The warmer weather is (finally) right around the corner, and that means it's time to slowly emerge from your state of hibernation, and make your way outside as often as humanly possible. As much as you've grown to love your challenging sweat sessions at the gym, the weather is far too beautiful to be cooped up indoors, and let's be real, your workout routine is simply begging for some fresh air. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the best workouts to do outside have absolutely nothing to do with running — so, yeah, we can all low-key rejoice now.
I don't know about you, but when I see through my window that the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping, I casually get stressed that I'm not outside making the most of the weather. Like, there is no way I'm missing out on a second of this sh*t, because when next winter rolls around, I know I'm going to regret having wasted those precious few months of warmth and sunlight.
When it comes to getting your sweat on, hitting up a local park is such a great way to get your body moving and your heart pumping, with minimal equipment required. Try these seven workouts that are perfect for the warmer weather — and save the treadmill time for a rainy day.
Nope, park benches are no longer just for sitting on, my friends. Cozy up to one of these bad boys, and crank out some push-ups for an upper body challenge that will leave you feeling sweaty and accomplished AF.
Your upper arms, forearms, chest, and back will all get a killer workout with this push-up variation, and you'll be soaking up a healthy dose of vitamin D while you're at it.
Channel your inner child and hop on the monkey bars, girlfriend — but don't just hang there.
Try incorporating some monkey bar chin-ups into your outdoor workout sesh to strengthen your lats, shoulders, and arms. According to LIVESTRONG, having powerful arm muscles can help you with repetitive motions in everyday life, like carrying the groceries or pushing a heavy door shut.
See, sweating it out in the fresh air is super productive and practical!
Modify your typical mountain climbers by taking them onto an elevated surface outside.
Mountain climbers essentially target every muscle in your body by demanding smooth, constant, repetitive movements. By including these in your outdoor workout routine, you'll be increasing your joint flexibility, improving mobility, and making some major muscle gains.
As you can tell, the park bench will basically become your go-to workout partner when you start taking your exercise moves to the great outdoors.
Finding your nearest park bench and doing step-ups, in particular, will really target your quads ,while simultaneously working your knee and hip joints. Oh, but it doesn't stop there, fam: Step-ups even strengthen your core and your lower back muscles, so you'll be getting a super well-rounded workout with just a few simple reps.
While you're still at your handy-dandy park bench, ignore the glares of strangers who just want to sit down and eat their lunch (kidding, kind of), and squeeze in a few tricep dips.
This exercise requires major strength, along with focus and coordination, so you'll be working your body and your brain as you breathe in that crisp, springtime air.
I mean, if you're already at a park with a playground, why not break out your old jump rope and reminisce about middle school recess? Ah, those were the days.
For real, though, there are so many intense jump rope workouts that can help you associate your dusty rope with HIIT rather than hop-scotch. You're not going to want to skip out on these. Ha. Ha.
Burpees are a total-body, functional exercise that are hard AF, but adding some leap-frog action into the mix makes them — dare I say it — kind of... fun? After all, you're already channeling your inner child with those jump rope moves, so it's only fitting to do the same with this leap-frog modification on the classic burpee.
If you're feeling ballsy, you can even try actually jumping over a friend. I wouldn't recommend it, though — I simply cannot see things ending well in that situation.
