The Playground As a Gym 2015-06-08

The playground as a gym

One of the things I wanted to do this summer was to incorporate outdoor workouts into my routine. On beautiful days, it is a shame to do every type of fitness related activity inside. The goal is simple, get outside, catch some rays, and get fit.

I was sitting at the playground today watching my cousins play, and it hit me. The playground is an amazing place to workout!

I feel the most common reasons people shy away from mainstream gyms and programs are finances ($), knowledge (either lack of or afraid of standing out), confidence (not sure if they will fit in, or if people will judge them), and availability (hours of operation, times, etc.).  The reason why the playground is awesome is because it is free, not intimidating, and open anytime – which solves all of those.

I feel that with a set of rings, one could absolutely get a great workout at the park.

With rings, monkey bars, a swing set, and open space, here is how I feel one could utilize the playground:

The monkey bars are great because you can use them to do pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips to work the upper body. The three of these are very functional, heavy-bang-for-your-buck style workouts. You can also do leg raises to work the lower body a bit too. I think even just hanging can be a great way to improve grip strength while at the same time stretching out the body.

The swing set can be used to set up the rings. Again, pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips can be done. They will be more difficult with rings, so a beginner may want to stay with the monkey bars at first.

The open space can be used to do bodyweight movements such as push-ups, lunges, stretches, yoga, burpees, sprints, bench jumps, and my favourite, handstands.

Even just moving can be a great work out. I think that as a society, one of the main problems we are faced with is that we simply do not move enough anymore. Kids can spend hours upon hours in front of the TV or ipad. Even the idea of going to the park for some might be lame when given the option to play video games instead.

Less TV, more climbing monkey bars!