8 Outdoor Workout Ideas to Add Variety to Your Routine

Summer is a great time to break out of the gym and take your workout outdoors. These outdoor personal training ideas will help your clients burn calories, strengthen muscles, and refresh their exercise routines.

Here are 8 Outdoor Workout Ideas to Add Variety to Your Routine. From hiking to kayaking, these activities can be fun and challenging, while also strengthening key muscle groups.

1. Hiking

Hiking is not the first activity that comes to mind when you think about getting a great cardio and full-body workout, but this low-impact exercise is packed with muscle-building benefits. Hiking burns calories, builds endurance and increases stability and balance. It also challenges the body to adjust to a different terrain, which helps prevent injury and improves overall performance in other types of exercise.

The most obvious benefit of hiking is its ability to strengthen your legs and back muscles. However, you also burn a significant amount of calories and the varying terrain can increase your heart rate and breathing, making it a cardio workout as well.

To get the most out of your hike, try switching up the trail you take and incorporating a few hills or stairs for an extra challenge. The uneven terrain also works your core and increases coordination, which can help prevent injuries down the road. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes and pack water and snacks for a longer hike.

2. Cycling

Cycling provides a heart-pounding cardio workout that doesn’t require the impact of running. It builds strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness while also lowering the risk of injuries such as knee pain.

Cycling can be an individual or a group activity. Group cycling helps burn more calories and improves the social aspect of exercise. Additionally, drafting off other riders decreases wind resistance and preserves energy for longer distances.

Unlike indoor cycling, biking outdoors engages your core, because you have to stand up to pedal. This strengthens your core and improves balance and spatial awareness. Cycling outdoors also engages your lower legs, as you have to push off the ground while riding.

If you can’t make it to a class at your local gym, try taking your fitness routine outside. Just be sure to wear sunscreen and bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.

3. Kayaking or Paddleboarding

Whether you’re paddling a serene lake or rowing in the middle of a calm river, kayaking provides an excellent full-body workout that strengthens the back and arms, tones the legs and core and elevates the heart rate for a healthy cardio session. The repetitive side-to-side movement of paddling also sculpts the torso, flattening the belly and tightening the waist.

Taking your yoga practice outdoors can boost the spiritual, physical and emotional benefits of this calming exercise. Try sun salutations at sunrise or a meditative flow beneath the shade of a tree to heighten your connection with nature.

Turn any outdoor space into your own personal gym with bodyweight circuit training. Exercises like push-ups, squat jumps and jumping jacks can be done anywhere without the need for equipment. If you have a park playground, take advantage of its steps, benches and bars for group outdoor fitness classes. Alternatively, you can use your neighborhood or even your own backyard to complete the circuits. Aim for 20 reps of each exercise and rest for a minute between sets.

4. Obstacle Courses

Running through an obstacle course provides a full-body workout and builds strength and balance. It also develops memorization and enhances adaptability, as kids must learn how to sequence information and actions to navigate each challenge safely.

To create your own obstacle course, assess the space in your yard and any existing structures (trees, fences) that can be used for challenges. Make sure the space is large enough for kids to move freely between obstacles. Also, make sure the course is safe and secure. It’s important to have a safe environment where kids can use their imagination and problem-solve, and where adults are present to monitor their safety.

To make this exercise more challenging, try using a variety of different balls. For example, you can run and bounce the ball over your head, jump, or even dribble it between your feet. You can also try alternating between different speed runs, such as 3 minutes of fast running followed by 2 minutes of slow jogging. Be sure to wear sunscreen and practice proper form when doing any high-intensity exercises outdoors.

5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

The natural terrain of outdoor workouts is a great way to build strength and endurance. Running outside is also an excellent way to increase your heart rate, burn calories and get vitamin D (provided you remember the sunscreen).

HIIT, which consists of short workouts that incorporate short bursts of exercise with brief recovery periods, works well outdoors because you can do it just about anywhere. Try a plyo push-ups workout that only requires a pair of sneakers and a park bench, or a bodyweight circuit training session designed to build your core, legs and back.

Take your group fitness class out in a clean, open space like a field or park and perform a dynamic warm-up with exercises such as lunges, banded lateral walks and air squats. Then, use a tree or a section of grass for wall sits and other core-building movements. If you’re planning on using weights, make sure to bring a water bottle and sweat-resistant leggings or performance fabrics. For an extra challenge, try a medicine ball slam workout using REP’s Slam Balls, which feature a double-thick shell and reinforced air valve to hold up to thousands of slams.

6. Bodyweight Exercises

The great thing about bodyweight exercises is that they don’t require specialized equipment. Group fitness instructors can use the terrain in parks, fields and even parking lots to create effective full-body workouts that improve strength, speed, power and agility.

For example, a simple ball challenge can involve running, sliding or dribbling a ball from one side of a field to the other in order to complete a set number of repetitions. This outdoor workout idea helps improve balance and agility while also strengthening arms, shoulders, back and legs.

Other bodyweight exercises include push-ups, squat jumps and lunges. These workouts strengthen thighs, hips, buttocks, back and core. You can even incorporate a few of these exercises into an interval training session to increase the intensity of your workout. Ultimately, these exercises can be used to add variety to any outdoor exercise routine.

7. Ball Exercises

Getting outside offers many opportunities to challenge the entire body with total-body workouts. Exercisers can use a variety of balls — from basketballs to soccer balls — for exercises that improve strength, agility and coordination or burn calories.

Using a large ball to perform tricep dips or back extensions is an easy way to increase upper-body strength without extra equipment. To perform a back extension, sit tall on the ball with your hips and feet positioned about a foot apart, then lower the arms to support the body as you scoot forward a few inches.

Park playgrounds are another great location to lead group outdoor fitness classes, as they offer many natural settings for workouts that strengthen and tone the muscles. Various pieces of playground equipment can be used to create new and fun exercises for your group fitness class, such as steps, benches, bars or walls.

When planning an outdoor class, it’s helpful to gather a few key pieces of equipment ahead of time. For example, a few pairs of REP’s adjustable dumbbells will allow your participants to work out with a range of weights from light to heavy, depending on their individual needs. The built-in holes around Equalizer plates make them easy to carry and set up for squats, lunges or deadlifts.

8. Yoga

Yoga is a peaceful exercise that promotes mindfulness and relaxation. Practicing it outdoors can help improve your focus and concentration while connecting you with nature. The serene environment can also improve your mental health, boosting memory and promoting clarity. The outdoor setting can also encourage better breathing practices, as the fresh air helps boost oxygen levels in the body.

When practicing outdoor yoga, it’s important to wear loose and comfortable clothing that will allow for free movement and airflow while exercising. It’s also recommended to wear sunscreen, especially if you plan to be out in the sun for a long period of time.

Unlike the controlled environment of a studio, practicing yoga in the park can be challenging due to the different terrains and weather conditions. However, these factors can offer opportunities for growth and challenge the muscles in ways that regular training does not. These different challenges, from grassy meadows to rocky cliffs, can develop balance and stability that can carry over into everyday life.