10 Exercises to do in Your Garden

With lockdown still continuing, we thought that it would be a good idea to create a guide looking at ten exercises to do in your garden. The exercises in question do not require much space, so do not worry if your garden is not the biggest. But this will be a good workout that will help you to get outside and enjoy some sunshine. These exercises can also be performed in a park, provided you have the space to do them safely.

In this article we will first identify and describe ten exercises to do in your garden, we will then put it all together into one workout that you can follow daily.

10 Exercises to do in Your Garden

The following exercises are all bodyweight, though some of them can be performed with weights if you would like to. Each exercise can be made easier or more difficult, we will say how after the description.

Exercise #1 Squats

Stand upright with feet shoulder width apart and toes pointing out slightly. Push your chest out, pull your shoulders back and then squat down until your knees are parallel. Keep your heels touching the ground throughout.

Keeping your heels on the ground will ensure that you have to squat properly, pushing your hips backwards. Once your thighs are around parallel to the ground you can pause, and then return to your starting position.

• Reduce Difficulty: If you find squatting too difficult, then you can make it easier by bringing out a chair and sitting on that. Make sure that the seat is quite low to the ground. Once your glutes touch the seat, hold your position, and then drive back upwards. Not only will the seat give you confidence, it will also teach you how to get the squat movement perfect. While at the same time building your leg muscles.
• Increase Difficulty: Hold a dumbbell or heavy item in your hands while performing a squat. Alternatively, you can squat down to parallel and then jump up in the air to perform a plyometric squat.

Exercise #2 Walking Lunges

This only works if you have a moderately long garden, if your garden is very small then you will need to perform lunges on the spot. Stand upright with shoulders back and chest pushed out. Feet should be together.

Take a large step forward, as you do that, drop your back knee until it is almost (but not quite) touching the ground. Your front thigh should be parallel with the ground. Pause, and then take your back foot and use it to take a huge step forward while dropping your other knee to the ground.

Continue doing this for twenty large steps.

• Reduce Difficulty: Instead of walking forward, once you have taken that initial step and got into the lunge position, bring your front foot back to the starting position. Then repeat. Staying in the same place.
• Increase Difficulty: Hold a dumbbell in each hand, or alternatively place a barbell on your back (if you happen to have one). Alternatively, you can just hold a heavy item to your chest as you lunge.

Exercise #3 Body Get Ups

This is such a fun exercise yet is rarely heard of. It sounds super easy but trying to perform ten in a row will tire you out fast!

Stand upright with feet together and arms by your side. Now all you need to do is lie down on the floor, chest to the ground. Once you are down climb back up. Simple huh? Once you are back up again, repeat the movement.

• Reduce Difficulty: It is difficult to make this exercise easier, other than to slow things down and perform less reps.
• Increase Difficulty: After climbing back up, jump straight up in the air. Land, and then repeat the movement.

Exercise #4 Mountain Climbers

This exercise can either be performed with your hands on a raised surface, bench? Chair? Small garden wall? Or it can be performed with your hands on the ground. It is a little more comfortable with your hands on a raised surface, but other than that it makes no real difference. We will describe the exercise as if your hands are on a garden wall.

Place your hands on a garden wall and lean forward. You want both feet up on tiptoes with your body making a diagonal line from the floor to the wall. Drive one knee forwards towards your chest, then bring it back to the starting position.

As the knee goes backwards, bring your opposing knee towards your chest, and then move it back. One knee should always be back while the other is forward. Keep moving them as fast as you can.

• Reduce Difficulty: The higher the wall/chair/bench, the easier the exercise is
• Increase Difficulty: Do not use a raised platform, perform on the ground at high speed

Exercise #5 High Knees

This exercise is all about the cardio, and it is amazingly simple. It can be performed in even the smallest of gardens. Stand upright with shoulders back, chest pushed out and hands by your side. Then raise your knee as high as you can, then bring it down while simultaneously bringing your other knee high. Do this nice and fast, trying to get your knees past hip height.

• Reduce Difficulty: Perform slowly, and do not bring your knees as high
• Increase Difficulty: Perform faster

Exercise #6 Lateral Lunges

Stand upright with feet together, shoulders back, and chest pushed forward. Take a large step to the side, keeping your other foot planted to the ground. Once your foot lands, bend your knee forward. Provided your other foot has stayed flat, you should feel a stretch along the inside of your leg. Bring your foot back to the starting position, and then repeat with the other leg.

