I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving the outdoors nonstop lately. When the weather is nice, the flowers are blooming, and the sky is bright blue, I take every chance I can to be outside. My workouts are one of the many chances I take to get outside. Go find your nearest playground and have a little fun with this workout!
Complete 12-15 reps of each of the below exercises. End the circuit with a one mile run. Repeat circuit. Complete circuit for a total of 3 times.
Warm Up
Jog or walk briskly for 5-10 minutes.
Incline Pushups
Find a bench and place hands on the bench just outside of your shoulders. Do a pushup until your nose is right above the bench. Keep your body straight!
Step Ups
Step one leg up onto a bench or step and bring your other knee up as high as you can. Continue this motion for 12-15 reps. Repeat on the opposite leg.
Pull Ups
Find some monkey bars and do your best to pull your body up and down.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Go back to your bench and get in a lunge-like position with the back leg on the bench and the front leg on the ground. Go up and down for 12-15 reps. Repeat on the opposite leg.
Tricep Dips
Use the bench or a step. Place hands just outside of your hips, elbows pointing straight back (not out to the side), and legs straight out in front of you. Press your body weight up and down.
Knee Ups
Hang from monkey bars and bring your knees to your chest.
Monkey Bars Sit Ups
Hang from the monkey bars and use your core to pull your weight up and back down.
(Go run that one mile, take a 60 second rest, and repeat the circuit!)
Cool Down
Do some stretching and take a short walk to cool down your body.
I hope you guys are able to try this one out! As always, I’m here if you have any questions. Have an awesome day!
P.S. Those pull ups are brutal if you haven’t done much weight lifting in awhile. Sheesh!
Questions:
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Do you ever take your strength training workouts outside?
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What is your workout today?
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Love it!
When Brandon and I used to go on our runs, he’d always want to stop at a local playground and do a lot of these moves. But I would usually just stand there watching him haha!! 
what a cute post. love the idea!
Great idea! I love outdoor workouts but have never thought to use the playground equipment as part of a circuit. Now I just have to find a local playground that isn’t crowded with children.
haha yeah we live in a neighborhood with lots of young families, so i was actually really surprised not to see any kids on the playground while i was there!
Awesome workout for the warmer weather!! Thanks for sharing!
My workout today was a Bootcamp class…. Have a great day!
i love bootcamp style workouts!
Love this idea! Don’t know how successful I’d be at the monkey bar sit up!
Such a CUTE workout…love it! Those monkey bar crunches look intense! Today’s workout was a lower body weights session- sadly I was confined in a gym
!
That looks like a really nice work out! I wanted to work out today because it’s so warm, so this post couldn’t come a better time. Thanks!
OhMGeeeeeeeeeee! My post TODAY is about my typical “run” which ends at the playground. And one of my readers suggested I do some strength training once I get there while Babycakes plays. I was at a loss of where to start… and VOILA. God gave me YOU and this awesome BLOG and this perfect workout!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! I’m so pumped, if you couldn’t tell already! I will be trying out most of these moves TONIGHT!
haha!! i love it! i’m so glad that i was able to help you out.
let me know how it goes!
this looks so fun!!! today i just did some incline walking with a quick ab workout… i will probably take my pooch for a dog after work since it’s so nice here too!
That looks super fun! I have never done a workout outside like that. I just finished Yoga Meltdown which is my only workout for the day
i still want to try that yoga meltdown video! do you like it?
I really do. I am not one for yoga usually as I find it too slow. But this DVD has you move through the moves, but is not too intense still.
You’re so creative Ashley! This sounds like a great way to enjoy the outdoors and get a full body work out. Thanks for sharing, I always look forward to your workouts!
thank you jana! if you try it out, let me know how you like it!
That looks like such a great workout!! I’ve done a playground type workout with Chris before and it was so much harder than I anticipated! I think my workout today is going to be running stairs at the nearby reservoir….I haven’t worked out in like 4 days so I’m itching to move!
i LOVE running stairs. i don’t know why, but it’s one of my favorite cardio workouts. i always feel so good afterward! enjoy!
