6 Best Exercises for a Beach Bod

Summer is here, which means it is time to hit the beach as often as you possibly can.

To make sure you're ready for the sun and sand, we've rounded up a few of our favorite exercises to help you get a beach bod in no time at all.

Best Exercises for Beach Bod

Here's a look at six such exercises:

#1 Shock Sprint

Shock sprints are a great way to build endurance and get the heart rate up. They're also an excellent way to warm up for more intense workouts. It's important that you do these exercises on soft sand so that your legs don't get injured.

Here's how they're done:

Begin by running in place at a slow pace for one minute.
Run as fast as you can for ten seconds.
Immediately stop, and walk till your breath returns to normal before repeating the sequence two more times.

#2 Medicine Ball Crunch

There are many reasons why you should do medicine ball crunches. Firstly, they're a great way to strengthen the abs.

Secondly, you can do them at home or even when traveling. Thirdly, you can use the medicine ball to help with weight loss and improve your body shape.

Here's how it's done:

Get into a sit-up position on the floor with your feet together and knees bent in an 'L' shape. Use one hand to hold on to the ball as it's placed above your head with both hands.
Raise up till only your lower back touches the floor while keeping the arms raised up. You'll know that this is correct because if they're not up high enough, there will be some space between them and where they meet with the shoulders/lats. That would mean they weren't fully contracted.

#3 Bicep Curl

Biceps are used in everyday life, so doing them regularly is an effective way to tone up that area of your body.

They can also help improve posture by working out the lower back muscles, which will make you stand taller. Another bonus? When you lift weights above your head when doing bicep curls (or any other exercise), it increases blood flow to all the extremities, including the hands and feet. You'll look younger than ever before because of this increased circulation.

How to do them:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your arms straight, pull the dumbbells up towards your shoulders till they touch the biceps. Lower back down slowly.

#4 Incline Bench Press

If you're looking for an exercise that can help tone the chest, the incline bench press is a great choice. It's easy to do and has many variations, so everyone can find something that suits them.

This simple yet effective workout can be done in any gym or home gym with just a barbell and bench.

To do it:

Lie on an incline bench, with your feet flat on the floor or up on another flat surface, such as a boxm if needed. Make sure they're positioned at hip-width apart from each other.
Hold dumbbells or a loaded barbell in each hand at chest level, with palms facing forward. The arms should be straight but not locked out.
Push the weight away from you while trying to isolate your pectoral muscles. Establishing a solid mind-muscle connection is the key to dense muscle growth.
Once you've reached the end of your extension, bring the weight back down to the chest to complete one rep.
Perform 10-12 reps. If you can exceed that amount, try adding some more weight.

#5 Lunge

The lunge is a powerful lower body exercise that can be done in many different ways.

The basic lunge includes stepping forward into a squat position and returning to standing by pushing off with your front leg. You can also do reverse lunges, which involve stepping back instead of going forward. Step-ups are another great variation of this move, but they require more balance than normal lunges.

Lunges are versatile, meaning you can do them anywhere, and they require minimal or absolutely no setup whatsoever. The best part is the sheer amount of variations you can do.

Try plain bodyweight lunges, or jazz them up with some dumbbells or kettlebells. Too easy? Try split squats or one-legged lunges.

#6 Lat Pull-down

Lat pull-downs are a crucial exercise if you're trying to look good on the beach. The much sought-after 'v-shaped body' is a direct product of lat-pulldowns.

This exercise trains the latissimus dorsi and can add some really good muscle to the back, widening it and giving the waist a tapered look. If you've got stubborn love handles, or are just trying to get rid of them, a wider back can often give you the illusion of a slimmer waist.

Here's how to do lat pull-downs:

Use a lat pull-down machine, and set up the correct attachment. Use a wide-grip bar with an overhand grip. Keep your chest up.
Pull the bar down to your chest, keeping your elbows in and not going below shoulder level.
Don't swing, or use any other part of the body except the arms and back.
Keep them straight during the entire movement (don't bend over).

Takeaway

The aforementioned exercises are relatively simple and also beginner-friendly, while also having adequate linear progressions in case they get too easy for you.

Now you know the best exercises for a beach body, so what are you waiting for? Go get moving, and show off those muscles.