Bodyweight Beach Workout - Impromptu and Effective

Finally, I’m pretty much caught up on everything after a wonderful week away with my family. We thoroughly enjoyed our family vacation. And to be perfectly honest, I didn’t worry too much about training while I was away. I was a lot more interested in spending time with my family - my daughter swam on her own for the first time - than exercising.

But I did do enough to stave off the rust and make sure I didn’t end up feeling slovenly. The highlight was a couple days of surfing. This was unexpected as we were on the Gulf Coast where there usually isn’t much swell. But we arrived in the middle of a storm which meant waves!

The only other thing I did on our trip, besides my daily Intu-Flow and lots of playing and swimming with the kid, was a great bodyweight beach workout. When you’re at the beach, you can’t help but notice those people out jogging along the water’s edge at dawn. The thought of being out there is nice, but the idea of plodding along at a jog brings tears of boredom to my eyes, so I decided to create my own variation on the theme.

My session consisted of bouts of running at about 90% of my maximum speed, segments of easy walking, and sets of various bodyweight exercises. The result was stimulating, exhausting, invigorating and satisfying. It was great to be out there first thing in the morning with the wind in my hair, the sun shining on the water, and the silky feel of the sand under my feet and hands.

I did the workout in two phases. On the way out, I did the bouts of running alternated with the following sets of bodyweight exercise:

• Bent Arm Straddle Planche
• Crow Pose Press To Handstand (can only hold for a few seconds)
• Screwing Press
• Pocket Wheel
• Rounds of Forward Pressure

On the way back, I alternated easy walking - and admiring the scenery - with sets of the Monkey Shuffle (sort of like this video but more lateral). This brought me all the way back to the condo where I took a plunge into the nippy Gulf waters before heading in for a shower and some breakfast.

This was one of the most enjoyable, yet grueling, workouts I’ve had in a while. You really don’t need much in the way of equipment to put a great training session together. Why don’t you create your own today and let me know in the comments how it turned out?

Cheers,
Adam

Comments

[Monica Shaw]

I've been doing my own daily bodyweight workout routine, though not nearly as hardcore as yours! I do a mix of planks, leg lifts, lunges, single-leg squats, and other various stability exercises that my physio gave me to help with my shin splints. I usually begin or follow this with a walk around the local park. You're right, you don't need much equipment to get a good workout. And there's no stress with the bodyweight workout. No money to spend, no gym to go to. I'm loving it! Thanks for sharing YOUR routine. Gives me something to aim for. =)

[Adam]

Hey Monica,

Thanks for dropping by!

I think I told you before about FlowFit®. If not, you should check it out. I think it would really fit with your approach and personality. And there is no better turn-key bodyweight program around.

Cheers,
Adam