain bike all times of the day. Also if you are just starting to workout or still trying to develop a base for fitness you may need to start very slow with short workouts and work your way up. 

 

I would suggest trying to get your workout in in the morning before it starts to heat up, or at night when it cools down (just watch for mosquitoes).If you are going to sweat it out in the heat of the day just remember to wear sunscreen and hydrate throughout the day rather than try to chug a gallon of water immediately following your workout. 

[Snow Walker]

ElRoberto, 

 

Thank you for the suggestions!  As a "transplant" to Florida from Upstate New York adjusting to the heat has taken some doing. However, I have stuck with it and will keep pushing myself to see what I can work through. Hydration is an absolute must. And I'all take advantage of the pool for post workout cool down  and recovery. 

 

Short runs or walks will probably be a must for me starting out. Everyone here is "freezing" at 55 degrees, but come summer we're lucky to see it drop to below 80 at night.  You're right about the mosquitoes though! I hope they don't carry you off either.

 

Thanks for the tips. Best of luck in your continued fitness pursuits. 

[Lydiechan]

Hey Snow Walker!  I have more experience building stuff than I do with working out in the heat.  But there are spray-on corrosion inhibitors that might be a good option for your metal parts on your rack.  You may already know this, but make sure you're using something like coated deck screws which are made to stand up against corrosion when you're building it.

Good luck!