How to Turn Your Backyard Into a Gym

If you’re handy and have some lumber around, you can build some home gym equipment, but there’s a good chance you already have plenty of things you can use for your workout.
 

Lawn Space

There’s one thing your yard probably has more of than your living room, and that’s space. It also has dirt, instead of a hollow floor that might thump loudly as you jump around. Even in a small yard, you can still do things like shuttle runs, walking lunges, inchworms, jump squats, and mountain climbers. If you’re a runner, you can also do running drills like high-knees, butt-kicks, or grapevines. Oh, and don’t forget everyone’s favourite, burpees! 

Park Bench, Picnic Table, or Steps

With the seat side of a park bench, picnic table, or the edge of a step you can do tricep dips, incline pushups, step-ups (make sure you’re bench won’t tip over first), sit-to-stands, single-leg lunges, box jumps, V-sit bicycle kicks, and bridges. 

Standing behind a park bench, you can use the back as a ballet bar for exercises like plies, assemblés, arabesque lunges, or any other ballet-inspired moves from your favourite barre class. You could also use the railing on your deck for barre moves. 

Play Structure

If you’ve got a play structure in the backyard for the kids, you’ve got even more possibilities. As long as it’s stable and strong enough to handle the weight of an adult, you can use their equipment, too. You can do incline pushups almost anywhere, you may be able to use a kid’s swing bar for pullups, and you can do inverted rows and pistol squats with the swings. 

DIY Weights

If you prefer to work out with weights, but you don’t have any at home, there’s probably some stuff you can use around the yard, like cinder blocks, jugs of water, a spare tire, or buckets full of dirt. The nice thing about jugs of water or buckets of dirt is that you can control the weight so that it’s right for you. There are plenty of ideas for making DIY weights on Pinterest, so do a quick search if you’re ready to get creative. 

Yoga Anywhere

Doing yoga outdoors or even just stretching after your workout might be one of the nicest ways to cool down and relax after a good sweat. If you’re going to do yoga in the backyard, make sure you pick a level spot. Roll your mat out on the deck or cement pad if you have one. Listening to the birds and feeling the cool breeze can reinvigorate your home yoga practice. And let’s be honest, is there any better sound to accompany your savasana than chirping birds, warm sunshine, and beautiful tree leaves overhead? 

Exercising at home doesn’t have to be boring—take it outside and get creative! Blow off some steam, get those endorphins going, and enjoy the new variety and challenges of backyard workouts. And don’t forget, yard work itself can be quite the workout if you’ve got some ambitious landscaping projects on the go!