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PLAYGROUND TOTAL BODY WORKOUT

LegUps-j

This is a great workout to make your core stronger and even though it was never one of my favourite exercises, the stronger I get, the more I like the challenge of being able to do more reps.
Try to make your elbows and knees reach, not literally because you aren’t a contorsionist (or maybe you are?), just get them as close as possible, hold for a second or two and repeat 10 times if you can. do 3 sets of 10 reps (or start with 5 reps if you are a beginner)

Shoulders-j

Trying to tone my shoulders is a constant work in progress, so I try to do all different kinds of shoulder exercises. Using a resistance band, keep your arm at a 90 degree angle, tuck your elbow in and do a circular movement outwards. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps on each arm and feel those shoulder muscles burn!

ring-pull-ups2-j

I love doing angled pull ups because it targets your chest, upper back and lads, and since I am not really upper body strong, I’m trying to put more focus on getting that part of my body fitter. You can either do it with rings as I did, but if you don’t have those laying around (who does right?) , you can pull yourself up from the metal bar itself. This workout is a bit tough if your upper body strength is low, so start easy and work your way up as you get stronger. 3 sets of 5 reps is a good start, then build it up to as many as you can handle.

kettlebell-squat-j

Squats are my favourite workout, believe it or not. Being a high jumper made me have complete focus on my legs on trainings and that’s why my leg muscle memory is a lot better than the rest of my body. Squats by themselves are great but if you add a little more weight, you can boost up the speed of how much faster you can see results. I have 2 kettle bells at home, one weights 8kg and the other one 12kg, so I alternate between the two, depends how strong/lazy I feel that day.

Please make sure that you first know how to do a proper squat to avoid any injuries. Squats are extremely efficient but you have to do them right! (You can check this youtube video for guidance). Now that you have it covered, add the kettle bell to the equation. My squat was more of a sumo squat which also targets your adductor muscle (which is that muscle in the inner part of your legs).

For these I really go nuts and target the muscle until it burns, Try doing 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps (if you are more advance do 20 reps).

 Elastic-band-push-ups

I have a love hate relationship with push ups, I love them because they are one of the most effective workouts to tone your arms, I hate them because they are hard!. I think I’ve made it clear that my upper body strength is close to null, so doing a proper push up is almost impossible, thats what I normally tend to go for half push ups (with the knees on the ground), or a full push up using a resistance band. You would be surprised as how hard it still is using the elastic band but it make it a lot easier to do the full motion.
Make sure that you get a resistance band strong enough to hold you and most importantly, wide enough so it does dig under your arms while you are doing the exercise. This exercise isn’t pleasant, but if you get your 10 reps, you will feel like a superstar and your arms will be shaking like crazy, which is really what you want ;).

Do 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps. (15 or 20 of you are more advance)

shoulders2-j

Last but definitely not least, this is one of my favourite shoulder exercises because its simple and its effective. Make sure you keep your elbow straight the whole time and raise at a 45 degree angle with the ending position behind your back like you see in the gif.
Do 3 sets of 15 reps. (on each arm)

Even though most of the time I am on the go and constantly trying new workouts that require nothing but my own body weight ( I have already posted a few here ), I also like to make time to work out outdoors at the parks playground and take some equipment with me – even if it only include some elastic bands and a kettle bell-.
These are some quick workouts I used to do with my trainer back when I was training for the Nike #WOTN race and I have carried on doing, at least most of these.

Don’t forget to check my leg and abs workouts!

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44 Responses

  1. I have back problem so angled pull ups are definitely helpful! I love squats – been making some good progress with weight lifting work. Push up though is still a no-no for me.

  5. Hah! This is such a great post and love the moving images…I always say that I have the upper body strength of a kitten! There are two things I hate 1) running and 2) push-ups! I can’t do one, so I opt for doing half push-ups too! Glad to know I’m not the only one! :p

  19. Um… I remember trying to do that first move (the pull up) and just ended up flailing…

    You’ve already got a lot more upper body strength than me! haha
    – Nancy, whimsicalsoles.com

  23. Thanks for sharing this nice set of exercises! As a runner, all my strength is in my legs as well and a little kid would probably beat me at arm wrestling ;-) . I need to pick up my push up routine again, ’cause it’s been a while. I don’t think I ever made it past 5 times a good low push up and now it’s probably back to the old half push ups until I get stronger again. I must say the push ups you’re showing here is pretty impressive, because your hands are placed really low, making it so much heavier! You go, Andy!
    XO,
    Izzy
    http://www.nearnoise.com

  28. Great post! I had almost forgotten how to do some good shoulder training, those easy movements are among the most efective to prevent shoulder injuries (those that come when doing the really heavy lifting).

  30. Hey Andy, one expat living in Amsterdam to another, I was wondering how is your Dutch? Do you speak it after living in the NL for a few years? I’m honestly curious.

  39. No pain no gain! I’m tying new workouts too. Its a perfekt way to impoove your condition and humor also :D RGD :)

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