I have a newfound appreciation for playground workouts since becoming the mama of a toddler.
She can’t run away into the street because she’s locked in 🙂
She is expending energy (the kid never gets tired).
I am relieving stress AND getting a break from “momming.” YES, it’s totally okay to want and need a break!
We are OUTSIDE! Vitamin D baby … fresh air, MOVEMENT … I mean it doesn’t get better than this! AND did I mention it’s pretty much free babysitting?!?
I love the fact that J and I can play together on the playground. She can see me partake in physical activity that makes me happy. Â I think as we get older we forget how to play. Our bodies can’t get up and down from the floor with ease anymore. We sit way too much. We can’t hang from the monkey bars. These are some pf the things I want to be able to do for a long time.
So here’s my casual playground workout, fitting in what I can when I can. If you have a Gym Boss timer, or interval app on your phone, feel free to use it here. :30 work :30 rest will leave you breathless!
If you’re like me, you’ll be going down the slide or helping your kid walk the balance beam in between exercises. Â I prefer to keep it simple and shoot for a rep range for my upper body exercises and my lower body exercises that way Julia and I are playing and it isn’t just about me and my workout.
I tend to pick four types of exercises and the following rep ranges and run with it.
Upper Body Push: 10-12 reps
Lower Body Hinge/Step Up: 15/20 reps or (10 per side)
Upper Body Pull: 5-8 reps
Lower Body Squat/ Lunge:Â 15-20 reps (or 10 per side)
I tend to perform higher reps on my lower body because I am not loading the exercises. Performing 1.5 reps is also a strategy I love.
You can get creative with upper body variations by adding a 3-5 second eccentric lowering, paused reps or, again, the 1.5 reps.
If you can’t perform chin ups … NO STRESS! Â Simply start hanging and/or performing body row variations.
Here are some of my favorite options to choose from as well as a sample workout!
Upper Body Favorites
- Incline pushup (paused at bottom, slow eccentric, explosive, wide/ narrow)
- Decline pushup or pushup variations on the ground
- 1 Arm Rotational Rows
- Body Row
- Chin Up variations
- Monkey Bar play or simply hang for time
Lower Body Favorites
- Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
- 1.5 Split Squat
- Back On Bench Hip Thrust
- Lateral Step Up
- Cross Over Step Up
- Step Up
- Drop Squat/Bench Jump
Here’s an example workout you can do at any playground:
Pull up (5 reps)
Back on Bench Hip Thrust (20 reps)
Incline push up (12 reps)
Split squat (8 reps per side)
REST AND REPEAT for 3 to 5 rounds.
Have fun and let me know how it goes!
If you like simple but challenging workouts like these then you may be interested in my 8 Week “do it yourself” FAST FITNESS program. Â ON SALE THIS WEEKEND.
