When we think about yachts our minds usually picture the giants of the sea; ships tens of metres long and wide, with crews of sailors and owned by super wealthy magnates with seemingly infinite money to spend. However, the vast majority of the yachting industry is made of cabin cruisers, speedboats and sailboats on average 13/14 metres long. In fact, out of the whole yachting industry, as of 2018 there are only 10,000 private vessels that count as super yachts.
Luxury cruisers in particular, though smaller in size, are most of the time no less luxurious, and their practicality, lower maintenance costs and easier management in terms of emissions, safety and technology implementations make them an extremely attractive choice both for High Net Worth and Super High net Worth Individuals. This is demonstrated by the fact that cruisers and sailboats manufacturers are focusing on increasing luxury features on their vessels, in order to improve the cruising experience of their customers.
Among the numerous amenities super yachts have at their disposal, either a gym or some equipment is usually a must. Clearly, while super yachts have a lot of space to devote to fitness areas, this is not the case for 14 metres long cruisers and sailboats, which usually fit enough space only for 1 or 2 compact cabins, a toilet and a living area. And yet, the lack of space should not be seen as a burden by cruisers owners, but as an opportunity to have a unique training experience and stay fit even on high seas.
Training on board of your cruising gym
Picture this image in your mind: it’s a sunny day and the sea breeze is blowing gently in the air; your boat is lazily floating on a turquoise sea nearby a natural bay surrounded by green scrublands and forests; everything you hear is the rocking of the boat on the placid water and the distant roar of the waves crashing on the shore; you decide to take your fitness tools out in the open and start working out.
Albeit it may seem unpractical to start having a workout session on the deck of a cruiser, this is quite the opposite. Indeed, with a few tools easy to store, it is possible to obtain a very effective training session, wherever and whenever you are.
Exercises on your cruising workout
Bodyweight exercises are first kind of training that comes to mind with limited space. Bodyweight training, when combined with either an exercise ball or a pad, can offer potentially limitless exercises for the whole body, in a space no longer than your height and no larger than your frame.
- For your abdominal muscles, the list of bodyweight exercises is vast, ranging from the more traditional crunches to the more complex hamstring curls with a ball.
- For the upper body instead, using an exercise ball for push ups adds an extra layer of complexity, both because of the bigger weight you need to push up and because of the lower stability.
- Finally, an excellent bodyweight exercise in combination with your exercise ball for the lower body is the ball lunge, which once again adds the stability element to spice up the traditional movement.
Furthermore, every kind of exercised performed on an exercise ball is equally effective to core strengthening, which prevents lower back pain, enhances athletic performance and diminishes athletic related injuries.
However, if you still want to have a more focused workout in a more compact space, you can always use portable weight and tools, either standalone o in combination with your exercise ball and pad. Dumbbells are extremely easy to store and handy enough to carry, especially if weights can be loaded and unloaded from the handles at will. In an area slightly larger than a chair, dumbbells can be used for biceps, triceps, pectorals, shoulders and back muscles exercises. If combined with an exercise ball, dumbbells strengthen both core and upper body.
If weightlifting does not suit your needs, you can improve the quality of your strength training with resistance bands linked to handles or ankle straps. Resistance bands are the easiest tools to carry and are extremely effective for any sort of training. They can be used either for exercises covering the entire body or for focused workouts, as well as either standalone or in combination with other tools, depending on your needs.
By putting together these four elements, which occupy all together around half a square metre, you can basically build your own movable cruising gym, staying fit even when you are sailing towards pristine and secluded bays.
Learn the latest training tips at Waterfront
To those interested in having a full summer in wellness, Technogym, the world’s leading Italian company in fitness, wellness and sports solutions, has inaugurated its temporary store in Porto Cervo’s Waterfront Project, an open space where the most important luxury brands will display their newest products throughout the whole summer. In it, Technogym will display its SKILL and PERSONAL lines, together with its Wellness Tools range, comprising of all the equipment you need for your cruising gym, like the Wellness Bag, Wellness Rack, Wellness Ball and Wellness Pad.
Furthermore, Technogym will host numerous events to let you experience a full summer in wellness, such as “Good Morning Training” classes every Saturday morning to teach some more bodyweight exercises on a Wellness Ball, as well as meetings with fitness experts centred around nutrition and training.