Summer body prep: Here’s a 10-minute workout you can easily do outside the gym

With summer so close you could almost taste it, beach trips are already on most people’s agendas. And while it’s almost a pre-requisite for the pre-summer season to get into shape in time for these getaways, planning how to maintain an exercise regimen while you’re out of town is also important.

Keeping active can actually keep you energetic throughout your trip, and a natural terrain is a perfectly serviceable training ground. The beach side’s uneven surface will keep your body guessing, it’s easier on your joints than the hardwood floors of the gym, and the way it shifts under your weight will force you to engage your muscles more.

For this high-intensity workout that works on the road, mark off a 20-yard stretch as your lane. Try doing these exercises for five circuits. After completing one, immediately do 10 push-ups, rest for 10 seconds, then get started on the next circuit.

Knee-to-opposite-elbow plank

Get into push-up position. Brace your core, lift your right foot to bring your right knee toward your left elbow and hold for five seconds. Remember to keep your neck and back aligned and not to drop your right hip and right shoulder as you hold this position. Return the right leg to its starting position. Do the same on your left side. Do a total of 20 repetitions on each side.

Duck walk

Place your hands behind your head with the elbows pointing to the sides. Bend your knees and drop into a squat, keeping your spine long and your chin facing forward. Be mindful of keeping your shoulders down, away from your ears. Staying in this low position, duck walk until you hit the end of the 20-yard mark. Turn around and repeat.

One-legged broad jumps

From a standing position, lift your left foot off the ground, bend your right knee into a squat as preparation then jump forward, landing on your bent right leg. Jump for 20 yards on your right leg, with your left leg remaining raised throughout. At the end of the 20-yard mark, switch legs and jump back to your starting point with your left leg. Brace your core with each jump to get your abs working as well as to control your landings.

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Broad jumps

Squat low in preparation then jump forward with both feet. After landing in a squat, immediately go on to the next jump. Do broad jumps for 20 yards, then turn and broad jump your way back to your starting position. The key is to jump for height, not distance, to maximize muscle burn.

Photographer: Ronan Capili
Grooming: Nikki Duque
Hair stylist: Vien Nueva
Model: Gio of Elite Models
Shot on location at Sofitel Philippine Plaza, CCP Complex, Pasay City

This story originally appeared in Garage Magazine’s April 2015 issue.