Outdoor Fitness Ideas

Posted May 12, 2017

As the weather finally starts to warm up, it’s time to get back outside to change up your workout. While it’s still important to maintain a consistent weight training schedule, there are lots of outdoor activities you can do to rev up your heartrate on family days or even if you’re out on vacation and don’t have access to a gym.

When some think of summer and warm weather, they immediately resort to running. But the truth is, not everyone is a runner! It’s a good thing that the outdoors allows for a wide range of fitness ability exercises that are free, easy to set up and most importantly fun to do!

If you have access to a park bench:
- Tricep dips- Try 3 sets of 10-12 using the edge of the bench. Start with your feet fully extended, and if those are too difficult, bring your feet in closer to your body.
- Step ups– Isolating legs, try 15 step ups, keeping one leg on the bench as you go up and down to maintain balance.
- Pushups– Using the edge of the bench and your toes planted on the ground, try to get in 10-15 reps for 3-4 reps. To make it even more challenging, push up and off the bench, catching air.

If you have a track:
- Sprints- They burn more calories (and time passes faster) than a straight jog pace. Try 15 minutes of sprinting once around the track and then walking once, then repeat for 15 minutes or 10 times.
- Jumping jacks then pushup supersets- Self explanatory, but try for 15 jacks and 10 pushups, 3-4 times total.
- Lunges- Lunges are one of the best body-weight leg exercises out there. If you have dumbbells, add them but if not, just lunge around the track on and off with 30 second recovery periods, for about 3-4 times.
If you’re staying on the beach:
- Sit ups- Hold an inflatable beach ball between your legs and lay on your back. Then lift your shoulders off the ground and crunch 10-15 times for 3-4 sets.
- Pushups- Take that same beach ball and place your toes on top, hands in the sand, in pushup position and slowly move up and down, bending at the arms for 3 sets and 10-15 reps.
- Back extensions- Place the beach ball under your stomach on a beach towel and pick your legs up behind you and arms up in front of you (this is a superman move). Aim for 15 reps and 3-4 sets.