I hate to be cooped up inside in the gym when the sun is shining! In between clients and work, I always love to take Timothy to the park and spend some playtime outside. It’s hard to fit in my own workout on top of everything, which is why I came up with this great outdoor Playground workout that you can do almost anywhere. Having a playground to do this in is ideal, but if you can just find a bench or some grass, it’s the perfect place to get in an effective body weight workout. Try to perform the sequence below 1 – 3 times through.
Plank: I like to start with a bench plank to warm up the abs and start to really activate those core muscles. This way you can be aware of them and keep them engaged throughout the workout. Hold for 15 sec – 1 minute.
Bench Pushup: From the plank, I jump right into my pushups! Spread your hands a little wider than shoulder width apart and keeping your core muscle engaged, bend your elbows to start to lower your chest towards the bench. When you’ve gone as far as you feel comfortable, push back up. Do 10 reps.
Jumping Jacks: Perform 30 seconds of fast jumping jacks to keep your heart rate up.
Playground Pull Ups: If you can find an over head bar (monkey bars at the playground are great for this), do as many pull ups as you can until fatigued. If you can’t do a full pull up just yet, jump up and hold at the top – you’ll still get a good strength workout and can build your way up.
Core Knee Ups: Staying in an isolated pull up hold, let your legs hand and then bring your knees into your chest. Repeat this movement 10 times.
High Knee Sprint: Coming down from the monkey bars, perform 20 secs of fast high knee sprints, bringing your knees up to belly button height. Run in place like you’re racing to a finish line!
Tricep Dips: This can be done using either a bench, or a couple of bars as shown below.
Squat and Swing: Timothy usually gets pretty antsy at this point watching his Mommy do her workout, so I incorporate him into my squat and swing. With your little one in the swing, perform a squat and then push the swing off. Try to get in 1 squat between each swing push. Perform 10 – 20 reps.
Tree Pose: I like to end the workout with a tree pose and stretching of course. The tree pose helps keep you grounded to move through the rest of your day with strength.
I’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite playground workout moves? Any new ones I should try?
