How to Strength Train Outdoors
When the weather is beautiful and you don’t feel like going inside to the gym, simply take your strength training workout outdoors. You can still work nearly all of your muscle groups to near failure simply using your own body weight. Working out in this fashion may also improve your cardiovascular health as well. We will first cover movements you can use without any equipment. Then discuss some additional movements you could use with some equipment found in many parks.
Use Your Body Weight to Your Advantage
When strength training outdoors, you don’t need to bring any special gear with you. All you need is your body weight, which is both efficient and challenging no matter your level of fitness.
With the following body weight movements, I would suggest doing as many reps as you can in one minute, then give yourself 90 seconds to 2 minutes of rest and repeat 2-3 times. This routine should bring you to near muscle failure regardless of your ability level and take around 30 minutes to complete. Here are 15 body weight movements you can do without equipment:
- Push Ups
- Squats
- Lunges
- Supermen
- Planks
- Side Planks
- Hip Bridges
- Mountain Climbers
- Run/Sprint/Hill Sprints
- Bear Crawls
- Bicycle Crunches
- V-sits
- Burpees
- Inch Worms
- Wall Sits
The great thing about using your body weight is that you can pick and choose from the above list to vary your routine. I recommend choosing six each session and using the above formula. That way, you can get in a quick, super-effective strength workout.
Remember, when working out outdoors, be sure to stay safe and get plenty of water. Listen to your body. If you begin to feel sick or out of breath, take a break.
Use What the Park Has to Offer
Now on to the additional exercises we can implement provided there are some simple structures in the park like benches and jungle gyms. These 10 movements can be done in the same fashion as above. However, some of them may be more challenging to complete so less reps may be performed. The “equipment” needed for each exercise will be listed next to the movement:
- Pull Ups: Bar overhead
- Inverted Rows: Bar around waist to chest height
- Step Ups: Bench
- Dips: Bench
- L-Sits: Parallel Bars
- Toes to Bar: Bar overhead
- Split Squat: Bench
- Suspended Knee Tuck: Swing
- Bench Jump: Bench
- Toe Taps: Bench
Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with your workouts. Try the movements listed above and enjoy the outdoors, the variety, and the challenge a workout like this can create.