The Tom Simpson Park
The Tom Simpson Park running track is 1220 meters start to finish. Depending on your level of fitness, you may choose to walk briskly between equipment, jog, sprint, do it by intervals (sprint/stop/sprint/stop) or even fartlek (walk/jog/sprint/repeat). It’s your workout, so make it work for you! The exercise stations are as follows:
1: Bike and stepper – Use this is a short 5-minute warm up prior to stepping off.
1. 165 meters: Bodyweight station
165 meters: Bodyweight station – Once again, you have a few options here depending on your personal strength and fitness level. The exercise options are as follows:
- Roman chair – Place your back against the back pad, support your body weight with your forearms, holding onto the grips provided. Slowly raise your knees till parallel to the ground, the lower again ensuring you do not swing. That’s one rep. If you have a reasonable amount of core strength, do the same motion, but with legs straight out to the front as opposed to knees bent.
2. Dips
Dips – Take hold of the grips provided; straighten your arms until in the complete ‘up’ position. Lower your body weight until your elbows are 90 degrees. Do not go any lower than this. Return to the ‘’up’ position. This is one rep.
3. Leg Extensions
Leg Extensions – The resistance on this station is quiet low and suitable to all fitness levels. Simply sit on the seat, hook your feet behind the leg extension, then straighten your legs.
4. Lat Pulldown
Lat Pulldown – This targets your latissimus dorsi (the muscles in your back that start under your armpits and run down your outer back). Simply take a seat, reach up and grab the handles and pull all the down. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement for a bit of extra burn!
So now that we know what the exercises are, pick any 2 that are suitable for your strength and fitness level and conduct 2 sets of 10 reps of each before moving on. Try to keep your rest between sets to under thirty seconds.
350 metres: adductors and abductors, 500 meters: ‘the twister’, 875 meters: leg press
350 metres: adductors and abductors – Stand on the footplates and move your legs apart and back together while keeping your hands on the handle bars. You should feel the burn in your inner and outer thighs. Aim for 2 minutes before hitting the running trail again.
500 meters: ‘the twister’ – lower back, obliques and hips – Stand on the foot plate or sit on the seat with your feet on the footplate. Now move the lower part of your body in a controlled and smooth way while the upper body is kept still by holding your hands on the handlebar
875 meters: leg press – Sit down and grip handles tightly, press against the footplates until your legs are almost stretched and then bend the legs down to a 90 degree angle at the knee joint. Avoid straightening the legs completely.
And there you have it. A complete, full body work out without the expensive gym fees and all the equipment provided.
For more great workout ideas, contact a Personal Trainer at Aspley, Bridgeman Downs, Albany Creek and all over Brisbane our trainers can give you the best results of your life.
Special thanks to my camerawoman, my 8 year old daughter Kyla and my two favourite training partners my son Kyden and my daughter Phoenix!