20-minute full body workout you can do outdoors… with no equipment needed!
Summer is right around the corner! The weather is getting warmer, the sun is hanging around longer and motivation is starting to rise.
There’s no better time of the year to take your training outside to enjoy the fresh air, get some sun and change the scenery.
Luckily you don’t need to bring a gym’s worth of equipment outside with you to achieve a great workout to improve your strength and fitness.
Here is a full bodyweight workout that you can do outdoors without any equipment! (Of course you can bring a yoga mat if you’re on grass)
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The workout is broken up into three sections: the warm-up, the circuit and a cool-down.
The warm-up:
Perform each movement for 20 seconds. Do the warm-up twice.
1. Jumping jacks
2. Dynamic toe touch stretch
3. Arm rotations
The workout:
You have 45 seconds to perform each exercise, accompanied by 15 seconds of rest. A single round of the circuit will take 5 minutes. Perform the circuit 4 times.
Bodyweight squats (12 repetitions)
A great exercise for your lower body. It strengthens the glutes, quads, hamstrings and core in one movement.
How-to: Stand firm with your feet just wider than shoulder width apart. Initiate the squat by moving the hips back slightly, as if you’re going to sit down on an invisible chair.
Push ups (10 repetitions)
One of the best exercises for the upper body as it incorporates your chest muscles, triceps and a bit of your shoulders too.
How-to: Create a bridge position using your hands and toes as the contact points and slowly bend at the elbows to lower your chest towards the floor. Before your chest makes contact with the floor, push yourself back up.
Reverse lunges (16 repetitions / 8 each side)
Reverse lunges are a great unilateral lower body exercise, which focuses on controlling one leg at a time. Unilateral exercises mean using one arm or leg at a time, which is a great way to work on any strength imbalances.
How-to: Stand with your feet at shoulder width and place one foot about a step behind you. Bend the knee of the leg behind you and control your motion on the way down, your forward leg will bend at the knee. Right before your rear knee touches the ground, drive through your heels of your forward leg until you are standing upright.
Ab crunches (20 repetitions)
A strong core will help you stabilize yourself during dynamic movements and also keep you strong in your every day life! Crunches are a great way to exercise the abdominal muscles to create a strong foundation.
How-to: Lie flat on your back and plant your feet on the floor, at hip-width apart. Bend your knees and cross your arms across your chest (or hands behind your head if you’re feeling like a challenge!). Contract your abdominal muscles, bringing your neck and chest slightly off the floor while maintaining tension in your abs, and then control yourself on the way down.
Glute bridges (10 repetitions with a 3 second hold)
Your glute muscles are one of the most important muscle groups of your body. They help us stay upright, move forward and they work to stabilize our hips and lower back. Weak glutes can potentially lead to injury, so ensuring they’re strong keeps us in the best form to stay healthy.
How-to: Lie flat on your back and bend your knees so they are facing the sky, planting your feet on the floor at hip-width. Lift your hips off the ground while keeping your shoulders on the ground, until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. In this position, squeeze your glutes tight and hold for 3 seconds. Lower your hips back down to the ground in a controlled movement.
The cool-down:
Perform each of these stretches for at least 30 seconds, but feel free to hold them for longer if it feels good! These are a great way to stretch out the muscle groups just trained.
Seated single-leg hamstring stretch
How-to: While sitting on the floor, place one leg straight out. Bend the opposite leg at the knee and place your foot against your opposite inner thigh. Extend both arms and reach as far forward as you can on your straight leg. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.
Core abdominal stretch
How-to: Lie flat on your stomach and place your palms on the ground in front of you, at chest left level. Push your upper body away from the ground and focus on extending the abdominal muscles. Stretch your head and neck back so that you're looking towards the sky.
Knee-to-chest stretch
How-to: Lie on your back with your legs straight and bring one knee towards your chest and stomach. Hold that leg with both hands on the shin or the back of your thigh and continue to hold until you feel the stretch in your back. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.