The Playground Workout

By Sean Keats, CPT, RKC

(WINDSOR, ON) – We’ve been lucky this spring to have such warm weather. Just imagine, summer is right around the corner. You awaken from your bed and notice the sun is shining bright and early, the gym seems stuffy and stale, and so you don your shoes for a run to the local park, when you arrive you notice the playground – it’s time for fun (I mean a workout).

From the playground at your local park, to the grade school version, playgrounds offer a ubiquitous, no-cost fitness facility. It doesn’t take a study or a survey to identify the value of variety in a workout program. A change of scenery, of equipment, of exercises, along with the stimulating environment can be effective in keeping workouts from feeling uninspired.

So what kinds of exercises await the person who turns to the playground as an alternative to the gym? It’s more dependent upon your imagination and creativity than what equipment is to be found. A playground provides the opportunity to use your body weight as the resistance, eliminating the need for dumbbells and barbells. With a little ingenuity, nearly every muscle group can be worked utilizing equipment commonly found at playgrounds. Next time you find a playground in your midst, try this workout:

The Exercises:

1. Diagonal Prisoner Lunges

a. Primary muscle(s): Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads

b. How to do it: Holding your hands up and behind your head step diagonally at a 45 degree angle – keeping your toes pointing forward. Lower your body until your thigh is parallel with the ground and stand-up onto forward leg. Continue forward with opposite leg at a 45 degree angle.

2. Swingset Pushup

a. Muscles Used: Chest, Tricep, Abdominals

b. How to do it: Any ole swing set will do. Place your hands on 2 nearby swings and get into a pushup position. Lower your body down and press hands into swings to raise yourself back up. (Flex your abdominals throughout movement to keep hips up and back supported).

3. Slide Donkey Kicks

a. Primary muscle(s): Abdominals, Hip Flexors

b. How to do it: Sit on edge of slide or other flat surface. Balancing on your butt, lift your feet off the ground and pump knees in forward to back motion between your chest and fully extended out position.

4. Strap Reverse Pushups

a. Primary muscle(s): Upper Back (Lats), Bicep

b. How to do it: Wrap a rope or strap around monkey bars to proper height (about chest level) and hang on tight. Lower yourself to an upside down pushup position with your arms extended. Flex your arms and tuck your elbows into your sides to pull yourself upward. Lower yourself slowly down and repeat. (Can also be done using a low playground bar or on 2 swing set chains)

5. Abdominal Swing Extension

a. Primary muscle(s): Abdominals, Upper Back (Lats)

b. How to do it: This one is a challenge. Go back to that swing set and find an empty swing. Stand about 1 foot in front of the swing and place both hands in the middle of swing seat. Keeping your feet planted, slowly extend your hips, back and arms forward over swing. Before you fall contract your muscles in opposite direction and rise back up to original position. That’s one rep.

6. Picnic Table Quick Step

a. Primary muscle(s): Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads

b. How to do it: Find a nearby picnic table (make sure it’s steady) and start stepping. Lift one foot off the ground quickly and step up onto seat of picnic table, bring other foot right after. Step down leading with same foot. Switch half way through the set and lead with opposite foot.

How it works: Include this routine in your weekly schedule to spruce up the variety in your life. It’s short, simple, and effective. You can warm-up by just jogging for 5-7 minutes around the playground, or if you ran there from home – that’s your warm-up. Start with exercise #1 Diagonal Prisoner Lunges – for 30 seconds of continuous effort. Go as fast, or slow as you need to provide a challenge – making sure to keep form in order. Then 20 seconds of rest. Continue the 30 on – 10 off pattern for the remaining 5 exercises. At the end of the 6th exercise rest for an entire minute, then repeat the circuit, starting with the 1st exercise. Complete 4 of these circuits for an intense 20 minute workout.

Tip: To increase the intensity of the workout, decrease the rest periods to 10 or even 15 seconds between exercises.

Prior to starting any fitness regimen, get the approval of your medical practitioner first.

Sean Keats is the owner of Premier Fitness in Windsor. They offer in-home personal training services as well as group personal training classes. For more information, visit www.personaltrainingwindsor.ca

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