Sculpt Your Body Using Dumbbells with this Ultimate Beach Workout
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Coach Ana
- Published on
Looking to tone your body while getting lots of vitamin D? Add more spice to your training routine with this fun beach workout. Below, I’ll share with you the benefits of working out at the beach, how to train efficiently, and how to follow my full-body workout with dumbbells to sculpt your body while enjoying the waves.
So grab your sunscreen and let’s get started!
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What are the benefits of doing a Beach Workout?
Going for a beach workout is one of the best ways to make a workout more fun. Not only that you have a great variety of workouts that you can try, such as running and swimming, but you can also take it a step further by doing a resistance workout such as this full-body dumbbell beach workout to help you sculpt your body. Since the workout will be on sand, just a fitness mat on top will make your workout even more challenging because of the uneven surface. This will help with balance, and increased core activation as well as other muscles in your body, resulting in better results.
By working out on the beach you can also benefit from fresh air, giving you a rejuvenating feeling, from vitamin D, for stronger bones, and healthier immune system, and improved mental health. Not only that you will enjoy amazing views, the breeze, and the sound of waves, but you’ll also benefit on a deeper level thanks to all the de-stressing and calming effects the beach workout has to offer.
The benefits of a beach workout are plenty, so if you can take your mat with you to the beach, don’t hesitate to do it!
What equipment do you need for a Beach Workout?
The key to a successful beach workout is to keep things simple. The equipment you need will vary depending on the type of workout you’ll do. Many outdoor workouts will require no equipment, and it promotes using what you already have in the environment, but to enhance your workout and make it even more efficient, then bringing a few things such as dumbbells and resistance bands can help.
But for this dumbbell beach workout I created for you, all you’ll need is:
- A pair of light or medium-weight dumbbells
- A fitness mat or a beach towel
- A water bottle to stay hydrated
- Sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun. Make sure not to skip this and to regularly reapply it as needed.
- You can even be extra and do this workout in your swimsuit!
How long should your Outdoor Fitness Routine last?
The duration of your outdoor fitness routine can vary depending on your current fitness level and goals. But as with any other workout, a good workout session can last between 30 and 60 minutes.
Sometimes, however, doing a 30-60 minute workout might not be possible for you, and that’s why even a short 10-15 minute workout can be enough and still highly encouraged. Just because a workout is not an hour-long one, doesn’t mean we can’t move our bodies and benefit from all the things a beach workout has to offer. That’s why the routine I created for you is only 15 minutes long and it also includes a quick warm-up routine to help you get in the mood for the workout.
How to Warm-up and Cool-down after a Beach Workout?
Both warm-up and cool-down routines are essential to any workout, including an outdoor fitness workout.
Warming up is important to get the blood flowing and to prepare your muscles for the workout ahead. It helps with the mind-body connection so that you target the right muscles during your beach workout.
A good warm-up should include a few minutes of dynamic stretches to warm up your muscles, such as leg swings, arm circles, shoulder and hip rotations, lunges, and squats.
A cool-down routine is just as important and it is done after a workout is completed.
A great way to cool down at the beach is to take a few minutes to walk by the sea to help gradually lower your heart rate, while also enjoying the waves. You can also do some full-body gentle stretching exercises on your beach towel or fitness mat, such as shoulder stretches, pigeon pose, and child’s pose. What I recommend is for you to focus on stretching all the major muscle groups you trained during your workout.
Remember that a good warm-up and cool-down routine can help prevent injury, and muscle soreness, and improve your overall performance during a workout.
How to make a Beach Workout fun and effective?
Although going on the beach to train can be enough to make it fun and engaging, there are also plenty of things you can add to take it to the next level:
- Listen to music – create a beach workout playlist with your favorite summer music to listen to during your training session.
- Wear your favorite swimsuit – feel fabulous while doing your workout! Just make sure to wear extra sunscreen to protect your skin.
- Bring a friend – Working out with your bestie can make a beach workout more fun and motivating.
- Make use of your environment – test your balance and stability in the sand. Working out on the beach can be pretty challenging, see how the typical squats and lunges feel when done on the sand.
- Try a follow-along workout video such as this one. This way you don’t have to worry about what workout to do, and simply show up at the beach and get moving!
How to follow this workout
To do this workout, you have 2 options:
- You can do this together with me in my follow-along video. This way you just have to show up and follow the video.
- You can do this as part of a circuit. Follow each exercise for 45 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between exercises.
To make this workout even more efficient, you can either follow the video twice or perform the circuit on your own 2-3 times.
Quick Warm-up Routine
Follow each exercise for 30 seconds with no breaks in between.
Around the World Stretch
Bring both arms to the sides and above your head, creating a circular motion. As you lift your arms up, raise up onto your toes. Slowly lower your feet and your arms and repeat. Make sure to keep your arms straight and your core tight.
Standing Side-to-Side Stretch
Raise your right arm straight up above your head and lean to the left. Hold the stretch for a second, then switch to the other side. You should feel the stretch on each side of your body. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and your chest open during this stretch.
Shoulder Rotations Forward and Backward
Bring both shoulders up towards your ears, and then slowly roll them backward in a circular motion. Continue with the circular motion until your shoulders are back in their starting position. Do a few repetitions, then switch and begin to rotate your shoulders forward.
Deep Squat with Alternating Arm Reach
Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, begin to slowly lower down into a deep squat position. As you sit in this position, with your back straight, begin to lift one arm up above your head. You should feel the stretch on your side. Lower down slowly and repeat on the other side, while in a deep squat.
The Ultimate Dumbbell Beach Workout Routine
Alternating Bicep Curls
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold one dumbbell in each palm, to your sides, facing forward.
- Hold the dumbbells in each hand by your sides facing forward.
