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Between the green grass, birds chirping, and smiling faces, it’s easy to feel good at the park. Even better? It’s an ideal location for a workout with maximum benefits. Whether you’re a parent on a play date or a city-dweller craving some green space, we’ve put together a full-body park workout for you.
We all know by now that regular physical activity is important for your health. What you may not know is that by taking your workout outside, you may get more bang for your buck. Most parks are considered green spaces, and according to the National Recreation and Park Association, green space is vital to a community for three major reasons:
Intentionally interacting with nature via exercise improves physical and mental health. So what can you do for a park workout? Ahead you’ll find the evidence to support embracing the outdoors and the perfect 15-move park workout curated by a fitness pro.
When it comes to working out, your environment matters. Greater exposure to green space at the park can improve your well-being. Add in the benefits of exercise, and there are many reasons to take your sweat sesh outside.
“Switching up your movement routine and taking it outside is pure magic for your body and soul.”—Sasha Hanway, Ladder coach
“Switching up your movement routine and taking it outside is pure magic for your body and soul,” says Sasha Hanway, senior coach of Ladder’s Yoga x Strength training team. “Not only does it keep your muscles guessing and prevent those dreaded plateaus, but it also immerses you in nature (or at least not fluorescent gym lights), fills your lungs with fresh air, and helps your body adapt to its circadian rhythms.”
More and more, research supports the benefits of outdoor workouts. Exercise in a green environment like a park boosts the following health outcomes:
Sure, the joy exhibited at the park is contagious, but your mood can be further improved by nature itself.
“Spending time in green spaces can significantly reduce stress levels and help your mind recover,” explains Jun Wu, PhD, professor of environmental and occupational health at UC Irvine. “Whether you are taking a walk in the park or simply sitting under a tree, these natural environments help diminish stressful states and lessen negative thoughts.”
Doses of nature-based activity in the 20- to 90-minute range have been found to improve mental health. You may even feel more motivated.
“Green spaces encourage you to get moving, which not only helps you maintain a healthy weight and cardiorespiratory fitness but also elevates your mood, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, and lowers the risk of mental health disorders,” says Wu.
Ever find yourself tossing and turning at night, staring at the clock at 3:30 A.M.? (Thanks, perimenopause!) Moving your workout to the park may get you a better night’s sleep.
As you would expect, regular exercise helps you catch some Z’s. Add some outdoor time, and you’ll likely increase your your slumber. Researchers found a significant link between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent outdoors and total sleep time. Wu adds that the quality of your sleep may improve: “Activities such as jogging, walking, or practicing yoga in green spaces can help you sleep better at night.”
Struggle with a short attention span while doing important tasks? Outdoor movement may be the answer.
One study comparing the results of a 15-minute walk indoors vs. outdoors found increased attention and working memory when participants were in the great outdoors. An outdoor workout can be beneficial before a meeting or something else that requires your utmost attention.
A park workout may influence your body in a number of ways. Studies have shown that exposing yourself to nature reduces cortisol, a stress hormone that can wreak havoc in your body if left unchecked.
Green space exposure also has the potential to improve heart function, blood pressure, and inflammation markers.
Finally, there’s the fresh air. Because parks usually have plenty of trees and vegetation, there’s the potential for improved air quality. “They capture harmful pollutants like ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Trees, in particular, excel in filtering these pollutants,” says Wu. (This, of course, doesn’t apply if the air quality index is less-than-stellar—make sure you’re checking your local AQI before exercising outdoors.)
Now that you’re at the park, what type of exercise is best? Should you stick with cardio or use the park as a setting for resistance training? What can you do?
“Literally anything—especially if there’s a stair or a bench,” Hanway says. “My favorite park workout is a blend of strength, Pilates, and yoga. Some people might feel weird about exercising in public, but I always say the reframe is that you are actually inspiring other people to move their bodies.”
Some parks feature calisthenics equipment—high bars, incline benches, gymnastic rings, etc.—that you can use for a bodyweight workout. Plus, there’s walking the sidewalks or playing with the kiddos. But if you’re looking for a full-body workout that will hit all your major muscles, Hanway has a park workout for you to try.
Before you hit the strenuous moves, Hanway suggests easing into the workout. “Take three conscious breaths to begin. Inhale, reaching your hands overhead and filling up through your belly, ribs, and chest. Pause, then exhale pulling hands to heart center, out through chest, ribs, and belly,” she says. “Repeat three times before starting.”
1. Skip
“Warming up is key, and you’ll kick it off with skips. It’s exactly what you think,” says Hanway. “They challenge leg strength, coordination, and balance while signaling to the central nervous system that we’re going to work!”
2. Walking hamstring scoop
Sit all day for work? Stretch out your tight hamstrings and get your heart rate up with this move.
3. Lateral lunge with tap
Hanway suggests this move because it “helps warm-up the glutes, hamstrings, and quads while challenging balance and core strength.” It also wakes up muscles you may not frequently use because you’ll “move the body in a lateral plane with rotation.”
4. Air squat
You’ll target your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves with this efficient move. Hanway likes squats with a band because they work on strength and mobility in the entire lower body.
5. Good morning
Looking to work your posterior chain? “This is a hip hinge movement that targets glutes, hamstrings, and functional strength in the core and back,” says Hanway.
6. Right side glute-focused step-up
This challenging move “targets your glutes and helps encourage functional single-leg balance and core stability,” says Hanway.
7. Left side glute-focused step-up
What you do to one side, you’ve got to do the other—and unilateral training is a great way to work on muscle imbalances. This is the same move, on a different side.
8. Incline push-up
Hanway opts for push-ups to target the chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and core. “The push-up is the GOAT of full-body work,” she says. If you can’t do a push-up on the ground, incline push-ups—done by placing your hands on a park bench or a stair step—are a great option.
9. Shoulder tap
“Shoulder taps challenge core stability and build deltoid strength,” says Hanway. Elevating your hands during this move makes it a little easier. “Pro tip: Keep your feet wider for balance.”
10. Superhuman to push-up
For these next few moves, try moving to the grass or a mat to be more comfortable. You’ll feel this in your whole body, but Hanway likes combining superhuman with push-ups to target the erector spinae (back support muscles) and engage the core.
11. Dead bug
Don’t let your fear of creepy crawlies stop you from doing this A+ core move. “Dead bugs strengthen the core and improve coordination by targeting the abdominals, hip flexors, and lower back,” says Hanway.
12. Bear to plank
Improve posture and reduce your risk for injury by strengthening your core. “Bear to planks target your core and shoulders, and require activation in the deep core for stabilization,” Hanways says.
13. Puppy pose
Time to reward your body for all that hard work! You’ll feel a nice deep stretch in your spine and shoulders while performing puppy pose.
14. Passive or yogi squat
Hip flexibility is a major player in your range of motion and posture. “Passive, or yogi, squats open hips and challenge mobility,” says Hanway.
15. Dynamic standing forward fold
Does your back bear the brunt of your stress? “A forward fold releases tension in the back and body,” says Hanway.