Weekly Workout: Improvised Workout at Playground or Beach

Sometimes life gets in the way of your workout.

Maybe the gym is closed. Maybe you have family commitments in the evening. Or perhaps you missed the alarm for your regular early morning workout.

These things happen. If you have the time and ability to go out and do something that day, keep an eye open for playgrounds, parks, football fields, tracks, bleachers, community pools or big stairways. These pieces of property can be the answer to a normally scheduled routine in the weight room being foiled by other responsibilities or bad luck.

Here is one such workout we did the other day. It was more of a surprise opportunity than dealing with a foiled workout plan. Our plan was to do a beach run with a mix of PT exercises along the one-mile stretch of beach we have here on Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland. But we noticed a playground at one end of the beach and added extra exercises.

The workout is quite simple by design but was a big challenge with the soft, sand runs and big numbers of calisthenics.

Beach run with PT:

• Run one mile soft sand
• PT Pyramid of pull-ups (on monkey bars), push-ups, sit-ups (or abs of choice) and dips from 1-10
• 1 pull-up, 2 push-ups, 3 sit-ups, 2 dips
• 2 pull-ups, 4 push-ups, 6 sit-ups, 4 dips  

Keep going up to 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups and 20 dips.

• Run two miles (down and back on beach)
• PT Pyramid of pull-ups (on monkey bars), push-ups, sit-ups (or abs of choice) and dips from 10-1
• 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 20 dips
• 9 pull-ups, 18 push-ups, 27 sit-ups, 18 dips

Keep going down the pyramid until you get to one pull-up, two push-ups, three sit-ups and two dips.

Run a mile cooldown.

This is a good way to get your miles for the day -- running on soft, sand beaches that have less impact on your knees. However, if you do not live near a beach, create a running or biking route where you pass local parks, playgrounds or tracks to create fun workouts.

Who knows? You may find that you do not need a gym and can get your exercise done with weights at home and a variety of cardio and other resistance training outside.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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