• Reduce Difficulty: Sadly, not possible. This is an easy exercise
• Increase Difficulty: Hold a dumbbell or heavy item in your hands

Exercise #7 Push Ups

Place your hands on the ground, shoulder width apart. In fact, your hands should be directly underneath your shoulders. Stretch your legs out so that you are in a straight line, with your toes touching the ground. Raise your hips so that they are not dropping.

Squeeze your abs tight, and then bend your arms to lower your chest (and body) towards the ground. Pause just before your chest touches, and then drive back upwards.

As you move up and down, concentrate on your elbows staying relatively close to your side. They can be a little flared, but you do not want them to be at right angles to your body.

Reduce Difficulty: Drop your knees to the ground, but keep your feet in the air

Increase Difficulty: Lower yourself down the same as usual, but when you drive up do so explosively. So that your hands temporarily leave the ground. These are explosive push ups. You will not get many done!

Exercise #8 Glute Bridges

Lie on the ground with your feet flat on the floor, this should leave your knees raised up in a triangle. Place your hands by your sides on the ground.

Tighten your abs, squeeze your glutes, and then raise your hips off the ground. Keep going until there is a straight line running from your knees to the ground. Hold your position (do not let your hips drop), and then return to the start.

• Reduce Difficulty: Not really possible, this is the easiest version possible
• Increase Difficulty: You can perform the exercise but with a weight resting on your hips

Exercise #9 Nordic Curls

For this exercise you will need something that can hold your heels down, or someone! A chair, bench, or a person can all help by holding your heels in place.

Kneel on the ground (you may want a mat or something soft to rest your knees on. Have your feet behind you, held secure. Then, carefully fall forward, catching yourself on the ground with your hands. Then push yourself back upwards.

Squeeze your glutes throughout, and really try to engage your hamstrings as your return to the starting position. Once you have reached the starting position you can repeat the movement again.

• Reduce Difficulty: Use your hands earlier to catch your fall, and use them to drive you back. This will take the pressure off your hamstrings.
• Increase Difficulty: Use your hands less and less (or not at all). This places all of the emphasis on your hamstrings.

Exercise #10 Plank

The plank is a great abdominal and core muscle exercise that can be performed in your garden. To start off, get into the push up position. Hands on the ground shoulder width apart, body in a straight line, on tiptoes.

Now, lower your elbows to the ground, squeeze all your muscles tightly, and hold this position. This is a plank. You can hold it for as long as possible. Or you can do several sets of 10-30 second holds.

• Reduce Difficulty: Perform the plank in the push up position, with your hands touching the ground rather than your elbows.
• Increase Difficulty: As you hold your plank position, raise one leg in the air, then raise one arm out in front of you. Hold this position, then switch arms and legs.

Garden Workout

Now we are going to put all the exercises together into one workout. Rest for 40-60 seconds between sets, and 2-3 minutes between exercises. Perform four times per week, resting on the other days. You can add in some long cardio (walking, jogging, running, cycling etc) on your rest days if you want.

Day One

Squats 3 x 10 reps

Walking Lunges 4 x 20 steps

Body Get Ups 3 x 10 reps

Mountain Climbers 3 x 30 seconds

Plank x 1

Day Two

Lateral Lunges 3 x 10 reps (each side)

Glute Bridges 3 x 10 reps

Nordic Curls 3 x 5 reps

Push Ups 3 x 10 reps

High Knees 3 x 30 seconds

Day Three

Squats 3 x 10 reps

Walking Lunges 4 x 20 steps

Body Get Ups 3 x 10 reps

Mountain Climbers 3 x 30 seconds

Plank x 1

Day Four

Lateral Lunges 3 x 10 reps (each side)

Glute Bridges 3 x 10 reps

Nordic Curls 3 x 5 reps

Push Ups 3 x 10 reps

High Knees 3 x 30 seconds

With most of the UK now self-isolating at home, it may feel like exercise has dropped to the bottom of our collective priority list. While staying healthy and hygienic are of course top of that list, looking at the long-term, home workouts are going to become more and more vital as the weeks go on. In this article we will be looking at the humble kettlebell. A piece of exercise kit that takes up almost no space, can be easily used for a multitude of exercises, and is inexpensive to own. We will list some of the top kettlebell exercises you must try.

Picking the Right Kettlebell

Before we get started, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some advice on picking your kettlebell. Unless you’ve got an unlimited budget, you’re going to have to stick with your choice. There are way too many variables to give every reader a specific recommendation. But we’ll try and generalise things for you.

