Exercise Outdoor with a Friend

Exercising during the COVID-19 lockdown has been a challenge for many Canadians as accessibility to workout spaces is limited. One way to keep active while gyms are closed is to exercise outside with a friend. A study reports the perceived benefits of working out with a friend are safety, similar goal-setting habits, and reduced feelings of self-consciousness.

In addition, exercising outdoors can help with decreasing stress, social isolation, and mental illness. People of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and social classes respond positively to exercising outdoors. Physical activity does not discriminate!

Exercising with a companion is always more motivating may that be a friend, a relative, or a Kinesiologist. As trained professionals, they apply the science of exercise and movement to promote physical activity and to motivate you to maintain and to progress in your exercise program. Reach out to a Kinesiologist near you.  

Find a park, field, or a backyard and try the following workout with a friend!

Body Weight Squat

Start with both participants standing and facing each other at arm’s length. Have your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, grasping each other’s forearms. Maintaining a secure grip, lower into a squat by sending hips back, bending both knees equally, and keeping your core tight. Hold for a moment, then slowly return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 10–12 reps.

Two-person Assisted Lunge

Lunges also work as a complex exercise but introduce stability and balance. Start by facing your friend, holding onto each other’s wrists (hold for support only). One person lunges forward while the other lunges backward using opposite legs. When lunging forward, bend your knees lowering your back knee to the floor and keep your body weight in your heel. When lunging backward, plant the ball of your foot to the ground, keep a straight posture, and lower your back knee to the floor. Continue lunging forward and backward, initiate the lunge with the same leg while your opposite foot remains stationary. Perform 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions for each leg.

Reach-and-Touch Plank

Let us get that core activated! Start face down with your hands and toes firmly on the ground. Keep your elbows underneath your shoulders and pull in your belly button to make a straight line with your back. Make sure to you are facing each other, about 1 foot apart. At the same time, lift your right hand and reach toward the other partner’s opposite shoulder. Replace right hand and, as quickly as possible, repeat on left side. Try for 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions or 30 seconds.