Summer exercise plan

Failure to plan is planning to fail, and if you’re planning to let it all hang out this summer, you’ll need to exercise to maintain your health and fitness.

However, one of the last places you want to be is in the gym slaving away while the water and sand call your name.

You don’t need fancy gym equipment or a lot of time to get your sweat on during the summer months. All you need is your bodyweight, a towel and a stopwatch. Whether you’re on vacation or looking for a little exercise variety, the following trainings will keep you in tiptop shape.

1. Sun, sand and sprints

 Ideally this is done in the sand, but any open space will do. Draw two lines in the sand about 20 yards (24 footsteps) apart and sprint to one end and do one pushup, then sprint down the other end a do one squat. Add one push up and squat with each sprint until you get to 10 of each.

2. Bodyweight Tabatas

Let Prof. Tabata explain to you what Tabata interval is.

“The Tabata training is an exhaustive, short lasting, high intensity intermittent exercise, which consists of 6-7 sets of 20 second exercise at the intensity of 170% Vo2max with 10 second rest between the exercise bouts.”

This protocol can be followed with bodyweight exercises such as squats, jumping jacks, alternating forward/reverse lunges, planks, push-ups and jump squats/lunges. You’ll be sweating and smiling and done in less than four minutes so you can enjoy the finer things in life.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1MLfbD5i8A&w=560&h=315]

3. Spoke training

 Combining strength exercises with cardio gives you the best of both worlds.  With spoke training,  you’ll be alternating between these two with little or no rest in-between so you can be a lean mean calorie burning machine. Let the good times roll.

1. Bodyweight jump squat 12 reps

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4s4mEQ5VqU&w=560&h=315]

1B. Cardio– High knees or ice-skaters 20 reps

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfOZ0e30xg&w=560&h=315]

2A. Towel row( alternate legs) 30 second hold

2B. Cardio- High knees or ice-skaters 20 reps

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_DzJ2_9bjM&w=560&h=315]

3A. Push-ups 8- 15 reps

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh00_rniF8E&w=560&h=315]

3B. Cardio- High knees or ice-skaters 20 reps

4A. Single leg hip extensions 12 reps on each leg

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLvGO09y_s&w=560&h=315]

4B. Cardio- High knees or ice-skaters 20 reps

5A. Reverse lunge with kick 12 reps on each leg

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bTYQCxgMg&w=560&h=315]

5B. Cardio- High knees or ice-skaters 20 reps

* Rest 90 seconds and go back to repeat the circuit one more time for a total of two circuits.

These trainings will leave plenty of time to enjoy the sand, surf and sights while looking like you live in a gym but we’ll keep that little secret between us.

Now go and work on your suntan.