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Bodyweight Bodyweight Things To Do in a Park

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Steve Freides

Steve Freides

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We drove by a park yesterday while visiting family and friends over a two-day Thanksgiving weekend. I did these and one round each side of the Cossack sequence from SuperJoints.

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I don't practice either, and the Dragon Flag could definitely be a little tighter on the way down, but the way up, which is the harder half of the movement, looks pretty good to me.


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Hello,

Nice video Steve. That is great to pass a dragon flags even if they are no part of your training !

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Good example of the more you know, the less you need. I often consider myself in the best "shape" when I play with my kids the most at the playground - basically parkour for a chubby guy.
 
Hello,

@Steve Freides, try Building the Gymnastic Body: The Science of Gymnastics Strength Training (C. Sommer). You are ready for cals only ! ;)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
The Dragon Flag is solid. Most people "can do" Dragon Flags, but few can actually do a true Dragon Flag. Good stuff.

Also I know these parks are super standardized, but I could swear I've been in a park just like that one hahaha. Was this close to the Philadelphia area? Just out of curiosity.
 
Yes, Dresher, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. There's a park bordered by Dillon Road, Broad Street on opposite sides, both small roads, Susquehanna on the third side, a larger road. I used to spend time in this area regularly and still get back there from time to time.

Just looked it up - I got all the street names right, and it's called Mondauk Common Park.

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Steve Freides said:
Yes, Dresher, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. There's a park bordered by Dillon Road, Broad Street on opposite sides, both small roads, Susquehanna on the third side, a larger road. I used to spend time in this area regularly and still get back there from time to time.

Just looked it up - I got all the street names right, and it's called Mondauk Common Park.

-S-
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Yep that's the one. Did an internship living there in Maple Glen summer 2014. I hit up that playground 4+ times a week for my workouts that entire summer.

A pull up bar, some parallel bars for dips. Frankly you don't need a whole lot more for hardcore Calisthenics. Small world Steve!
 
Small world, indeed! I grew up in Bucks County, about a half-hour or so away, and lived for a year near that park in a big, old house with several other students near there - 1975-6. It wasn't a park then, but, well, long story ...

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@Colin Stewart , thanks for that, top idea, never tried that one. Got the exact monkey bar arc thing at a park nearby. I swing single arm , well like a monkey. Extra challenge with the ascending/descending arc, so gonna try your version too, ta.
Parks: totally lost on kids. Thankfully playstations, wiis, iPads and the traditional telly keep those pesky kids occupied indoors leaving the outdoor toys for the grown ups. Haha.
 
I am always on the lookout for playground equipment to train on since I travel a lot.
(I think I posted some of this before)
Couple of words of caution however...

Much of the newer playground equipment is not designed to take the weight of an adult, especially during dynamic loading. I wouldn't want to wreck it for some kid.
Speaking of kids...
You want to be mindful of training on playgrounds when there are kids around. (Unless you have your own with you) You might get accused of being some kind of weirdo... don't laugh, it's happened
 
Yes, I generally go when there are no kids playing, which is anytime of the day everyday of the week! Kind of sad, really, the vanishing of childhood, all that playing and messing about outside. Kids think it weird that adults go on this stuff, they think it weird that kids go on it too.
Spent a bit of time in China, Guangzhou, some 12 years ago. In the parks, tai chi and qigong going on everywhere and they had these massive parks with all sorts of equipment......every generation, from the very young to the very old, doing their stuff. A lot of waxing on, waxing off, with equipment designed for the purpose. Teenage kids and older adults on the bars, other martial art practice, people meditating. It was really something to see. That is if you could, through the smog. Made it all very atmospheric and other worldly though.
 
Park doesn't always equal playground. The place I was at is large, has playground areas for kids, but also exercise stations like the one I was at for adults. I prefer the latter to a kids playground for all the reasons mentioned.

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Steve Freides said:
We drove by a park yesterday while visiting family and friends over a two-day Thanksgiving weekend. I did these and one round each side of the Cossack sequence from SuperJoints.

View attachment 1627



I don't practice either, and the Dragon Flag could definitely be a little tighter on the way down, but the way up, which is the harder half of the movement, looks pretty good to me.


-S-
Click to expand...

You Americans are smart having outdoor pullup stations at parks like this! I've NEVER seen this in Canada. I emailed my city councilor a few days ago about it. I hope we put some up around my city. They put up some signs saying "do pushups here, planks there" etc, but the ground is dirty and no one does them. With bars installed people will use them!
 
I used to always freak out the 'other mums' in the play parks by doing L-hangs and pull ups with the kids hanging or sitting on me ;)

You get even weirder looks when you push the kids on the swing and then play 'chicken' doing kali/aikido footwork drills ;)
 
Kozushi said:
You Americans are smart having outdoor pullup stations at parks like this! I've NEVER seen this in Canada. I emailed my city councilor a few days ago about it. I hope we put some up around my city. They put up some signs saying "do pushups here, planks there" etc, but the ground is dirty and no one does them. With bars installed people will use them!
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I lived in BC for years and we had some parks there that had proper Stations set up.
 
Steve Freides said:
Park doesn't always equal playground. The place I was at is large, has playground areas for kids, but also exercise stations like the one I was at for adults. I prefer the latter to a kids playground for all the reasons mentioned.

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Yes indeed, if you can find a park with Adult workout stations it's great. Way more preferable than playground equipment
 
They started installing this kind of equipment around here perhaps 15-20 years ago.

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