When training in the gym has become routine, sometimes people look for ways to spice things up. If you’re looking for a little motivation to go back to training, maybe you’ll check some new programs you can try, or find classes that look fun. One suggestion is that you go out of the gym, especially when the sun is out and the breeze is good. If you live near a park or a beach, then that’s perfect—it could be your outdoor gym.
What you may not realize is the potential that your surroundings present in helping you do your exercises even without the help of weights and gym equipment. If you look closely, you’ll find out that the benches in open-air courts or the sloping road can be your ticket to weight loss and muscle toning. What’s more, you’ll get to enjoy fresh air and the health benefits of sunlight!
Below are some of the best bodybuilding exercises you can perform outside the corners of the gym:
BATTLE ROPE
Here’s what you’ll need: a long, thick rope (about eight yards), a dumbbell or a heavy metal to hoop the rope around, and a wide space, like a section of the basketball court or a section of the parking lot (or at the beach!). Loop the rope on the dumbbell and move away from it, holding both ends of the line. Move your arms to make the cords wave.
This may look fun at first, but it could get you tired really fast. There are a handful of movements you can do with these, such as kneeling waves, switch-step press, wood chop, cowboy plank, corkscrew twist, balance whip, and a lot more. With this workout, you will melt fat like a torpedo and build muscles at the same time. And even with its big results, it is a low-impact training.
JUMP ROPE
This is one exercise you are sure familiar with, and which you could practically do from your backyard to the town square. Maybe you’ve done it in your childhood but you’ll notice how difficult it can be, now that you’ve gained a lot of weight. And with this training, you are burning calories, as well as doing your heart a favor.
These are the types of jumps you can do: double unders, the two-foot jump, laterally crossing feet in and out, single leg: same foot, single leg: alternating, crossing hands, and high knees. With each type of jump, you can do ten repetitions. Do not rest during the intervals; instead, jog for about ten seconds before doing the next jump.
SANDBAG
Your choice of sandbag can depend on your needs and budget. If you want to do a home-made one, that’s fine. Simply get an old rucksack (that you don’t mind getting dirty or getting beat up in the process) and fill it with builder’s sand as it’s cheap and has less dust. And of course, if you have the budget, you can just buy one from your local sporting goods store—the bag that is specifically designed for strength and conditioning purposes.
For the basic training, you can do ten repetitions of the following techniques: clean, floor press, and high pull. Do three to five rounds, and you can rest when necessary. For the strength session, you can do five repetitions of deadlift, back squat, and overhead press, with about two minutes’ rest between sets. And with the conditioning session, you can do trail running, while carrying the sandbag.
MEDICINE BALL
The medicine ball exercise mixes resistance and cardio moves to blast your fat and build your strength, as well as flatten your abs and sculpt your body. This is an excellent training tool since it can be added to a variety of exercises that improves coordination and core stability. And since this is another low-impact training, you can do this several days a week.
Some of the moves you can do include clean and toss, throw-sprint ball slams, Bulgarian split hold, squat to chest pass, slam to side toss, and split stance side toss, among others. To three sets of ten repetitions for each move.
KETTLEBELL
There are tons of reasons why kettlebell is so popular. This simple tool is safe to use for any age, size, or shape. It combines strength and cardio training, that provides functional workout without the tedium of isolated repetitions. The moves are varied and fun, unlike what you can experience on the treadmill.
The kettlebell exercises you can do include renegade row, lunge wood chops, dirt digger throws, the swing, goblet squat, Turkish get-up, strict press, the clean, and the snatch. As the use of this tool requires proper techniques, you may want to try them with the help of an instructor from the World Gym near you.