Hello again! Thank you for your interest in the articles.
Here’s Part 3 of Get Fit At Home! Enjoy!!
——————–
The Playground Workout
——————–
Step one: find a playground!
While the playground is a wonderland for kids, it has many
hidden ways for someone to get a fantastic workout. It’s just a
matter of being creative. Here are some ideas:
Monkey Bars- Make a great place to do chin ups! Use the outside
support bars for regular pull ups, or hang onto 2 different
rungs with our hands facing each other to target the back and
biceps a little differently.
Climb to the top and grab 2 rungs. Lower yourself (carefully)
down between the 2 rungs so that you’re in a support (arms
straight). You’ve now got yourself a dip station!
*Don’t lower yourself too far. If you can’t press back up, it’s
a long way down.
Swings- Placing your hands on a single swing with feet on the
ground makes a groovy place to do stability pushups. Bend your
arms just like you would for a regular push up. They will be
harder to do on the swing, because you also have to use the
stabilizing muscles in your shoulders to keep the swing from
moving forward or backward under you. Keep your stomach tight
and it’s a killer ab workout as well.
To make it an advanced ab workout, hold the pushup position
with your arms straight. Lift one foot off the ground. Hold for
as long as you can keeping your abs tight!
Slide- *This is an advanced exercise! Lunge walks up the slide!
I recommend trying these on a hill first. Also make sure you
have good, rubber-soled sneakers with plenty of grip. Otherwise
you may end up inventing a new exercise.
Jungle Gym- Just climb! Up, over, through, under! These will
work so many different muscles in so many different ways. You
will be twisting and turning (abs, back, hips, obliques,
balance), climbing (back, biceps, forearms), supporting
yourself (chest, triceps, shoulders), pushing off with your
legs and feet (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves), and the
climbing under is great for flexibility. Be creative! PLAY!
Want the ultimate fat burning playground exercise?
Find a long stretch of flat surface (grass or blacktop). Stand
at one end. Ready? GO!
Sprint (run as fast as you can) to the other end! It should be
about 5-10 seconds worth of running. When you’re done, rest as
long as you need to, and try it again. Like the stair workouts,
start with a few and gradually build up to more sets.
*A 100%, all-out sprint is a VERY advanced exercise! It is only
recommended for those already in good shape. If you don’t feel
you fall into this category or you are unsure, make it a jog,
and each set, day, or week, try to go a little faster!
*Need I remind you, these exercises are merely suggestions!
Talk to a doctor before starting any exercise program!
Keep an eye out for Part 4 of the mini-course: Get Fit From
Home!
Wes Norris, CSCS is a Fitness Consultant and the owner of AllAroundFitness.org based out of Connecticut.
Wes works at Hartford Hospital and trains clients, athletes, and speaks to groups on the importance of exercise for a variety of specific conditions.
He runs a fitness bootcamp, teaches for a National Personal Training certifying agency and creates and produces fitness products for Trainers and Fitness Fanatics.
Please visit his websites:
[http://www.AllAroundFitness.org]
[http://www.DesigningExercisePrograms.com]
