It’s that time of year again, when the weather warms up enough to take your workouts outdoors. And what better time than springtime to head to your favorite local, picturesque park for an exhilarating outdoor workout? The following body-weight exercises can be conducted at almost any park, and will help get, and keep, you in shape.
Note: Carry out these exercises three to four times per week for optimal results.
Pushups on a Park Bench (pectoral muscles)
Tricep Dips (tricep muscles)
Pull ups/Chin ups (biceps and back muscles)
This can be a little difficult to perform for woman without much upper body strength. However, it’s worth giving it a shot, even if you can only accomplish one pullup. As your biceps and back, along with other parts of your upper body, develop more strength, you’ll be able to knockoff more reps.
Note: You can ask a friend or workout partner to spot you with a little lift for extra reps.
Jump squats (quadriceps and calves)
This exercise will help you develop explosive leg strength, good for sports that require quick, sudden jumping movements, such as in volleyball and basketball.
Crunches and Back Extensions (Abdominals and Lower Back Muscles)
No training program would be complete without strengthening these particular core muscles, as they are the foundation for a strong body. However, you are required to lay on the floor for these exercises, so you might get a little dirty. But you can bring a yoga mat if you prefer to stay clean.
Crunches (rectus abdominals)
Back Extensions (Erector Spinae)
After performing crunches, this exercise will work the antagonist (opposite) muscles of the abdominal area, the erector spinae, located in the lower back.
Running or Power Walking
No workout would be complete without some form of aerobic activity such as running, powerwalking or rope jumping. Remember: the key is to raise your heart in whatever activity you choose.
To improve overall cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association suggests at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). 30 minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience cardio benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day.
However, due to induvial time constraints, three times a week at appropriate intensities will suffice.
This is how you calculate your target Heart Rate:
When you first wake up in the morning, before coffee or a meal, take your pulse on the inside of your wrist, on the thumb side. Use the tips of your first two fingers (not your thumb) to press lightly over the blood vessels on your wrist. Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by six to find your resting beats per minute. You want to stay between 50 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is 220 minus your age. This range is your target heart rate.
Written by Jerry Del Priore for Bodono.
Jerry Del Priore has worked as a certified personal trainer, and received his degree in Physical Education from Brooklyn College in 1991. Jerry is also a veteran print and digital Sports Writer-Reporter-Author experienced in writing in-depth profile stories on a variety of high school, college and professional athletes and teams.
Additionally, Jerry has developed a presentation based on his book, Running Through Roadblocks, which encourages children to overcome obstacles and never give up…no matter what!
Specialties: Baseball, football, hockey and basketball writing. Jerry also has covered lacrosse, soccer, golf and track and field, with ample experience cover women’s sports. Jerry is also a Food Writer/Blogger experienced in venue write-ups and reviews.
In addition, Jerry has ample experience working with medically fragile children, children with behavioral challenges and children with cognitively impairments.
Read Jerry Del Prior’s book: Running Through Roadblocks and view his blog at www.Brooklynsportsworld.com.