Do This 30-Minute Beach Workout to Turn Up Your Calorie Burn

Exercising on sand offers not only amazing views but also a huge calorie blast. A study in The Journal of Experimental Biology found that running on sand requires 1.15 times more energy than running on a hard surface. (So for a 150-pound person, a half-hour, three-mile run on the beach would burn around 403 calories, compared with 350 on a typical surface.) Plus, it’s good for your joints—as long as the surface isn’t too slanted (instability can be tough on your hips and cause muscle imbalances). 

Try this 30-minute interval workout, courtesy of Zack Daley, trainer and training manager at Tone House, an athletic-based fitness studio in New York City. It features running as well as bodyweight exercises to improve total-body strength and is perfect for beginners and experienced runners. 

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30-Minute Beach Workout

First, take 25 to 30 large steps from your starting point and make a mark in the sand. This will be your point of reference for the “down-and-back” portions of the workout. 

The warm-up:

• Light jog/run down and back two times 
• High knees down and back one time 
• Butt kicks down and back one time 
• Run down and back at about 60 percent of your top speed two times 
• 10 burpees 
• Lateral shuffle down and back two times, facing away from the water 
• Lateral shuffle down and back two times, facing the water 
• Skip down and back one time 
• Run down and back at about 80 percent of your top speed one time

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The workout:

• 15 to 25 push-ups
• 10 to 20 plank walks (alternate from high plank to elbow plank and back) 
• Rest for 30 to 45 seconds and repeat previous two moves
• Walking lunges down and back
• 20 to 30 jump squats 
• Rest for 30 to 45 seconds and repeat previous two moves 
• Bear crawl down and back 
• Rest for 30 to 45 seconds and repeat previous move 
• 15 to 25 toe touches 
• Plank knee to elbow (in high plank, bring your left knee to your left elbow, then right knee to right elbow; do 15 reps per side)
• Bicycle-crunch burnout (keep going until you can’t do any more)
• Rest for 30 to 45 seconds and repeat previous three moves 
• Sprint down and back twice, aiming to reach your fastest speed

Pin the full workout:

Your calorie burn: Approximately 285 (30 minutes of calisthenics for a 150-pound person).