Sample Exercises

This page is sneak preview, so you may view seven samples of the many exercises that are provided within this book Playground Exercises For Parents Too (PE4P-2), Second Edition, including how to make the same type exercises easier or more challenging, to help you customize the intensities of many exercises to be just right for you currently. As your fitness for each exercise slightly change, then simply adjust the body positioning so that the exercises are not too easy or too hard, as demonstrated in the Bar Rows and Swing Rollout exercises below, for the amount of sets and repetitions that you want to do. 

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For those who do not know how many sets and repetitions of each exercise to do, according to personal goals such as weight loss and/or building lean body mass, please view our Workout Sets & Reps page on the left sidebar link of this website.

Standing Bar Row (above) 

This exercise is like a typical Seated Row that many do in a gym, but rather with a standing position. This exercise becomes easier as the body position is more upright toward a vertical stance. This same activity can be made more difficult by placing the feet more forward, so that the body will move toward a more horizontal position, which causes more of the body weight to become supported by the upper body (as shown with the next exercise titled Pro-Parent Bar Row)

Keep toes pointing upward, feet parallel, body straight from head to ankles or knees, and with the neck & head in a neutral position (as shown in the pictures on this page).

This exercise offers basic strength conditioning for your hands, forearms, biceps, and upper back muscles.

 Pro-Parent Bar Row (above)

This exercise is very similar to the Standing Bar Row, as shown in the previous exercise, but adds more body resistance and difficulty. As also explained with the Standing Bar Row, this becomes easier as the body is positioned more upright toward a vertical stance. On the contrary, this exercise will increase in difficulty based upon decreasing the angle of the body toward the ground, toward a more horizontal position (as seen in these pictures above).

High-Wall Push-Up (above)

Even many Grandmas can do many of the PE4P exercises, as with this High-Wall Push-up. This is another basic incline push-up exercise, as you can find in Chapter 6 & 7, with the Slide Push-Ups and Bench Incline Push-Ups. This simply expresses another resourceful location and opportunity to do the same exercise, while the playground may be crowded elsewhere or more limited in any way while desired. 

As also explained with the Bench Push-Ups in Chapter 7, incline push-ups are much easier than push-ups on the flat ground and Decline Bench Push-ups. The reasons are also explained in detail within the Important Safety Tips in Chapter 1.

Make sure hands are planted on wall’s edge securely, body straight from head to feet, feet parallel to each other, and with the front of the feet and toes planted firmly on the ground.

Basic Swing Rollout (above)

While still in eyesight and aware of your children at all times, these pictures above demonstrate a Swing Rollout. Keep the arms straight, lean forward in movement, and raise the arms to make your body straight from hands to toes. The more forward the feet are planted for this exercise, the easier this will be, because the body will be more upright and more of the body weight will transfer to the lower legs, feet, and to the ground.

Pro-Parent Swing Rollout (above) 

As you can see in these two pictures, the more one’s feet move in the reverse direction on the ground, the more the body will reach a horizontal position and face closer to the ground. This causes more of the body weight to be supported by the bridge of the body’s core, shoulders, and arms. Even the triceps must have a certain amount of stabilization strength to keep the elbows from bending.

    Monkey Hang & Catch (above)  

This activity offers wonderful bonding for adults with their children, as well as exercise for both. With this fun activity, adults can lift small children using their forearms, biceps, shoulders, core, and even lower body with squats or standing lunges. With each Squat as in the above pictures, the knees should bend without moving forward beyond the toes, back flat with a slight forward lean for ideal center of gravity, to then lift the child upward, stabilize with hands slightly away from child (as in middle picture above), react quickly to catch the child after letting go of the bars or rings, and then safely bring, squat, or standing lunge the child back down to the ground again. 

With this exercise most children can have fun like a monkey, while challenging and improving their hand-grip strength, forearms, biceps, and strengthen any other muscles that they may utilize for desired monkey movements. Parents who are assisting with this will bond more with their kids and gain needed exercise also. This exercise also helps each child build more trust in their parents, who can always catch them safely, when they cannot hold onto the bars any longer. 

For adults who think they may not be strong enough to do this activity safely with their children, then please do NOT do this until there is enough confidence and injury free strength to take on such a challenging physical activity very safely and consistently. For example, the arms and back may not be strong enough currently to support a child during this activity and remain injury free. Do not risk injury. When in doubt, leave it out! 

Power-Step Jump (above)

This is another Pro-Parent exercise, which offers a good plyometric power activity for athletically fit adults. Notice how the legs scissor-kick while in the air, then land with the opposite foot on the same step. Also notice the use of the arms for jumping momentum. Most of the body weight should be absorbed and applied to the step, so that the leg on the step may launch the body into the air again, while the other foot landing on the step should absorb most of the impact and body weight for reactive conditioning. Each foot touching back down to the ground should plant slightly for balance, stability, and to help keep the body weight back just enough for the front knee to not protrude forward past the front toes—on the step (to preserve knee cartilage and tendons).

Caution: This is an advanced plyometric jump that is recommended only for athletic adults and older athletic children only. If the steps available are too high, require too much force, power, or impact anywhere to the body, then one may digress to any of the lower step variations within the playground environment, for very low impact, balance, power, and/or strength development. In other words, this can be performed at any low enough step, low enough wall, curb, and/or bench platform around the playground. Be resourceful, creative, careful, and especially safe. When in doubt, leave it out!

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Playground Exercises For Parents (book & website) – Copyright © 2012 Russell A. Smith