Summer is here and inevitably you'll end up at the beach! The great news is that you don't have to sacrifice a workout in order to spend a day soaking up some Summertime. As you pack up your snacks – my favorite is Promax Fit 'n Crisp! – be sure to bring along one set of 5 or 8 pound dumbbells and a yoga mat. Don't waste a minute... when you arrive at the beach, immediately hydrate and complete this workout. I promise you will enjoy the rest of your beach day so much more knowing that you accomplished a great workout.
Set out your yoga mat in the sand to serve as a foundation for the following moves. Then, jog lightly up and down the beach for 5-10 minutes to prepare your metabolism for effective strength training. After you're warmed up, glistening, and breathing harder, perform the following moves in a row, completing the noted repetitions. Rest one minute and then complete another round of the moves. Aim for 2-5 complete rounds based on your current fitness level and goals. After you've completed your workout, cool down and promote recovery by walking up and down the beach for another 5-10 minutes. Be sure to follow your workout with a snack that includes protein. (This is a great time for that Promax Fit 'n Crisp!) This will help you to recover and ward off muscle soreness!
Sumo Squats – 15 reps
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Hold dumbbells at your shoulders. Naturally allow yourself to drop down into a squat. Push into your heels to return to the starting position.
Alternating Reverse Lunges – 20 reps
Begin with feet together and dumbbells at your sides. Take a large step backward and use your front leg to lower you into a reverse lunge position. Push into the front heel and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the other leg and continue repeating. Each lunge is 1 rep.
Neutral Grip Overhead Press – 15 reps
Stand with your feet hip distance apart and abs drawn inward. Place the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms facing each other. Keeping this palm orientation, push the dumbbells up ending directly over your shoulder joint. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Bent Arm Side Raise – 15 reps
Stand with your feet hip distance apart and abs drawn in. Arms are at your sides, bring the dumbbells forward, into a bicep curl, but stopping when the elbow gets to 90 degrees with palms facing each other. This is your arm starting position. From here, open your arms outward to the sides so that your elbow ends directly out from your shoulder with your upper arm paralell to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Sky Reach Crunch – 30 reps
Lying on your yoga mat, hold one dumbbell in the air directly over your chest, up towards the sky. From here, contract your abs and lift your torso upward reaching the dumbbell high towards the sky. Lift up high enough so that your shoulder blades come off the yoga mat. Lower back to the starting position, keeping the dumbbell over your chest, and repeat.