3 Workouts You Can Do Outside Outside With Minimal To No Equipment
Summertime is almost here and it’s time to get outside. Maybe you had just started that gym membership this new year or have been going to the gym consistently for 10 years. Either way, motivation to go to the gym can be tough when it’s 80 degrees outside and sunny after being locked up inside all winter.
During COVID when all the gyms closed, I had to get creative with all my workouts. I live in a 700 square foot apartment in Chicago so I didn’t exactly have a lot of space. The only pieces of equipment that I had were a kettlebell and a few sandbags.
Obviously, I would go on runs outside but sometimes I need something with a little more resistance and strength building. I'm a firm believer that all runners should do some form of resistance training.
These are some of the workouts that I discovered during this time and I found them to be even more enjoyable than working out in the gym.
Getting outside and feeling the sun on your skin is so much more energizing than feeling locked up in an artificially lit gym.
Workout #1
Equipment needed: None
Set a timer for 1 minute for each. Go through these workouts 3 times each. The order of the exercises doesn’t matter as much. Go ahead if you want to break up body parts to make it easier. The whole purpose of this is to provide some structure and simplicity to the workout.
I wouldn’t say you need to do all these exercises to fail though. Do these to about what 90% of the maximum amount of reps you can do is.
- Pushups x 3 sets
- Bicycle crunches x 3 sets
- Body weight squats x 3 sets
- Lunges x 3 sets
- Side Lunges x 3 sets
- Plank to elbows x 3 sets
- Short sprints with full rest between (do 3–4 sets)
Workout #2
Equipment needed: 1 kettlebell. The weight should be heavy enough were a shoulder press isn’t easy but also isn’t your 1 rep max.
- Push-ups (or any variation)x 3
- Kettlebells swings (10 swings x 5 sets on the minute for 5 minutes.
- Planks (45 seconds or longer)
- Bicycle crunches x 3 sets
- Kettlebell rows x 3 sets
- Russian Twists x 3 sets
- Kettlebell Snatches x 3 sets (if you do snatches, make sure that you have proper technique and stop as soon as form starts to fail)
- Shoulder Press x 3 sets
- Goblet Squats x 3 sets
One of the things I love most about kettlebells is the optionality with them. You can do a variation of almost any exercise. If you want to make pushups more difficult, do pushups with one hand on the kettlebell.
You can carry the kettlebell across a field while trying to engage your core. The options are there and doing it outside is so much fun.
Workout Option #3
Equipment Needed: Sandbag and maybe some cones
I love a good sandbag workout. Tossing the sandbag around and feeling the weight shift while working out feels like you’re gaining that farmer strength. When I start my sandbag workouts, I like to carry about a 40 lb sandbag to the park with me. The great part is carrying the sandbag to the location is a part of the workout. If you’ve ever carried a sandbag or anything 40 lbs for more than a 1/2 mile, you know that the steps add up.
Below are some workouts that I do with sandbags. I also love to incorporate sprints into these workouts which is why I bring some small cones to mark where to end the sprint.
- Sandbag rows x 3 sets
- Pushups x 3 sets
- 50 meter sprints on the minute x 4
- Bear crawl for 20 meters mat a time x 4
- Low crawl for 20 meters x 4
- Sandbag lunges for 20 meters x 2 (down and back counts as 1)
Conclusion
Working out outside is rewarding. Standing barefoot in the grass with nothing but a kettlebell feels primal. I can’t explain it but even in a large city I feel more connected to nature and my community when I get outside and feel the sun.
This summer, don’t allow yourself to work 9–5, go to the indoor gym then get home by the time the sunsets and resent all missed beautiful days you spent inside. You can still get in great shape without needing a gym membership and enjoy it.
