The beach is a great place for a workout. The sand offers natural resistance for every movement. Fitness Club Coaches offer workouts to shape up your body at the lakefront or anywhere a little sand can be found.
Fitness Coach Andrea Metcalf, Author of Naked Fitness
Tabata style workouts offer five exercises that are repeated during a 4-minute session. Each drill is performed for 20 seconds at high intensity with a 10 second rest in between. Users perform 8 sets of this timed workout during the 4-minute drill. Perform each of the five exercises to complete a 300-500 under thirty minute workout.
Although any five exercises can be combined for a Tabata beach workout here are a few of my favorites:
Skates - Start with feet together and push off to a side lunge landing. Tap the foot behind and push back to the other side.
Focus: Hips, glutes and thighs.
Line Jumps - Draw a line in the sand and for the 20 second interval, jump over and back, side to side across the line. This pylometric is intense with the sand and builds balance and stability.
Focus: Hips, coordination and agility.
Burpees - Start standing and squat with hands down in the sand as you push legs back into a plank. Drive knees back up toward hands and then jump up toward the sky. This total body intense move works great in or out of the sand.
Focus: Shoulders, core, legs.
Plank rotations - Start in plank position with feet shoulder width apart. Reach one arm up towards sky as you lean to turn hips sideways. Return to center plank position and alternate sides for the 20 second interval.
Focus: Shoulders and core.
Mountain Climbers - Start in plank position alternate driving knee up towards elbows. Continue this low running position for the 20 second interval.
Focus: Shoulders and core.
Fitness Coach Saran Dunmore, MTV trainer "I Used to be Fat"
Here's my super leg circuit to try at the beach. Perform these exercises ten repetitions each and at least 2-3 times for the entire circuit.
Super Leg Circuit
1. Squat to a jumping jack (Think of this as a slowed controlled jumping jack but hold the squat part 2-3 counts)
2. Corner degree angle reaching lunches ( Instead of lunging forward change to a diagonal pattern to work the entire lower body)
3. Split jumps (Think of these like power lunges pushing off the sand to land in an alternating lunge movement)
4. 10 sprints (use the volleyball court or measure 25 feet for the distance on these)
Repeat 2 to three times.
Fitness Coach Sergio Rojas, RedefinedFitness.net
Playing an outdoor sport like beach volleyball is a great way to stay fit and feel young. But like with many sports, our bodies also can easily get injured, and breakdown -- especially if we have imbalances and weaknesses caused by long days behind a desk. A great exercise to help correct muscle imbalances, improve core and upper body strength, as well as increase balance, flexibility and power is a PLANK with alternating arm raises (alternating opposite side arm-leg raises for more advanced athletes).
Start in a push-up position with your hands underneath your shoulders and abdominals slightly tucked in and engaged. Raise one arm straight ahead as high as you can, maintaining control. Core muscles should rotate and extend a little. Alternate between each arm for 10-to 20- reps on each side.
Once you are able to do 20 reps on each side, then add another wrinkle: raise the opposite side leg along with the arm for more intense stretch and balance. This balance, strength and flexibility will ad power to your spike.
SQUAT JUMPS - The highest jumpers reap the biggest rewards in sports like Volleyball. How do you improve you lift? Squat jumps are a great way to improve your vertical, but beware of traditional or old school teachings that ‘the knees have to be lined up with the 2nd toe, or you will get injured.
To get the full benefits from squat jumps and actually reduce the risk of injury, it is critical to alter your foot positions. This will train each muscle, ligament and joint more completely. The key is to not go too intense too soon. Start with a short-range squat to jump; then go a little deeper (closer to mid-range), and on the third one, go your deepest. Additionally, alternate your foot positions by placing one foot slightly forward; rotating the feet.
