Do you remember the days when you went back and forth across the monkey bars for an hour because it was fun? Or when you would have hula-hoop contests with your friends to see who could keep it going the longest? It’s time to channel that inner child for a workout that will be just as fun as your days at recess—and not just because you’ll be working out the playground.
This full-body, 30-minute workout will challenge every major muscle group while reminding you how much fun it is to be a kid again.
Exercises
Decline pushups off the slide: Put your feet on the edge of the slide and get into pushup position, with your core tight and glutes activated. Don’t let your head hang, look just ahead of you. Lower down into one pushup like you normally would.
Swing jumps: Stand behind the swing, hold the chains, and jump up and over the top of the swing to the other side. Turn around and repeat for one rep.
Run up the slide and back down: Run up the top of the slide, then turnaround and run back down. Stay slow and in control to avoid injuries. One up and down is one rep.
Plank walk around the hula-hoop: Place the hula-hoop on the ground and get into plank position, arms fully extended with wrists below your shoulders. Step to the right with your right arm and right foot at the same time; repeat with your left. Each “step” out is one rep.
Pull ups on the bar: Find a set of bars—there are often multi-level bars together in one place—and perform your pull ups. If there are no free-standing bars, use the monkey bars.
Box jumps on the stairs: Locate one set of stairs, stand in front with feet hip width apart, and leap up onto the first or second step with both feet at the same time. Leap back down to complete one rep.
Knee ups off the slide: Stand facing the slide. Step up with you right foot and swing your left knee up so that your hamstring is parallel to the ground. Step down with your left foot, then your right and repeat the entire movement, starting with the left stepping up this time. One round of one on each side is one rep.
Bear crawl up the slide and back down: Get onto your hands and feet and crawl up the slide as fast as you can, then crawl back down, backwards. Move slow as you go down to avoid any injuries. One up and down is one rep.