How to Turn Any Park Into A Gym

Almost any park with a playground can be turned into a gym for bodyweight exercises. With an array of trees, railings, benches, bars and walls, they are made for doing pull-ups, chin-ups, dips and standing push-ups.

Pull-ups and chin-ups

Start by standing under an appropriate height set of bars. In a pinch even a horizontal tree branch will work.

Tip! A good tip to help you get fit is to invest in a shaker bottle. Shaker bottles are great because they allow you to make a protein shake on the fly.

Reach up or jump up and grab the bar. From the body-hanging position, pull yourself up as far as possible; at about the same speed, lower yourself back down to the hanging position. This way muscles get worked in both directions.

 For pull-ups, place your hands shoulder-width apart or farther with your palms facing away; similar to the lat pull-down starting position. For chin-ups, hands should be shoulder-width apart or less with the palms facing you.

 Pull-ups are harder and work the back muscles more so than the biceps. Chin-ups are easier to do and work the biceps more than the back. 

Tip! Being fit isn't all about lifting weights. Cardiovascular exercise plays an important part of fitness as well.

Dips

Dips work the upper arms, shoulders and to some extent thighs. Start by sitting on a bench 12" to 18" high off the ground. Legs should be straight out with heels firmly planted on the ground. With hands resting on the edge of the bench, arms should be straight, shoulder-width apart with the elbows pointed outward and wrists inward.

Tip! Military pushups are a good modification for regular pushups. They provide more resistance for your arms and chest, and give you more results in strength and fitness.

Keeping your back straight, inch yourself off of the bench so that you are about 2 inches away from the front of the bench. Inhale, pull in your abs and lower yourself a few inches or as far as is comfortable by bending at the elbows. Now exhale and bring your body back up by pushing up with your arms.

Movement should be steady and with a up-and-down rhythm. For maximum effect, the last repetition should be difficult to do. The goal should be to be able to perform three sets of 10 repetitions.

Standing push-ups 

 Standing push-ups work the shoulders and are basically the same as regular push-ups but instead of laying on a floor or the ground, you are pressing yourself away from a vertical wall. Starting position is chest against a wall, palms flat against the wall and feet at least 24" from the base of the wall. The farther away from the wall, the harder it will be to press your body away.

Tip! Avoid using the treadmill to warm-up with before you engage in your weight training. Instead, opt for a warm-up that will actually work the muscles that you will be using for lifting the weights.

Now inhale and press your body away from the wall with your arms until they are fully extended. Start bending your arms at the elbow and let your bodyweight move you back towards the wall. Do as many repetitions as comfortable. Increase the difficulty of this exercise by moving your feet farther from the wall.

 While all of these exercises can be performed indoors, especially during inclement weather, get outside as much as possible. Not only is the fresh air invigorating, but you can get your daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun.

Tip! A great fitness tip is to start doing skull crushers. Skull crushers are a unique exercise that can help put a lot of meat on your triceps.

Standing push-ups work the shoulders and are basically the same as regular push-ups but instead of laying on the ground or a floor, you are pressing yourself away from a vertical wall. Starting position is chest against a wall, palms flat against the wall and feet at least 24" from the base of the wall. The farther away from the wall, the harder it will be to press your body away.

 Now inhale and press your body away from the wall with your arms until they are fully extended. Start bending your arms at the elbow and let your bodyweight move you back towards the wall.