Your K-Sport summer workout in the garden

Start your outdoor workout programme with us and keep fit in your garden during the summer. As we announced in our previous post, we'll be introducing you to various training options on outdoor calisthenics equipment over the summer. These should help you get an easy start to your strength training.

Before you start strength training, however, you should definitely remember to warm up properly. Here's a short warm-up that will prepare your whole body for the upcoming workout.

The following exercises, for example, are suitable for getting your circulation and muscles going:

Warm-UP:

15 Jumping Jacks

15 Squads

15 Burbees

15 x Arm circles per side

15 Lunges per side

The speed of execution is not important here; make sure you breathe evenly during each exercise. You can repeat this round two or three times, after which your arms, legs and abdominal and back muscles should be well warmed up for your workout. If you feel that you are not yet warm enough to start the strength training exercises, add another round at the end.

The first exercise we would like to introduce to you in our summer series is pull-ups. Each of our outdoor strength stations is equipped with a pull-up bar so that you can perform one of the most well-known and oldest exercises in strength training. In addition to the stationary pull-up bars for street workouts, our free-standing pull-up bars are also ideal for training in the garden thanks to their mobility.

Classic pull-ups on the pull-up bar

Execution:

Position yourself under the pull-up bar and grip the bar with your arms approximately shoulder-width apart. For the overhand grip, which we will introduce to you, the palms of your hands should be facing away from your body.

Make sure to tense your abdomen and build up a basic tension in your body. Stretch your arms and look forwards.

Stabilise your posture throughout the exercise and avoid uncontrolled rocking. Breathe in deeply, pull your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows down and back. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Hold the position briefly. Lower yourself back to the starting position slowly and in a controlled manner.

This will allow you to pull yourself up and down several times in a slow and steady rhythm. Your movement should always be smooth.

Repetition:

Start with few repetitions and take a break in between when your strength decreases. You can repeat this exercise after a short break depending on the number of repetitions you have completed. As this fitness exercise puts a lot of strain on your hands, you can protect them by wearing suitable sports gloves, for example. (Tip: cycling gloves also work).

If you are training in a circuit, move on to the next exercise first and then start again with the pull-ups when it is your turn.

Which parts of the body are used the most?

Training on the pull-up bar trains almost your entire body. However, your large back muscle (latisimus) and upper arms particularly benefit from strength training.

Pull-ups with an overhand grip are considered to be the most difficult, as most people do not yet have developed strength in their upper arm muscles at the start of training.

Preparation & Reduction of the degree of difficulty:

Especially when you start strength training or are new to outdoor workouts, it helps to do additional strength training exercises for your arms in relation to pull-ups. For example, you can easily promote this with bicep curls. You will need appropriate dumbbells or weights for this.

To reduce the level of difficulty at the beginning, there is a second variant in the design. Out Resistance Band Set can help you with this.. With the support of the resistance bands, you take the strain off your arms and get a push upwards. Tie the band once around the pull-up bar and place one foot in the resulting loop of the band. The rest of the execution remains the same, but you will notice that it is easier to get over the pull-up bar with your chin in this variation. You can change the strength of the band from time to time until you switch to training without a fitness band. From the strongest band to the weakest in resistance.

We wish you every success with your first training session and will provide you with further training inspiration in our summer series over the coming weeks. Stay tuned & stay strong!