The Scarsdale Outdoor Workout

Summer is here and who wants to be rubbing elbows with spin-mates inside the gym when you can be outside working up a sweat with a friend? Grab a ball, a resistance band, a medicine ball, some hand weights, a yoga mat or a picnic blanket and call a friend for an early morning workout in your yard. Other good outdoor workout venues include the Bronx River Parkway trail, Kensico Dam or any of the Scarsdale or Eastchester Parks or schoolyards. All you need is a place to run and a fence, bench, or basketball pole to harness your resistance band. If you prefer to end your day with a workout, go to one of the Scarsdale parks where you are permitted to drink a post-workout beer (though not on school fields.)

Here is a 30-minute work-out designed by Equinox trainers and fitness experts Pamela Newkirk-Arkin and Webb Travis. They joined me at Hyatt Field in Scarsdale to run through atotal body strength and cardio work out.

1. Run- Begin by taking a 3-minute run around the perimeter of the park to warm up.

2. Ball squat- With a playground ball between your thighs, hold on to a fence (or bench, bleachers) and make a chair (butt) shape with your body. Do 10 squats down and squeeze the ball on the way up. Then hold and squeeze for 10 counts without contracting your glutes followed by pulsing down for 10 counts just below the knee height and back to knee height. Finally, hold for 10 counts while giving the ball an isometric squeeze.

3. Alternating dead lift and shoulder press with weight: Holding the back of a bench or a fence, hinge forward from the hips, making a table top from your head to your heel, arm straight down from the shoulder. Bring extended knee up to hip height in front as you bring a weight (kettlebell, dumbbell, etc) into bicep curl, and press above the head. Alternating straight leg dead lift, extending the arm, knee raise with a bicep curl into an overhead shoulder press 10 times. Then hold with a flexed foot, go into bent over isometric position of a straight leg dead lift, squeeze abs and drag elbow along the rib cage and back down for the dead lift .

4. Weighted lunges, twist lunges and forward lunges: Holding a weight at chest height, lunge forward and perform an overhead raise, 10 on each side. Follow with lunges adding a twist with your arms, rotating towards the working leg, to work your core (10 per side).

5. Run a lap around the field (about 3 minutes)

6. Triceps- Wrap your resistance band around a fence or pole and go into a ready standing position with slightly bent knees. Band should be taut and elbows and shoulders should be parallel with your spine, only bending at the elbow to fully extend the arms, palms down. Perform 15-20 repetitions from the elbow pressing down then 15 -20 presses back with straight arms.

7. Alternating Side Plank Row- With weights in both hands on weights, (optional,) do a push up then rotate your whole body to one side, dropping heels to the ground while drawing the elbow up. Return to plank position and repeat 10 per side. Note: abs should be tight and back should not arch.

 
8. Cable chop with side lunge - Step on a resistance band and step out with the other foot into a side lunge. Then reach arms diagonally across the body and extend the arm upwards. Repeat 10 times on each side.

9. Basic mountain climbers- Get into high plank position and alternate knees in for a count of 20-30 seconds or repetitions on each leg.

10. Run a lap around the field (about 3 minutes)

11. Plank with hand clap or arm raise for a count of 20

12. Abs- On your mat, perform 20 regular crunches, 20 "figure 4" crunches (10 per leg), 20 bicycle crunches bringing the elbow to your opposite knee while crunching, and 20 alternating leg reaches.

13. Stretches –Lift one foot onto a fence or bench and reach arms to feet for a hamstring stretch then repeat for opposite leg. Next, do a "figure 4" stretch by taking your ankle and resting it on your opposite knee while sitting down as if you were sitting into a chair. Repeat on other side. Finally, stretch your quadriceps by grasping the base of your foot and pulling the heel to your glute. If able, pop your foot onto a fence and lean back slightly to further the stretch.

Contributors:

Webb Travis is an experienced personal trainer and group fitness instructor at Equinox in Scarsdale. He graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a Bachelors degree in both Advertisement and Exercise Science and a Masters of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.

Pamela Newkirk-Arkin is an ACE Certified Private Trainer with a BFA in Dance from Adelphi University (Cum Laude). Pamela is the Group Fitness Manager at Equinox Scarsdale. As a former dancer, Pamela's true passion is teaching Lotte Berk style barre classes, but she loves teaching other formats as well including cardio, hiit, sculpt and stretch. She is the proud mom of two children.

Kelly Vasami is a local photographer who captures weddings, portraits, engagement sessions, maternity and newborn sessions for families and couples all along the East Coast. Leran more at www.kellyvasami.com.