Beach Workout
Who wants to workout when it’s sunny and the beach is calling your name? Well, how about having the best of both worlds?! There are a number of exercises you can do while hanging out at the beach with your friends and family and many you can do right from your towel. Once the workout is over, you can lounge as much as you like. Another approach is to relax and absorb the beauty of the beach all around you. Read a book or magazine, but in between chapters, take a little break and perform the following beach exercises.
A beach workout will challenge all fitness components.
Plus it won’t cost you a thing – just a little sweat and calories!
Playing Volleyball With a Partner
No need for nets or to recruit all your friends to play a game of volleyball. Instead just grab a partner and practice bumping and volleying the ball back and forth to each other. If you can’t bump or volley, just play catch and throw while working your partner side to side, backwards and forwards. Play for 10 minutes or more.
Playing Catch or Frisbee
Catching and throwing a ball or a frisbee with a friend will definitely challenge your agility. Play for 10 minutes or more.
Sand Runs
Running in the sand is a lot more physically challenging than you’d think. As you sink into the sand, your muscles have to contract more forcefully to propel you forwards. Run up and down the sand-banks 10x or go for an easy jog down the beach.
Push-Ups
Lay on your stomach with your abdominals contracted. Place your hands a few inches beside your shoulders. Now slowly push upwards and then release. Do 13-20 reps from a toe or knee position. This one’s good for the chest, shoulders and arms.
Hip Extension Glute Squeezes
Lay on your stomach with your stomach muscles contracted up and inwards. Bend one knee so the sole of the foot points upwards. Slowly lift that leg off your towel just a few inches while forcefully contracting your glutes. Do 13-20x each leg. You should feel this in your glutes.
Hamstring Curl
Lay on your stomach with your abdominals contracted. Place one foot on the heel of the other. Now slowly bend the leg in towards the buttock while your other leg is resisting the motion on the way in and out. Repeat 13-20x each leg. You should feel this in the back of your legs – hamstrings.
Outer Thigh Lifts
Lay on your side with your legs straight and positioned one on top of the other. Now slowly lift the top leg a few inches and release. Just before you touch the other leg, lift again. Do 13-20 reps each leg. This one targets your outer thigh area.
Inner Thigh Lifts
Lay on your side with your bottom leg straight and your top leg bent in front of the bottom leg. Now slowly lift the bottom leg a few inches off the sand and release. Before you touch the sand, lift again. Do 13-20 reps each leg. This one is good for your inner thighs.
Partner Sit-Ups
Have a seat a few feet away and facing your partner. Hold a volleyball, while you both lower down towards the sand and then you both slowly sit back up. Once you are both at the top range of the sit-up, you throw the ball to your partner and the exercise is repeated with your partner now holding the ball. Be sure to keep your abdominals contracted throughout the entire exercise especially during the throw and catch phase. Repeat 20x total (10x each partner holding ball). This exercise is great for your abs.
Abdominal Leg Lifts
Lay on your back with your legs slightly bent. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back in a neutral position. Now slowly lift one leg a few inches off the sand while ensuring your back does not move at all. Repeat 8-15x each leg. This exercise is great for your abdominals.
Table Tops
Lay on your stomach propped up onto your elbows. Position your elbows so that they are underneath your shoulders. Now lift your body up so your weight is completely supported on your elbows and toes. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back in a neutral position and remember to breathe comfortable. This is an advanced exercise so some of you may want to just hold the table top on your knees instead of your toes or eliminate the knee-to-elbow aspect of the exercise. Hold for 30-90 seconds. You should feel this one throughout your entire body and specifically your abs and back.
Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for more than 33 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and 2005/2006 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year - Runner up. She is a fitness trainer, fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers, author of five books and manuals including "Go For Fit - the Winning Way to Fat Loss" and "Fit over Forty" and the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs. She has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Germany, England, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S. She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver, the founder of WHY Racing Events & WHY Community, participates in various community fundraisers and can be found running, biking, or hiking around the community. Find more information at nwpersonaltraining.com.