Best sports to practice in Amsterdam
With one of the healthiest population in the world, Holland it offers many opportunities for practicing a wide variety of sports. If you live in Amsterdam you’ll notice that most of the people ride a bike, which is convenient and allows you to go in many places not reachable by car. Beside that there are gyms in every corners and if you walk just a little away from the center you’ll find many free spots for practicing Calisthenics. Trough this article you will discover activities and places to keep yourself fit, but also a piece of the dutch lifestyle.
Cycling & running
It’s not called Netherlands without a reason, the country is really flat, with the highest hill that is around 300 meters. As a result of that, bicycles are very common, both for the daily use or as a sport activity. Seamless in the center and outside, is possible to ride into bicycles paths making the activity much safer and relaxing. If bicycle is not your cup of tea, you can always go for a run; between parks and lakes, you’ll get lost in this beautiful city. The main event for runners is the Marathon, that takes place October the 20, however If you want to impress yourself, another appointment is the Strong Viking. A trial running competition that available in different cities with events scheduled all year long.
Boxing & martial arts
Too rainy for staying outside? Martial arts and combat sports appear as the best choice. Perfect to burn calories are also good for your reflexes and more important, to increase your temper. The options are almost unlimited, there are several gyms that offer courses both for beginner and aspiring professionals. A chain that cover these sport and other related is Sportcentrum Universus available in different locations; for those who are interested in MMA, R-Grip is the place to be: a daily schedule covering all the martial arts at 360 degrees.
Skateboarding
With the arrival of the good season people grab their skateboards and reach one of the several skateparks around the city. For this sport, Holland is much more ahead compare to other European country, Italy, for instance. To catch up with other skaters and know spots and events, I suggest you to visit, Flatspot Magazine, the point of reference for who’s practicing underground sports in the Netherlands.
Calisthenics
Bodyweight exercises are perfect to increase strength, fitness and flexibility, through movements such as pulling and pushing. With this sport you’ll train muscles in aerobic condition, resulting a mix that makes of Calisthenic a complete and safe discipline. I’m not exaggerating saying that every suburb has it’s own spot for free workout, furthermore I’ve never seen it one in bad condition. So, If you want to save money without lose your fit, take a look around and discover the closest spot to you. Show everyone who is the real urban macho!
Basketball & soccer
If you are a fan of group sports, Amsterdam offers something also for you. Soccer is the national sport and one of the most practice among the young generation. The national team has also some of the strongest players ever such as Van Basten and Johan Cruijff . Naturally there are several camps but also city-parks are a good option. Basketball is popular as well, it’s possible to do it in outdoor facilities as well as in the indoor ones. Playing is your passion but seems hard to organize a match? Luckily technology covers you, sign up to meetup.com and arrange games with people that lives around you.
Embrace the healthy life of Amsterdam and join one of the several sport-centers here. If you can’t pick it one, or you just want to explore, discover OneFit.nl, thanks to this app you can go in all the gyms in town with a limited amount of times per month. If you like sport and you plan to spend a period in Amsterdam, don’t forget this article and read also, best sneakers shops in Amsterdam, to get your last pair of running shoes.
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