Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Create Your Outdoor Gym

If you live in the PNW like I do, you wait...and wait...and wait some more for weeks like this!  When the weather is nice, Seattle is the most amazing place to live.  The key word being when.  Our summer may be short, but it's a beauty.

So instead of heading to the gym tonight, I've decided to take my gym routine outdoors.  If you don't have any weights hanging around, I'm sure you have plenty of household items that would work.  Here's what I have on hand:

-Sandbags: We put them in the back of the truck for snow and ice. 
-Towel: You can use a hand towel to do all sorts of ab exercises.
-Gallon jug: You can use this for multiple exercises.
-Steps: Use your front steps, easy as that!

Here is what I will be doing after work:

1.5 mile run.  This will be a good warm up and give me a chance to enjoy the sunshine!
 
Sandbag lunges: 10 per leg (If you don't have sandbags, you can use the gallon jug for this exercise.)
 
Pushups: 10-12
 
One legged burpees: 8-10 per leg.  Yes, these do suck.  But burpees are probably the best full body, body weight exercise you can do.  And on 1 leg?  Even better.
And yes that is me.  From like a year ago at the old gym.  I did a lot of 1 legged burpees back then.
 
Sandbag squats: 10
 
Bear crawls: 50 yards.  If you don't know what a bear crawl is, you literally get down and crawl like a bear.  Make sure you keep your butt down.  Trust me, it's harder than it sounds.
 
Side bends: 15 per side (Use that hand towel and hold it over head with both hands as you bend to either side!)
 
Russian twists: 20 total (Hold the gallon jug, full of course, while you do the twists for added benefit, or even a wine bottle will work.  Ha!)
 
Bent over rows: 15 per side (Use that gallon jug or wine bottle here!)
 
Elevated lunges: 10 per leg (Stand on the front step and lunge back and down.  It will give you a deeper lunge.)
 
V-sits: 10-12 (On back, hands over head, sit up and hug your knees.  When you go back down don't let your feet touch the ground.)
 
That's it!  Not to bad right?  I might end up incorporating a few other things, but right now this looks like it will do the trick.
 
What other household items could I use in my outdoor gym?
 
 
 

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