The Ultimate Workout
Jason Weslosky
| 3 min read
Somewhere along the way, someone gave the impression that exercise involved long bouts of exhaustive running in a straight line. I’m going to be honest with you: running circles around a track makes me feel like a hamster. Hats off to those who have seemingly endless amounts of motivation to get out there and run everyday, the rest of us find comfort in knowing that you received a double dose and left the rest of us with none. Regardless of how infrequently you hit the track, it is possible to find creative ways to get your body moving.
I found my exercise happy place on a field of grass with nothing more than a circular piece of plastic. That’s right, I am an Ultimate Frisbee junky (or simply “ultimate” as the regulars call it). I was first introduced to the sport through friends who played a weekly pickup game. Interestingly, this is how the majority of people find their way to the sport. After pick up, I took my game further by joining the University of Michigan Ultimate Frisbee Team to get the full experience, an opportunity I highly recommend to anyone considering it. Many readers may think this is an extremely random way to get out and exercise however, you’d be surprised to know that the popularity of the sport has consistently risen over the past few years; a testament to how easy it is to learn and to the diversity of players who can play. The beauty of ultimate lies in how easy it is to get started exercising. The only requirements are a Frisbee and other people.
Make it fun and you’ll forget the rest.
Ultimate Frisbee is a complete body workout. Running, jumping and throwing are combined to give your body a complete workout from head to toe. Throwing involves a combination of arm and torso muscles, running works your lower body’s endurance and jumping produces explosive movements similar to a plyometric workout. Ultimate Frisbee can burn upwards of 13 calories a minute – roughly the same amount you would burn by running at 5 mph. The difference between running and ultimate is that ultimate a standard workout and ultimate Frisbee is that this sport makes you forget you are exercising.
Find how many calories you might burn by clicking here.
A person my size, 6’4″ 200 lbs, playing one full game of ultimate frisbee (roughly 90 minutes) burns over 1100 calories! No wonder the sport is sweeping the nation. The benefits of an aerobic workout like ultimate frisbee include increased cardiovascular health, increased endorphin release resulting in a happier state of mind and improved muscular strength and tone everywhere on your body.
Many of you may be thinking, “I have no idea how to play nor do I know where to play.” Luckily, people have to put together resources to address your concerns. Be sure to check out the following links for more information:
- Watch the Detroit Mechanix, professional ultimate frisbee
Photo by liebeslakritze_neu
