Summerready
by Dana Roxas
During the winter, we all love to work out inside our favorite gyms and studios. However, when summer
arrives and the warm weather hits, we are ready to get out and enjoy that fresh air. Now, we won’t
completely “break up” with our current fitness center, but we do “need some space” to finally get
outside and into the sun. It’s time to think outside of the box and move your workouts outdoors.
Below are four outdoor workouts designed to mix up your routine and challenge you in a new way.
Just don’t forget your sunscreen!
1. Playground Fun.
Remember
how fun it was to play on the playground as a kid?
Well, not only is it still fun, but it is also a fabulous
workout. So, get creative! Swing across the monkey
bars. Use the monkey bars for pull-ups and chin-ups.
Use the trapeze rings for ring jump-squats. Walking up and down the ladder for the slide is an excellent lower body workout. As a bonus, slide down the
slide—just for fun—and rediscover your inner child.
2. Park Bench.
“Wait, don’t you just
sit on a bench?” Of course not! That bench is a total
body gym. Tricep dips can be done off the bench.
Steps—especially the high-steps a bench can provide—are great for your glutes and legs. Use the
back of the bench for incline pushups. Squat up and
down, and as soon as your booty touches the bench,
stand back up. To really kick it up a notch, do jumps
on and off the bench.
Step Ups
3. Beach.
Be prepared to get sandy and wet.
Workouts in the sand are harder than those on a more
stable surface. Your balance and core are challenged
even more on this unstable surface. Running on the
sand or in shallow water adds additional resistance to
tone your legs. If you love swimming, jump in the ocean!
The currents and the waves of the ocean will give you an
added resistance to kick your swim up a notch.