Report: Sara Kooperman

The beach or the pool is the perfect place to work out during the summer. So, be sure to encourage your class participants and clients to enjoy a beach workout on their summer holiday. this workout is designed for everyone!

Prepping for your waterfront workout
• Sunglasses
• A hat
• An extra large towel
• Waterproof sunblock (you may need to remind them that they will sweat and will need to re-apply the sunblock after the workout)
• Supportive shoes (preferably aqua-specific) to protect feet from hot concrete or sand, as well as from hidden objects buried on the beach
• Two full water bottles to use as upper body weights
• They may want to bring a small, battery-operated boombox or an iPod. There’s nothing like good music to get you motivated.
• A comfortable, supportive swimsuit. I’d recommend that they buy a pair of workout shorts or a sarong to put over their suit. Otherwise, they can wear their normal workout clothing. If your client is a little shy, you may want to advise they bring along a big beach umbrella to provide a bit of privacy.
• Water and a healthy snack – cut-up veggies or an apple, for example – to enjoy after exercise. If they allow themselves to get ravenously hungry, they may be tempted to give into the hot dogs calling their name and the ice cream bars singing a sweet tune from the snack bar. Also, the water in fruits and vegetables will help with hydration.
• Lastly, and most importantly, bring along a copy of this article so that they can follow the workout. Ready? Let’s get started!

The Workout:
If you do one set of each exercise, completing 8-12 repetitions of each move, the workout will take approximately 10 minutes. If you complete 2-3 sets of each exercise, with 8-12 repetitions of each move, the workout will last about 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind that the focus of this workout is on toning and building muscular endurance. Start with one set per exercise, and work your way up to doing more. Be sure to work both the right and left side of your body equally.

This series of squats and lunges targets the quadriceps and hamstrings beautifully as well as the gluteus maximus. Each lower body exercise is paired with an upper body resistance move to give you a full-body workout. Remember to maintain a slight posterior tilt to protect your lower back and to perform fairly narrow squats, as shown, to increase your comfort level as you work out in a bathing suit. Proper posture is a must. Remember to keep your knees above your heels (versus over your ankles) when lunging, with the knee never going deeper than 90º. Also be sure to keep your shoulders properly aligned (retracted) and depressed downward. Lastly, when on your knees or on all fours, place an extra towel beneath your knees for comfort.

Standing upper and lower body resistance work:
• 1a&b Rear leg lift with front (shoulder) raise
• 2a Rear leg lift with lateral arm raise – squat with arms extended downward)
• 2b Rear leg lift with lateral arm raise
• 3a&b Back lunge with tricep extension
• 4a Squat with overhead press – squat with elbows dropped down towards sides, palms facing forward, hands shoulder height
• 4b Overhead press with an abductor lift
• 5a&b Back lunge with bicep curl – knee lift and extend arms down angled forward
• 6a&b Overhead tricep extension

Congratulations on completing the workout. Keep it up and it will be no time before you’re slipping into that new bikini!
You can download the a PDF version of the article here.

Sara is the owner of SCW Fitness Education and founder of the MANIA Fitness Instructor Training Conventions. She appears frequently on CNN as a health and fitness expert, and is seen regularly on QVC (cable home shopping) in the US, England and Canada. Sara was also the proud recipient of AEA’s Global Award for Contribution to the Aquatic Industry.