To get fast results, take your sweat sesh al fresco. A study from California Pacific Orthopedic and Sports Medicine found that outdoor exercisers lost an average of 7.43 pounds and 6.17 percent of body fat in eight weeks
1. Side Step
Targets core, obliques, glutes, upper back, shoulders
Stand with right side facing a step, log, or flat rock.
Hold your arms out to your sides at shoulder height and bend elbows 90 degrees, palms facing forward.
Step up with your right foot, contracting abs while bringing left knee and right elbow together in front of you. (Emphasize bringing your knee up rather than your elbow down.) Return to starting position.
Do 12 reps per side.
2. Step-Up
Targets quads, hamstrings, glutes
Using a step, fallen log, or flat rock, step up with your left foot and lift your right leg directly behind you.
Step down and repeat on opposite side.
Next, step up on left foot, raising right leg diagonally behind you; switch sides and repeat.
Step up on left foot, kicking right foot out to side; switch legs and repeat.
Do the kick cycle (back, diagonal, side) 26 times.
3. Hanging Crunch
Targets abs
Take hold of a sturdy, low tree branch, monkey bars, or other elevated handhold, palms facing forward.
Keeping arms fully extended, exhale as you bend your knees and bring them slowly toward your abs.
Inhale as you slowly release. (Discover 6 reasons to ditch the treadmill and turn your run into an outdoor workout.)
Do 12 reps (or as many as you can).
4. Slalom Jump
Targets glutes, hamstrings, quads
Place four to six small rocks in a zigzag pattern, about 1 1/2 feet between each rock.
Keeping your feet together, hop to the outside of each rock.
Turn around when you reach the end and repeat.
Officially drenched in sweat from that outdoor workout? The next time you head outside, try this reps-based workout.
Outdoor Cardio Meltdown
Who needs the treadmill? Grab a mat (or towel) and a timer and torch fat with this 10-15-20 Cardio Meltdown outdoor workout created by Lindsay Ferrer, a personal trainer in New York City.
10 Long Jumps: Do a long jump the length of your mat or towel, and then shuffle backwards to your start position.
10 Push-ups: Kneeling or full, depending on your fitness level. (This outdoor workout move will prepare you for our
30-day push-up challenge!)
15 Sumo Squats: Stand up with your feet wider than your hips and your toes slightly turned out as you sit back into a squat.
15 Burpees: Start with a jump, and then squat down, place your hands on your mat, and jump out into a plank position. Jump feet back towards your hands, pop up into standing position, and finish with a clap at the top. (Related: How to Do a Burpee the Right Way)
20 Bicycle Crunches: Lie on your back and bend both knees into your chest, hands clasped behind your head. Find a focal point to the left and right of your body. Look at those two focal points as you twist and crunch to each side, reaching your right elbow to your left knee, and vice versa.
20 Mountain Climbers: Start in a plank position and alternate driving your knees into chest, keeping your hips flat and parallel to the ground.
For a bonus challenge, time yourself performing the full meltdown, and try to beat your best time with your next outdoor workout, says Ferrer.
