Many of my clients are strong moms who want simple, challenging strength training workouts outside the gym that require no equipment (no bands, no dumbbells, nothing). Here is a full body workout you can do outdoors, at the playground, while the kids are at play.
Before I break it down here’s a link to the full video:
Keep in mind that the exercises here are challenging; they’re meant to work bigger muscles (back, chest, glutes and quads) in ways that you might not otherwise consider. For instance, the chin up might not be possible….
But in the video I show you how to prop your feet up on the ladder of the playscape and do an assisted chin up.
Back is notoriously hard to train unless you own heavy weights or a pullup bar, so I also show you how you do inverted rows, which would be a fabulous substitute for the chins.
You can also use the picnic benches outdoors to perform several variations of the pushup (on knees, hands supported on bench, or decline pushups).
If you’re looking for some variety to the basic bodyweight squat for leg training, you could do the following exercises while at the playground (utilizing a sturdy bench anywhere is fine), such as the step up:
and Bulgarian split squat:
You could also hit the glutes, hamstrings, and core with hip bridges (see the video for variations):
and bodyweight Goodmornings:
Smaller muscles of the lower leg are super easy to train at the playground so check out the video for variations of the calf raise:
You don’t have to get dirty or on the ground for ab work either (I don’t seem to mind, and the kids will think you’re cool) like I do here:
You could use the picnic bench for a supported plank, and I have the core variations covered in the video as well.
The weather being absolutely perfect for this latest post I wanted to give you some ideas for taking your workouts outside. The video will walk you through several repetitions of each exercise as well as the suggested number of reps and sets you can shoot for while keeping your eye on junior.
So take it outside, maximize EVERYONE’s fun at the playground, show off all that hard earned muscle you’ve been working at all year round, and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty!
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