You are too cute. I don’t think I’d be able to get in to the starting position for the sit ups without decapitating myself.
haha it was a little bit of a challenge for me too.
whoa some of these moves look intense and hard. Kind of want to try them…
i say go for it! it’s good to give ourselves a little bit of a challenge sometimes!
LOVE it!! Great post & workout<–and I love the pictures that go along with it. You are adorable!
That workout looks intense and awesome!
Such a great post!!! Looks like a perfect workout to enjoy the outdoors.
I love this workout! I’ve been meeting my personal training client at the park by my house for the past few weeks, and it has been awesome. I love outdoor workouts, and there really are SO many exercise options with simple playground equipment. I take my homemade TRX-style straps, and it makes it a killer total body workout.
Thanks for sharing!
taking our your TRX straps are a great idea! and homemade? how did you make them yourself?
Love this! I love outdoor workouts, and I’ve been meeting my personal training client at the park by my house for the past few weeks. There really are so many exercise options with simple playground equipment! I’ve been bringing my homemade trx-style straps, and it has made for a killer total body workout! Thanks for sharing!
Um.. HOW FUN! You can really fit fitness in ANYWHERE! Maybe when I take my kids out for recess I will bust out some of these moves…. hahaha
you totally should!
Lol pretty sure I couldn’t do a pull up at all! But this looks fun! Today I ran 4 miles before my drive to CO! I needed to get out some energy! We’re on the road now!
good for you! i get antsy after sitting too long too.
This is awesome! My husband and I are just coming off of half marathon training, and are looking for fun ways to change up our workout routine! We’ll for sure hit up our local park this weekend, and hopefully give this workout a go!
let me know how you like it!
working out outside > indoors any day
i totally agree!
This looks great! Sadly it’s rainy and gross here recently, but I may have to try this one out at the local park once the weather decides to cooperate again!!
This looks like so much fun! Now I just need to find a playground near my house!
I love this post! You look so good too!
I did my workout inside today and at 5:30 a.m. in the morning. Urghh but yay!! I did the Firm’s Total Body Time Crunch. While I don’t have a playground near me, I bet I could come up with an outside strength training workout. Thanks for the inspiration as always!
thank you Ro!
strong work at getting that workout in! i’m sure afterward it was TOTALLY worth it!
I love this workout! Thanks for the pictures Ashley!
Fun!
I love incorporating the playground into my boot camp workouts when we’re in the park
What a fun workout! Perfect outdoor workout! I live close to a playground so this would be perfect
oh how i wish i was there to do this with you!! Too fun, love the monkey bars. whoa!
wouldn’t that be so fun?!
Ashely you are so fit and beautiful!
I’m having so much trouble with pull-ups, any tips????? i can do them if my feet touch the ground but if the bar is higher and im hanging i cant 
help lol 
thank you! hmm i would recommend trying to put some sort of step stool or box underneath you to give your body some support while pulling yourself up. i know they’re pretty challenging!
This is amazing Ashley! I seriously love this SO much! What a great idea! I love all the different exercise you included!!!!!
Today I did a bicep and tricep workout at the gym
Took me 30 minutes! Just what I needed
i did a 20 minute workout in my driveway today. didn’t feel like running but it was way too nice to be inside! i mixed up some jumping jacks, push ups, sit-ups, etc. it was so fun!
that does sound like fun! strong work!
Love this! You look amazing! I don’t think I could do one pull up… lol
thanks girl. haha yeah, those pull ups were brutal…
This is so fun! What a great idea–and a great workout! I am impressed that you can do a pull up. This girl is WEAK. No pull ups for me.
haha i’m not saying they were easy, that’s for sure! i’m also not saying i did all 12-15.
SO fun! I love this type of stuff. Those monkey bar sit ups are no joke!
Oh my goodness, that’s so much fun!!!!!! I mean, it looks fun! What a creative idea! Being a preschool teacher, I have a whole new vision for what our school playground is
Going to the park tomorrow. This will be awesome
let me know how it goes!
This is great! I bring my daughter to the park a lot during the warmer months because it’s right next to the track, she usually only lets me do a mile before complaining, I walk very fast, for some reason I just can’t run. This would be great to do while she’s playing! Bu what do I do if I can’t do pull ups or knee ups?
Sad huh!