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5 Ways To Work Out With Kids' Toys That Are Actually Mindblowing

Step aside, treadmills, there's new workout equipment in town!

Hitting the sweaty chamber of your gym’s spin studio might not seem the most appealing in the limited sunshine the UK will enjoy this summer, but maybe you’ve exhausted the pursuit of an outdoor run. Either (or neither) way, chances are your exercise energy could be well spent on unleashing your inner child instead, so we’ve rounded up five different (definitely different!) ways to get your fitness on, all with a decidedly nostalgic flare.

'Get some playground workout inspiration from calisthenics pro Darren:'

1. Skipping rope

Odds are, you’ve seen skipping ropes feature in people’s exercise routines before - and for good reason! Previously confined to your school gym hall, they’ve made a comeback due to the fact they can target pretty much anything your body has to offer.

If you fancy picking one up for yourself, try the classic single jump with your feet together for one minute, before alternating between jumping forwards and backwards (then repeating). It can be quite tricky to get the hang of it if you consider yourself uncoordinated, but more simple moves such as tracing a figure eight (standing with feet apart and holding both handles together with both hands) can help incorporate this undeniably entertaining accessory into your workout.

And hey, why not get a friend involved to finally crack that coveted double jump?

2. Swing set

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You probably don’t often put ‘core of steel’ and ‘kids’ swing set’ in the same sentence, but believe it or not, your next abs workout could be taking place on one of those very structures (provided you can rescue it from the clutches of disenchanted teens having a heart-to-heart).

Personal trainer Laura Williams suggests starting in the push-up stance - your feet on the swing with your hands on the ground - before engaging your core and moving your hips upwards to pull the swing seat towards you. After briefly holding yourself in the upside-down “v”, steadily return to the push-up position, then perform however many reps you can bear (as we feel you may find yourself called to sit and have a good old fashioned swing). You could also try performing a crunch exercise by pulling your knees into your chest instead and repeating as desired.

3. Trampoline

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Okay, so maybe you haven’t set foot on a trampoline since Sophie’s Year 5 birthday party, but it might be an idea to change that! With around 120 trampoline parks in the UK, they’re a dynamic way to mix cardio with core engagement, using your whole body while also getting to live out your fantasies of stuntmanship. Win-win, right?

Try a mixture of straight jumps, tuck jumps, jumping jacks and twists, repeating and resting as you see fit - and maybe top it off by launching yourself into a nearby foam pit, if there is one. We can’t say if the final activity holds any confirmed fitness benefit, but who doesn’t want to bury their face in a mass of sweaty sponges? Alternatively, leap to your heart's content in the privacy of your own garden by grabbing your own trampoline - it's only the price of a few months' gym membership, right?

4. Hula hoops

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So you never quite mastered the seemingly effortless swivel of the hula hoop, but thankfully it’s never too late to pick one up and reap the unexpected exercise benefits - or so Sunny Becks-Crumpton, professional hoop instructor, claims.

Make a start with putting a very large ring on it by standing with your feet apart and holding the hoop at waist level. Push the hoop off one hip so that it starts to spin and move your hips in a side-to-side motion (à la Ariana Grande). After one minute, shift so that your feet are staggered and instead spin the hoop forwards and backwards while trying not to be painfully aware of the visual resemblance to thrusting. Fabulous!

5. Monkey bars

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Bodyweight workout, anyone? If you fancy taking over your local park’s monkey bars from hordes of infants (it’s not like they need to work on their lats), then try a simple dead-hang off some old-school playground equipment, or attempt slow and steady pull-ups. If that’s just too easy for the stronger-armed among us, then perhaps try skipping a bar when moving along the length of the bars, testing your strength and grip more than the basic bar-to-bar shuffle.

'Words by Kitty Gardiner'

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