A Park Workout

As an athlete who travels and loves to be outside, I have learned to make use of whatever is available around me.

Wherever I travel, and especially now as a mom, I’m often at the park. Here’s a quick park workout that’ll get you moving and feeling good!

My focus in sharing this workout is to give instruction on how to do the moves correctly to prevent injury.

For this workout I’m going to demonstrate six moves you can try at your local park!

The first one is “Stair Taps”

— This is a good warm up to get your heart rate up

— You’re trying to tap your toes on the step

— It’s ok to look down if you need to, just keep good posture

— Go at your own pace 

Next is “Bench Lunge”

— This is a more advanced version of a lunge

— As you step remember to hold your body in good posture and to have your knee aligned with your ankle

— You can do a low intensity version by alternating legs, or higher intensity by staying on the same leg before switching

— Choose a number good for you but I like to do 10 on each side before switching.

— Be sure to push yourself and feel a little bit of that healthy burn in your muscles. 

Next is “Push-ups on a tree”

— For lower intensity, position at less of an angle toward the tree.

— For higher intensity, step back further from the tree and increase the angle.

— You’ll want to stand feet hip-width apart. Remember to keep your elbows close to your body and your posture strong from your feet to the tip of your head.

— Choose a number good for you, but I like to do these in sets of 10. 

Next is a “Sideways Squat”

— This is a moving squat

— The length of your stride should be double your hip width

— Reaching your arms to the sky helps keep your posture strong and adds intensity to the workout to strengthen your shoulders.

— You could do a shallower squat or move deeper into the squat for added intensity.

— It works the outside of your hips more than a regular squat and helps with hip stability.

— I like to do 20 steps in each direction for a few sets. 

Next is a “High Knee Run”

— You could do this one in place, moving forward or backward to the side to activate different muscles in your legs.

— You can do this at a walking pace, or running depending on your level of intensity.

— You’ll want to keep your head up, raise your arms and activate your shoulder blades down and back.

— As you lift your knees, activate your core and bring them up as high as your belly button.

— I like to do 10 of these in each direction a few times to get my heart rate up. 

The last move is a “Row”

— I like using whatever is around me to help me get creative with my workouts. Today I thought this rope ladder at the playground would be a good spot to do rows.

— It’s a great workout for strengthening your shoulders, back and arms.

— For this I just angle myself back, align my posture, focus on keeping a strong core and pull up.

— For higher intensity you can find something with more of an angle 

Thanks for trying this out. I hope this workout inspires you to get creative with what’s around you and enjoy being outside in the fresh air!