Fitness Friday: Fun & Fit - The Beach Body Guide

When the sun's shining and you want to be nowhere else but the beach, try this workout to get some Vitamin D and a banging beach body. Who says you can’t enjoy some sand and sun and get a great workout, too! Check out these lower body, upper body, and core exercises to do while at the beach!

• Legs:

1. Side Leg lifts (Outer Thigh):

Holding on to a beach chair, lift and lower your leg, keeping your toes pointing in the same direction you are facing.

(Do 3 sets of 20 on each leg)

 



2. Squat (Quad/Glutes):

Sit your butt back to your beach chair and stand right back up. Keeping your knees behind your toes, lower your butt back first and then down to the chair, either sitting all the way down or just tapping the seat and standing back up. Keep your weight on your heels and your chest up as you lower yourself to the chair.

(Do 3 sets of 10)



 

3. Rear Leg Lift (Hamstrings/Glutes):

On hands and knees, extend one leg and extend it straight behind you until it hits the sand. Then lift your leg straight to the sky with your heel pointed up and lower down to the sand.

(Do 3 sets of 20 on each leg)



 

4. Lunge & Knee Balance (Hamstring/Glutes):

Holding a towel overhead, split your stance, keeping both knees at 90 degrees, lower your back knee toward the sand. Push off your front heel to stand up on one leg with a knee lift. Then lower your knee back to lunge position.

(Do 3 sets of 10 on each leg)



 

• Upper Body:

1. Chair dips (Triceps): With finger tips facing you, bend your elbows and lower your bottom close to the chair then extend and push through the palms of your hands. Keep hips close to your hands. To make it more challenging: extend your legs straight and do the same movement.

(Do 3 sets of 10)



 

2. Push-up (Chest): On your mat, place your hands just outside your shoulders and in a plank position - lower yourself toward the towel (an inch above the towel) and push back up to the starting plank position. Modification:  Lower knees to the towel.

(Do 3 sets of 10)



 

• Core:

1. Plank (Abdominals): Holding in the top of a push-up position, create one straight line from your tailbone to your head. Pull your belly button to your spine and keep your hips in line with your spine.

(Do 3-30 to 60 second planks)



 

2. In and outs (Abdominals): Pull both knees together and using a towel for additional support, put the towel behind your hamstrings. Then extend your legs away from you, holding for 2 seconds and then bring your knees back to the chest.

(Do 3 sets of 10)

To make it more challenging: place the towel on top of your legs and then reach overhead as you extend your legs, then return back to starting position.

(Do 3 sets of 10)