How To Green Up Your Workout Routine
My long time friend and personal trainer Al Kavadlo knows that I’m environmentally conscious and has helped to green my workout routine. There is no equipment to buy and it can be done outdoors at your local park or playground.
It’s spring time so there is no need to be inside a stuffy gym. Here’s some exercises that you can do to green your workout routine.
Exercise: Step-Up
Use: Small bench or step
Muscles Used: Quads, glutes, hamstrings and core
Movement: Put one foot up on the bench. Step up and kick up your opposite knee to about a 90 degree angle. Keep your posture and step down. Repeat.
Exercise: Dip
Use: Small bench or step
Muscles Used: Triceps
Movement: Stand in front of the bench with your back towards it. Put both hands on the bench, palms facing the bench, slightly wider than shoulder width. Walk your legs straight out in front of you, lower down and press back up. Repeat.
Exercise: Pull-Ups
Use: Bar
Muscles Used: Biceps, back and core.
Movement: Grab bar with an overhand grip. Pull up until your chin reaches the bar. Lower yourself down and repeat.
Exercise: Australian Pull-Ups (Modified pull-ups for those that aren’t ready for pull-ups)
Use: Bar that is waist height.
Muscles Used: Biceps, back and core.
Movement: Lay under the bar and grab it with an overhand grip. Put your legs out, keep your body straight and pull your chest up to the bar. Repeat.
Exercise: Squats
Use: No equipment required.
Muscles Used: Legs and core.
Movement: Stand up straight with good posture. Make sure your heels stay down and you stick your butt out. Squat down until you thighs are about 90 degrees with the ground. Stand up and repeat.
If those exercises are too easy for you, then try a pistol squat (one legged squat) or muscle-ups.
Here are some other zero equipment workouts as well.
Now get outdoors and get your workout on.
I’m a little guilty about my cardio, though :( to be honest, I still use the treadmill sometimes because if I jog outside, I inhale the smoke emitted by the vehicles. I do jog outside when I visit my parent’s house because there’s not much pollution there.
The weather has been great for this. Just getting out and jogging is my green exercise.
Haha I love it. I put myself through college doing personal training so I can definitely relate. As a former personal trainer myself with 5 years of experience working with fitness models and bodybuilders alike, I can say this a great starter workout. Lot’s of compound exercises to recruit a majority of the bodies muscles from the get go. This is more efficient with your time and leads to less muscular imbalances than with isolation movements. Great post!
I like the idea of workin out outside. Has anyone seen the Ghetto Workout videos on youtube? They are really funny.
Coolest beard ever… This guy is awesome.
I don’t know I am so lazy this year. It’s like I am still in winter sleep. Normally I am a person that gets out and plays all kind of ball games.
Thanks for this wonderful idea how to unite our working everyday life with opportunity to remain fit and healthy!
Thanks for the kind words everybody! Let me know if you try some of these moves at your local park.
@Alex – people often have a strong reaction to my facial hair–glad it’s positive in this case!
I don’t able to manage my time to go gym now but do some freehand exercise regularly. This article give me some new option but I only follow it in evening as it’s hot summer in India now.
This is very nice idea for work out. Focusing on a green-workout-routine can keep you fit and reduce your exercise-carbon-footprint as well. After reading this I think people should Avoid Electrical Equipment and must try this. Really, This is great advise.
lol I really love this article, very useful, anyone here want a try?
i like the idea of working out with equipment that requires no power, however to be even greener you could try working out using a machine that generates power as you work. not sure if these exist but they should! imagine using a rowing machine and it powers the t.v etc.