Turning the outdoor into your gym, easy workout routines

It’s not easy to justify training in a gym when the sun is shining outside, right? Since you can build muscle just as well by using your own bodyweight, all you need is something to hold to push or pull as well as a space where you can move your body and use your muscles like you’re used to in the gym. An extra bonus of course is that you get to enjoy great views, fresh air and nature. What’s not to love? If going for a long run isn’t really your thing, why not break a sweat in the sunshine with some kickass DIY moves?

Easy and effective outdoor training routine

Warm up by running or jogging to your favourite park. Find a spot with a bench and some trees and you’re ready to go.

With the help of a bench: Mountain Climbers and push-ups

1. 10 push-ups with your hands on the bench.
2. 30 mountain climbers: drive your knees towards your elbows in a running motion.
3. 10 push-ups with your hands on the bench. Keep your hands closer together this time, focusing more on your triceps and upper back.
4. 30 mountain climbers
5. 10 push-ups with your hands on the ground and your feet on the bench
6. 30 slow crossed mountain climbers, moving your left knee to right elbow and vice versa.

Run for 3-5 minutes to keep the momentum up.

With the help of a tree: Plyometric Jumps and Wall sits

1. With your back against a tree, try to sit by placing your legs into a 90 degree angle so you are not being supported from below. Squeeze your glutes, thighs and core to hold for 1 minute.
2. 20 jumping squats starting from a squatting position and jumping as high as you can and landing into a squat again. Feel free to use your arms for more power.
3. Another 1 minute wall sit.
4. 20 star jumps, starting from a squat position, jump and stretch out your body to look like a star and then back into squat position.
5. 45 second wall sit.
6. 20 jumping squats.

Run/Jog for 3 minutes to the next park bench to repeat the routine, or finish strong with a 30 second sprint, 30 seconds of slow jog repeated five times in total. Cool down and finish with a slower jog back to home to wind down.

Find outdoor gyms

Are benches and trees not enough for you to fill your training needs? Check out this globally crowdsourced map of outdoor gyms near you. PS the map starts you off in the US, so zoom out and you’ll be able to zoom in on your location.