Men

• Beginner – 10kg to 16kg kettlebell
• Intermediate – 18kg to 24kg kettlebell
• Expert – 24kg+ kettlebell

Women

• Beginner – 8kg to 12kg kettlebell
• Intermediate – 14kg to 18kg kettlebell
• Expert – 18kg+ Kettlebell

When purchasing your kettlebell try to avoid the plastic ones or oddly-shaped ones. These are nowhere near as durable, and they aren’t as aerodynamic. Meaning that exercises such as the kettlebell swing cannot be performed correctly.

If you can afford two kettlebells, we’d recommend getting a very heavy one (for deadlifts) and a medium or light one for exercises such as swings, goblet squats etc …

Remember, if your kettlebell is too light you can always switch to single-arm versions of most exercises. If the kettlebell is too heavy, then … get stronger!

Top Kettlebell Exercises You Must Try

Exercise #1 Kettlebell Deadlift

This exercise is so underrated, perhaps because it is one of the less flashy kettlebell exercises out there. Place a heavy kettlebell on the floor and approach it. Place your feet either side of the bell and turn your toes out slightly.

Bend down to pick up the kettlebell, at the moment you should be in a hunched over position with both hands grasping the handles. Push your chest out and pull your shoulders back. This will create a flat back. Make sure that your heels are touching the floor and then sit down slightly so that you are at the right height to hold the handle comfortably.

This is the starting deadlift position. Keeping your arms straight, pull the bell upwards by pushing your hips forward and standing upright. You should now be fully upright with your hips pushed forward. To lower the bell back down you want to push your hips backwards and keep your back flat.

Incidentally, this is how you should always pick up a kettlebell. It will save your back in the future! If you don’t have a heavy enough kettlebell to make this exercise difficult then you can perform a one-handed variation. Grab hold of the kettlebell with one hand and hold the other arm out to the side, to improve your balance. Perform the exercise as normal. Then swap hands.

Exercise #2 Kettlebell Swings

Deadlift the kettlebell up so that you are standing upright with feet shoulder width apart and both hands grasping the handle. The kettlebell should be hanging between your legs. Keeping your back flat, bend your knees and push your hips backwards until the kettlebell handle is around knee height.

Swing the bell backwards slightly and then (keeping your arms straight) swing the kettlebell forward until your arms are parallel with the ground. Push your hips forward as you do so. Once the bell is parallel to the ground start to swing the bell backwards until it is between your legs again.

This exercise is all about momentum, you cannot do it if you are pausing between reps. Please ensure that your back is straight while performing the exercise. There is a variation of this exercise where you keep swinging the kettlebell past parallel until it is above your head. We don’t recommend this variation.

Exercise #3 Kettlebell Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is one of our favourite exercises. It can really help improve your barbell squat technique. But it is a truly great exercise in its own right. Arguably, it is better performed with a dumbbell, but it is still a good kettlebell exercise. Perfect for a kettlebell workout.

Hold a kettlebell in two hands so that it is inline with your chest, your elbows should be pointing down towards the ground. Don’t rest the kettlebell on your chest, hold it just in front of it. Now place your feet shoulder width apart and turn your toes out slightly. Squat down until your thighs are at least parallel with the ground, lower if you can manage it. Then return to starting position.

The great thing about a goblet squat is that it is almost impossible to perform it with bad technique. Provided you keep your heels flat on the ground. If your back is rounded you won’t be able to stay upright. Great for beginners, and for experienced lifters alike.

Exercise #4 Kettlebell Row

Like the goblet squat, this is an exercise that is ideally suited to a dumbbell rather than a kettlebell. But like the goblet squat, the kettlebell variation is still excellent. For this exercise you’ll need a bench, chair, or ledge to hold onto.

Place one hand on the bench and stand parallel to the bench with both feet shoulder width apart and facing the bench.

Grab the kettlebell with your free hand, push your chest out, pull your shoulders back, and then slowly row the kettlebell upwards until the handle is near your armpit. Pause, and then lower the kettlebell back down towards the ground.

Exercise #5 Kettlebell Farmer’s Carry

This final exercise is great for core strength, grip strength, and boosting that step count! It’s also the easiest to learn on this list. Stand upright holding a heavy kettlebell in one hand (by your side). Raise the other hand up so that it is counter-balancing the kettlebell. Push your chest out, pull your shoulders back, and brace your abs. Then all you have to do is walk! Yep, it’s that simple. Walk around the house or gym. Count the number of steps you do, then repeat with the kettlebell in your other hand. Start with your weak hand.

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