5 workouts to help you tone, trim, and build muscle this summer

The weather has heated up and the layers have peeled off. Although every body is a bikini body, it is common after the winter that many of us feel less safe when we first go to the beach.

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Livening up our exercise routine as summer (and the new year) begins is a great way to give us that boost. Ready to build muscle, sweat it out, and work your way up to a stronger body? Let's start with these summer workouts.

1. Outside tour

Now that the weather is warmer, exercising outdoors certainly has its appeal! Enjoy the benefits of sunshine, fresh outside air and natural light; they invigorate and donate more energy for body and mind.

Combining cardio and strength training is a great way to improve your body composition (or what many of us refer to as toning).

Combine quick intervals of walking or running between steps or park benches, then stop for sets of 15-20 repetitions of an exercise like step-ups, push-ups, or tricep dips. Try to walk for a total of 45-60 minutes, aiming for short cardio bursts between "stations", using the strength exercises as an opportunity to lower your heart rate.

Find out where the outdoor fitness stations are in your area and integrate them. Enjoy the wonderful weather and go out.

When exercising outdoors, consider the potential harms from excessive sun exposure, such as dehydration and sunburn. Sun protection and moisture are a must!

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2. SHEPHERD

You've heard of HIIT, but "HIRT" or "High Intensity Resistance Training" is a girl's best friend. HIRT is similar to HIIT, but we slow down the movements and add resistance. Here is an example of a HIRT workout:

Equipment: two dumbbells

As many rounds as possible (AMRAP) for 15 minutes:

• 5 slow pushups
• 10 dumbbells bent over rows
• 10 dumbbells overhead press
• 10 squats with dumbbells

Rest 30-60 seconds (as long as you need to get back to working hard and in good shape).

READ MORE: Try This 30 Minute Home HIIT Workout For A Full Body Burn

HIRT is fabulous value for money as you can get both muscle building and cardiovascular benefits in a short amount of time.

3. Weight training

Resistance training builds lean muscle mass and increases our body's ability to burn fat. It goes a long way if you are looking to improve your body composition. Additionally, weight training helps us feel embodied and empowered.

READ MORE: Strength Training 101: Getting Started

If you're not sure which movements to make, consider these 5 key movement patterns:

• Squats: Leg exercises like squats, lunges, and leg presses.
• Horizontal press: like a chest press.
• Horizontal pull: like a seated row.
• Vertical press: movements that bump over the head like an overhead press.
• Vertical pulling: pulling towards you from above like a lat pulldown.

For all of these movement patterns, aim for 2-3 sessions per week and try to allow at least a day of rest between working muscle groups. You can always hire a qualified personal trainer to help you get started.

4. Group fitness

If the colder months have hibernated your motivation, group fitness might be for you.

Check out the schedule at your nearest gym and you will likely see a wide variety of options, from dancing to indoor cycling, boxing and circuits. Many gyms will give you a free pass or trial membership if you want to try it out before you buy, or you can try apps like FitKey.

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Taking part in a group fitness course gives you orientation and guidance as well as the social connection that we often love and long for.

5. Beach exercise

Nothing says more about the South African summer than going to the beach, so why not schedule a workout? The area around the beach creates opportunities to manipulate the intensity and add variety to the workout. For example:

• Going for long walks or jogging on firm sand
• Make hill sprints on sand dunes. Try them out on 20 second laps and relax as you walk down the hill.
• Do lunges on soft sand. The instability of the sand increases muscle activation. Try 3 sets of 20-30 walking lunges with 30-60 seconds of rest in between.
• In the water, if the conditions are safe, you can swim or go into waist-deep water and just walk or “jog”.

Play your favorite from the list above, or a combination of every 30-45 minutes. Then enjoy chilling out on the beach.

* This article was originally posted on Women’s Health AU. released

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