- Begin to lift up one dumbbell by flexing at the elbow. Lower down slowly, and repeat with the opposite hand.
- Make sure to keep the elbow steady throughout the exercise.
- For this exercise, you can use light/medium dumbbells or a couple of water bottles filled with water or sand.
Overhead Tricep Extensions
- Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold one dumbbell with both hands and raise your arms straight, over your head.
- Start to slowly lower your hands, by bending at the elbows until the dumbbell gets behind your head.
- Lift up to straighten your arms and get back to starting position.
- Remember to brace your core and keep your spine and head straight.
Tabletop Tricep Rows
- Get into a tabletop position on your fitness mat, keeping your palms under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Bring the left knee in front, to the side of your arms. Hold the dumbbell on the far opposite of your front leg.
- Flex the elbow by bringing it up towards the sky, while holding the dumbbell.
- Slowly lower down and repeat.
- Make sure to keep the elbow close to yourself, and keep your core tight. When the time is up, you can switch to the other side.
- It’s important to keep your back straight throughout this exercise and avoid any swaying in your hips.
Dumbbell Front Raises and Rotations
- Start by standing straight with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold one dumbbell in both your hands, resting on the pelvis.
- While keeping both arms straight, begin to raise the dumbbell until they are in front of you at shoulder height.
- Holding this position, rotate your torso to one side, then back, and lower your dumbbell to starting position.
- Repeat this motion, but this time, rotate your torso to the opposite side.
- Follow this exercise slowly, while keeping your core tight, your chest up, and your back straight.
Squat to Overhead Press
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, while holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing each other, in front of your hips.
- Take your hips back and lower down into a squat, keeping your chest up and your spine straight. Let the dumbbells lower down as you squat by holding them between your legs.
- Push through your feet to get back up, bend the elbows to bring the dumbbells up, then press the dumbbells overhead, extending your arms fully.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly to get back to starting position, then repeat.
Dumbbell Deadlift
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each arm, and resting on your thighs.
- Hinge at the hips by taking your glutes back, and leaning forward with your chest. Lower down as much as you can without compromising your form.
- Push into the soles of your feet to get back up.
Note: It’s important to maintain a straight line from head to hips and to keep your glutes engaged.
Split Squat
- Begin by placing your feet shoulder-width apart and holding a dumbbell in each palm.
- Pick a side to start with and take a large step backward as you would with a lunge and begin to slowly lower down until your front thigh is parallel to the ground and your back knee is almost touching the mat.
- You can lean forward slightly as you lower down, and pause for a second before you push into your front foot to get back up.
- Repeat for the remaining repetitions required and then switch to the other side
Plank with Dumbbell Crossover
- Start in a high plank position, with both palms on your mat, shoulder-width apart. Tuck your tailbone slightly as you engage your core, and make sure to form a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Place a dumbbell to your right, making sure you can reach it with the opposite hand.
- While maintaining the plank position, reach with your left hand across your body to grab the dumbbell, and place it on the left side of your body.
- Repeat on the other side and pay attention to not let your hips sink in.
Note: To make this exercise easier, you can switch to a knee plank.
Dumbbell Russian Twists
- Sit on your mat with your knees bent and your heels touching the ground. To make the exercise more challenging, you can choose to keep the feet elevated.
- Hold a dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest and lean back slightly with your torso while keeping the back straight.
- Begin to rotate your torso to one side, and then the other, while bringing the dumbbell down toward the floor next to your hip.
- Continue to repeat for the desired number of repetitions, and remember to keep your core tight.
Reverse Crunches
- Start by lying down on your mat, with both arms to your sides and palms facing down.
- Lift your feet off the ground as you bend your knees to bring them towards the chest.
- Slowly lift up your hips and push your feet toward the sky. Pause for a second, then return to starting position
Note: Make sure to perform this exercise slowly and controlled to ensure good form and maximum engagement in your lower abdominals.
Half Windshield Wipers
- Lie on your back with your hands at your sides and your knees bent toward the sky. To make this exercise more challenging, you can extend your legs up.
- Slowly rotate your knees to one side and lower as much as you can while maintaining good form.
- Tighten your abs and focus on using them to lift your legs back up.
- Continue the movement on the other side while focusing on muscle connection.
Note: I can’t stress enough how important it is to use your abs during exercise and avoid relying on your hips to do the movement. Also, make sure to keep your legs together throughout the windshield wipers exercise.
Dumbbell Calf Raises
- Stand on the ground with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes facing forward. Hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand.
- Raise both heels off the ground as much as you can, while focusing on keeping the balance.
- Stay in this position for a second before continuing to lower your heels down with control. By doing this, you engage your calves even more by increasing the time under tension, making the exercise more challenging!
- Continue to repeat the number of reps required.
Note – Avoid leaning forward during this exercise. It’s important to maintain a straight back and your core engaged. You can lower or increase the weight depending on your current fitness level.
After completing this workout make sure to take some time to follow a cool-down routine to stretch and relax your muscles. This way you’ll avoid any tension in your muscles, injuries, and even muscle soreness.
Conclusions
By doing this outdoor workout, you benefit from targeting your entire body, while also enjoying a day at the beach. I encourage you to come back to this routine so that you continue to experience all the benefits of increased muscle strength, endurance, and a sculpted body. Don’t forget that consistency is most important when it comes to achieving your fitness goals. And a beach workout is the perfect way to stay motivated and on track.
By including a variety of exercises, such as squats, lunges, plank, and upper body exercises you can target more than one muscle group so that you continue to improve your overall fitness.
And by doing this workout on the beach, you can add all the extra benefits such as vitamin D exposure, fresh air, and a change of scenery from a traditional home or gym setting.
But it’s important to remember to stay safe, wear appropriate clothing, stay fully hydrated, and apply plenty of sunscreen.
