The sandy ‘gym’
Most people associate the beach with swimming or surfing, but the water isn’t the only exercise-friendly element. Many developed beach areas, such as Santa Monica and Venice, also feature bars, rings, swings and balance beams -- free equipment that can make a workout engaging and fun. Plus, the sand offers a shifting surface that forces the stabilizing muscles of the core to fire. Feet sink in, making muscles work harder and creating a bigger calorie burn.
Jennifer Cohen ( www.jennifercohen.com), fitness trainer and author of “No Gym Required,” chose the Santa Monica Beach near the pier for a workout. As cyclists wheeled along the bike path and a few souls braved the water, she showed a number of strength and aerobic training exercises that can be done on a warm day -- make that most days in L.A. -- or even a brisk winter one. Pails act as weights when filled with wet or dry sand, adding an extra challenge. These exercises are also easily done at a park or a playground with similar equipment.
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Ab crunches and pelvic tilt on a swing
Lie on the sand on your back with your feet in a swing seat, legs extended and hands behind your head. Contract the abdominal muscles, bringing the knees and the shoulders together without straining the neck. Release and repeat. This targets core muscles. For the pelvic tilt, place back and head on the sand, and feet on the swing seat with knees straight. Push the pelvis up and release, squeezing the glutes.
How many: Repeat both exercises about 15 times.
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Decline push-ups on a balance beam
Push-ups on a decline (where hands are lower than feet) have an added degree of difficulty, since the body is working harder against gravity. Place hands in the sand and toes on top of a low balance beam (or, to make it a little easier, place them against the side of the beam) and, with hands shoulder-width apart, lower the chest to the ground as far as possible while keeping the body straight. This works the entire upper body and engages the core, which has to work even harder to stay stable since hands are on an uneven surface and digging into the sand.
To add even more difficulty, bring one knee toward the chest during the push-up, alternating legs. You can also switch between bent-leg and straight-leg push-ups. Not that much upper body strength? Switch things around and do an incline push-up, with hands on the beam, toes in the sand.
How many: Three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
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Triceps dip on a balance beam
In the basic triceps-dip move, hands are placed on the beam, fingers forward. Knees are bent at a 90-degree angle and the body is lowered until the elbows also come to 90 degrees. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and not hunched. “You can plateau on this very quickly,” Cohen says, “so you always need to increase the resistance.” To do that, straighten the legs and dig your heels into the sand, then lower elbows to 90 degrees. Or start with knees at 90 degrees again, but cross one leg over the other, then switch legs. For a really tough version that targets core muscles as well as the triceps, extend one leg and the opposite arm.
How many: Three sets of 8 to 10 reps.
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Speed skating
Mimicking speed-skating moves works the legs and cardiovascular system. As with actual skating, outer thigh muscles get a workout, as do the torso and the arms. Stabilizing trunk muscles are engaged as well.
Starting in a standing position, move the right leg back and to the left side while leaning forward and touching the toe of the left foot with the right hand. Switch and repeat, keeping the body low to the ground. Doing this while lifting a weighted sand pail with the outstretched arm increases the difficulty; switch the pail from hand to hand while switching feet.
How many: Start with 30 seconds, then gradually increase the amount of time.
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Crab walk
With chest facing up, place hands and feet in the sand. Walk backward or forward on all fours in a straight line at a comfortable pace, pushing off the heels, for about 20 to 30 feet, making sure not to drop the torso. The sand is the key element here, as it provides a significant resistance. This will work the triceps, hamstrings, quads, calves, glutes and core.
How many: Complete two lengths, moving forward or backward.
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Plyometric jumps
Draw a 10- to 15-foot line in the sand, or stretch out a jump rope. Starting on one end, bend the knees and jump across the line, zigzagging back and forth. “Since your feet are planted in the sand,” Cohen says, “it’s harder to get power and height.” Make sure to land in a squat position before jumping again to protect the knees and other joints. Explosive moves like these are great for sports such as basketball and volleyball but should be done only when the body is fully warmed up.
How many: Beginners should do about 10 to 15 jumps; more advanced exercisers can do two sets.
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Pull-ups on rings
Find rings that are low enough to be reached without straining or jumping -- they should be about shoulder height or a little higher. Grab the rings with both hands, keeping the rings parallel, and gradually lower your body, legs straight, feet in the sand and slightly apart (the wider apart the feet are, the easier the exercise). Pull yourself up toward the rings, keeping the body straight, then go back down. This works shoulder, back, triceps and chest muscles. Doing this exercise with the rings turned 45 degrees also works the biceps.
How many: Three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
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Inverted ab crunches on a bar
This move targets all the muscles of the abs, but it’s an advanced exercise and should be done with a spotter. Find a bar low enough to swing your legs over, and carefully climb up so that your knees are folded over and you’re hanging upside down. Gently lower your head and torso toward the ground, stretching the arms past the head. Contracting the abdominals, slowly move your torso up toward the bar, touch it with your hands, then slowly go back down, letting arms go past your head again. Note that hanging upside down may cause headaches or dizziness, so always proceed with caution.
How many: One set of 5 to 8 reps.
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Beach drills
This multi-part exercise incorporates cardio and full-body conditioning. Begin with feet hip-width apart and do small running steps in the sand for about 30 seconds. Drop to a squat, then, with hands in the sand, kick the legs out to a push-up position. From here, there are several options: Jump back into a squat position, stand up and repeat; do a push-up, squat, stand and repeat; or segue from the push-up position to side planks, return to push-up position, squat, stand and repeat. The more that’s added on, the more difficult this exercise becomes.
How many: 10.
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