Throughout your fitness journey, you’ve probably made plenty of excuses not to take up fun outdoor workouts. It’s either too hot, too cold, too muggy, or too crowded to take a run or try a HIIT workout in the local park.
But it’s time you put those excuses to rest, as powering through strength training or cardio outside comes with a ton of perks, including a greater calorie burn and a major mood boost.
Here’s three examples of fun outdoor workouts you can include in your daily routine to spice it up!
1. HIIT Workout #1
This workout requires no equipment and can be done on grass or pavement. If needed, you can adjust the number of reps and time based on your fitness level.
- 5–10-minute dynamic warmup (e.g., light jog, jumping jacks, arm circles, leg swings)
- 20 high knees
- 20 squats
- 30 seconds jumping jacks
- 15 pushups
- 20 butt kicks
- 20 walking lunges
- 30-second plank
- 5–10-minute cooldown (e.g., walk around the park, light stretching)
2. Outdoor Park Bench Workout
If you’re out in the park and have access to a bench, you can use it to get in a great workout. Make sure to select a stable bench that will not tip over and can hold your weight.
Repeat the workout as many times as you want. You can also adjust the number of reps and time for each exercise to suit your needs.
- 5–10-minute dynamic warmup (e.g., light jog, jumping jacks, arm circles, leg swings)
- 20 incline pushups (against bench)
- 30 seconds step ups
- 30 seconds V-crunches (Sit on the end of the bench with your hands gripping the edge of the seat. Start with your legs outstretched at a 45-degree angle, then pull them in toward your chest, bending your knees.)
- 15 triceps dips
- 10 Bulgarian split squats per side
- 30 seconds incline mountain climbers (hands on bottom of bench)
- 20 seconds box jumps
- 5–10-minute cool down (e.g., walk around the park, light stretching)
3. Outdoor Cardio Burn
If you’re looking to improve your cardio, here’s a great high intensity cardio workout:
- 5–10-minute dynamic warmup (e.g., light jog, jumping jacks, arm circles, leg swings)
- 100 skips using jump rope at light pace
- 1-minute break
- 100 skips using jump rope at moderate pace
- 1-minute break
- 100 skips using jump rope at fast pace
- 1-minute break
- fast-paced skipping until failure (as many skips as you can do before needing to stop)
- 5–10-minute cooldown (e.g., walk around the park, light stretching)
For the ultimate cardio burn, try jumping rope, running up stairs, or sprinting. Here’s some other cardio ideas for you!
- 100-metre sprints (Use the distance between streetlights if you’re unsure how far this is)
- agility drills
- football field sprints (Sprint along short side, jog along long side)
- stairs (Find a long staircase to run up and down)
- hill running
- laps around park (Include sprints to increase heart rate)
Want some more workout ideas? Head over to our gym at Cynergi Health & Fitness Club in St. Julian’s and make an appointment with our personal trainers! They are guaranteed to give you workouts which suit your needs. Book today!