Dog- park exercises

All these exercises can be done without equipment, but trainer Lorraine Glass uses a yoga mat, a TRX suspension band (you can make your own), a Frisbee, a ball and ball launchers with different handle lengths. Throwing ❚ Play fetch with your dog, varying the throws. An overhand throw works out your shoulder and, if powered through properly using the entire body, incorporates a body twist and hip work. Using a lever/ball launcher will reduce the force on your joints.

❚ A side throw (parallel to the ground) will use different muscles, as will underhand. ❚ A Frisbee throw brings your arm and hand around your body and rotates in the opposite direction. ❚ A ball launcher with a shorter arm makes you work harder. ❚ All these throwing movements mimic movements in certain sports, such as golf, tennis, baseball or softball. If you fake your dog out by making the throwing motion, you can exercise your arms even more. Pushups ❚ Throw the ball. While your dog is retrieving it, use the suspension system and count your pushups. The shorter the ropes, or the higher off the ground, the easier the pushup will be, although your core will also work to stabilize you. ❚ If you don’t have a cable system, do pushups on the ground (harder), on the side of a tree or using the seat or back of a bench. If you are running up or down stairs, use steps for pushups. Pull-ups The back is the only part of the body difficult to work out in an open field with no equipment, since that requires a pulling motion to engage the muscles. To use the TRX, adjust the cables to the correct height. The shorter the cables, the easier the pull-up. The longer the cables, the more prone to the ground your body will be and the more difficult the pullup. Put your hands in the loop and drop back until your body weight is in your arms. Pull up. Again, throw a ball. See how many pull-ups you can do while your dog fetches. Other exercises You can modify the exercises every time your dog is busy snuffling elsewhere. Crunches, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, skip-rope, jogging. Be creative. Intervals Just as your dog sprints, then rests, so must you. Grass says for every four minutes of work that drives your heart rate up, take two minutes for less intense movement. If you repeat four times, that’s 24 minutes of exercise. Using the river If your dog is older and arthritic, head to the water. “You might incorporate the swimming aspect for your dogs,” Glass says. “I wouldn’t go in the ponds myself, but you might consider water-walking along the river as well. That’s for an older dog, a little more arthritic in nature, and gives them some resistance to work with and lightens the load off the joints.” Don’t simply amble along yourself. While walking is healthy, ramp up the intensity. “If you want to get that metabolic burn, to lose some calories, anything you do, you want to work your intervals,” Glass says. Doga Yoga After you’ve sufficiently tuckered out Tucker, end by stretching and doing yoga postures. Your dog might rest in the shade or pester you. “That’s part of the fun,” Glass says. Then again, you might have a dog like Sam, who meditates on his back while you do downward dog under the sun.