Change Up Your Extreme Sports Routine
Have you ever had a passion? Something you lived and breathed, a pastime that was more a way of life than a hobby? We’re guessing that for many Adrenalist readers, the answer is “yes.” We’re also guessing very few of you have given thought to what you’d do if, one day, you woke up and decided that your passion didn’t light the same fire that it did the day before. Some fortunate ones will never experience this loss, but many will. Chalk it up to the hands of time. Luckily for extreme sports lovers, there are many ways to reinvigorate your athletic interests by making small tweaks to the way you chase your adrenaline high.
Change up your routine with these five extreme sports.
Like skateboarding? Try longboarding.
If you feel like you’ve had one too many rides around the skatepark lately, don’t fret. Give longboarding a try. Longboarders utilize the same skills as skateboarders so you’ll be able to make a seamless transition all while benefiting from the exploration of a new sport with its own brand of excitement. Many think skateboarding and longboarding are one. Not true. While skateboarding’s better for park tricking and traveling short distances, longboarding is the ticket if you’re interested in riding fast and far. Longboards also offer far more control around turns than their more modestly sized counterparts.
Like running? Try speed skating.
Maybe your joints hurt, maybe the new neighborhood you moved into isn’t so safe, or maybe it’s just really really cold outside. Whatever it is that’s made you less excited about running, you should consider giving speed skating a try. The mechanics of the two sports are very similar–practitioners still benefit from a strong cardiovascular workout and build significant muscle in their legs without sacrificing bone and joint health often compromised by the continuous pavement pounding associated with running. A little worried about the whole blades on ice thing? Don’t be. Here’s a starter’s guide to help you kick things off and, hey, no one said you had to leave behind old passions for new. It’s just about diversifying.
Like hiking? Try rock climbing.
Hiking’s been great to you for years. You’ve done it for exercise and to clear your head to appreciate the great outdoors, but you’re looking for something that’s going to help get in a little better shape and push you harder. In short, you want to kick it up a notch. Give climbing a try. It’ll provide you with the same access to nature while raising the physical stakes necessary to keep you challenged and engaged. If you’ve never climbed before, visiting your local climbing gym is a great way to learn the basics. Once you’ve got the hang of climbing indoors, in a controlled environment, try a beginner-grade outdoor peak. Give it a few months and you may even want to consider registering for climbing competitions.
Like skydiving? Try BASE jumping.
Once you’ve jumped out of a plane flying thousands of feet in the air, the concept of jumping off a cliff that’s a few hundred feet high, or maybe a thousand, shouldn’t be much of a shock to your system. What it will be is fresh and exciting. Though skydiving and BASE jumping demand the same basic mindset of their enthusiasts, BASE jumping is the likely step up for the Adrenalist in search of greater thrills. For one, the low altitudes of the jumps mean BASE enthusiasts risk coming into contact with harmful obstacles and that’s to say nothing of the intensities that go along with BASE ripcord timing. Let’s just say things are a whole lot more urgent from 1,000 feet then they are from 10,000. Though we’re almost certain you’ll enjoy the BASE change of pace, you’ll probably want to take a primer before making this switch.
Like surfing? Try wakeboarding.
Many surfers wakeboard and visa versa, so rest assured, you’re not abandoning your identity by trying something new. In fact, the frustrations that go along with surfing — namely difficulty picking up speed off of insufficiently sized swells — are ameliorated when on a wakeboard. You’re fastened to a speedboat which will pull you along at your heart’s content, giving you an opportunity to hone your balance and tricking abilities for prolonged, continuous clips the likes of which you’d never be able to experience on a surfboard.
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