Hand in hand through their…Parklife

I live in Walthamstow, and in my earlier Personal Training years I trained people in parks a lot. Bloody cold but plenty of natural equipment to use. I’d often lug about a kettlebell and then get creative with what was around me in order to give a good workout.

Here are a few top tips if you find yourself in a local park.

Lloyd park

• My go to spot was near the basketball courts

• You have the outdoor gym which I mainly used for the bench to do step ups, assisted press ups or bench press if I had dumbbells.

• Pull up bars are always useful but only if you can do them. Bands are incredible for many things, not least for supporting your pull up and chin up journey

• I’d use the basketball court for drills & compound moves

• Then loops of the park for runs

St James Park

• There is a hidden outdoor gym round the back of the park near the woodlands.

• The park itself is a great size for combining runs and strength. I’d often use the various benches for sets of step ups, dips or assisted press ups in between runs

• For my pre and post clients the path was a great route for walking lunges, crab steps or fast walking with the buggy

Jubilee Park

• Head down there on Sunday mornings around 9am and there is a free park run, Loads of kids join in so there is no pressure to be elite.

• There is a lovely sheltered path that runs round the edge of the park, this leads to the running tracks for athletics. All great areas to work out on your own – and they are usually pretty quiet