How to Exercise Outdoors with No Equipment

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Those of you who’ve tried any of my exercise programs or my fitness bootcamps know that I don’t believe in using lots of big, fancy, expensive equipment when it comes to working out.  I stick with basic stuff like kettlebells, dumbbells, sandbags, medicine balls, ropes, and your own body weight.

But, I know a lot of you don’t have kettlebells, sandbags, and dumbbells lying around your house, and at the same time, would rather do anything than go to the gym.  It’s okay.  I get it.  (I don’t even have a gym membership. shhh, don’t tell anyone.)  So where does that leave you?  Is your only choice to jog?

Not by a long shot.

My good friend Caroline Fitzgerald runs bootcamps on the coast of Maine.  And when I say on the coast of Maine, I literally mean on the coast of Maine.

See, she runs her classes at the crack of dawn on the beach. In the summer. In the fall. In spring. In winter. In Maine.

When you’re running bootcamps on the beach in January (do you have any idea how freaking cold it gets in Maine in January?), you don’t want to be lugging all kinds of equipment out there with you.  So, Caroline is pretty inventive.  

Star Jumps, Hip Curtsies, Bootstrappers, Push Ups, Moglies, Lunges, Bridge Marching… Those are just a small sample of the exercises she does, none of which require any equipment other than you.

And doing these, her clients get complete workouts on the beach using nothing but their own body weight.

Now, you don’t need to go freeze your ass off on the beach in January to do the same types of workouts that Caroline does.  In fact, since you don’t need any equipment other than your own body, you can do her type of workouts anywhere.  She’s a big advocate of exercising outdoors, but you can do her workouts indoors or out.  (I’m a baby. I like my climate controlled studio, but that’s just me…)

Anyway, if you’re interested in learning a whole bunch of bodyweight exercises, Caroline has put them all together in an ebook called The Outdoor Fit Club Workouts.  I’ve read it, and can honestly say if you’ve been using a lack of equipment as your excuse to not exercise, this book will remove that excuse for you.  Or, if you just love the outdoors and want to try some beach-tested routines at your own beach or back yard, check it out.

If you’re simply interested in more info about her thoughts on outdoor fitness, she has her blog on the site as well.

~Dave

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