Park Bench and Step Workouts

Do you have benches or a low wall in your park? Or if you run your sessions indoors, do you have access to portable benches and steps?

If so, today’s drills are for you. I have three drills for you to make use of your surroundings and to mix things up for your clients a little.

Drill 1 – Benchwarmer Intervals

Type: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Intervals

Time: 10 minutes

Equipment needed: Just benches

For this drill you will need access to some benches.

These exercises are done for 2 minutes on, then 30 seconds rest.

Each round has two exercises. Exercise 1 is done for reps. Once a camper has completed all of the reps they do exercise 2 until the end of the 2 minutes.

Rounds:

Step Up Squat Step Up: 1 rep = step up, squat on the step, step down, step up with other leg, squat on the step, step down.

Repeat this drill a second time to make it a 20-25 minute drill or just once as a finisher.

Drill 2 – Benches and Squats Circuits

Type: Circuit, Conditioning

Time: 30 minutes

Equipment needed: Mats and Benches

This workout requires a bench or a low wall that clients can step on.

As a group start at part 1 and go through to part 4, then head back to part 1.

Part 1: 400m run

Part 2: Full body circuit:

Complete this circuit as many times as possible in 4 minutes.

• Running up and down steps (6 times)
• 40 Step Ups (20/leg)
• 10 Feet Elevated Push Ups
• 20 Bench Dips

Part 3: 400m run

Part 4: Squat giant set:

1 minute on each exercise. Complete once through.

• 1.5 rep Squats
• Jump Squats
• Frog Squats
• Speed Squats (squats as fast as possible)
• Isometric Squat

Repeat parts 1 through 4 two to three times as your time allows.

Drill 3 – Partner Strength Ladders

Type: Partner, Strength

Time: 20 minutes

Equipment needed: Mats and Benches

This workout is a simple strength workout done in pairs.

Campers should find a partner who is similar in strength level. They will be working through the exercises below, taking it in turns to complete a set.

Each exercise will be completed for 5 sets. The first number shown next to the exercise will be the first set. Each set afterwards will increase in reps by the first number until the final set which is marked by the second number. Let me give you some examples:

Feet Elevated Push Ups are 2 → 10 so Partner A does 2 rep and then Partner B does 2 rep. The first number is 2 so the reps increase by 2 each set. So Partner A does 4 reps, then Partner B does 4 reps, A does 6 reps, B does 6 reps, A does 8 reps, B does 8 reps, A does 10 reps and finally be does 10 reps, the second number shown next to the exercise.

Exercises

Complete the exercises in any order.

1. Feet Elevated Push Ups 2 → 10
2. 1 Leg Squat Off Bench Edge (L+R=1)  1 → 5
3. Bench Dips 4 → 20
4. Feet on bench Glute Bridge 4 → 20

The drills this week are brought to you by BootCraft.

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And Nicola who emailed me to say:

Thanks Kyle.  I signed up last night and used the One Arm DB this morning.  It went down really well and ran perfectly to time – thanks!

Also Diedre:

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Kyle Wood

Kyle Wood created Bootcamp Ideas in 2010 when he was hunting around on the internet for workout ideas. He ran a successful bootcamp in Victoria, Australia and spends his spare time managing this site, adventuring (or lazying) with his wife and find new ways to make bootcamps even better.