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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Backpacking Dad's Playground Workout

It's a problem. You're fat. You're at home alone during nap time. You're watching a Rocky marathon on WGN. And you think to yourself: "Self, why can't I be in the kind of shape that Backpacking Dad lies about being in?"

Well, here it is folks. Finally, you too can work out like Backpacking Dad.

You will need:

  1. A baby.
  2. A backpack that the baby can be carried in.
  3. to be out of shape.
  4. A playground somewhere within a mile.
  5. A grocery store or market somewhere within a mile.
  6. A nice sunny day.

Secure your baby in the backpack and then secure the backpack to yourself. Go outside.

Walk down to the park. Along the way stick your arms out to the side and flap them like the world's biggest dork bird. This may induce giggling in your self and in your baby.

The Warmup

Once you arrive at the park find the playground swings. If there is a set with a baby swing next to a regular swing, then that will work perfectly:

IMG00317

Place your baby in the infant swing and push her a few times building up enough momentum to swing for a little bit on her own (but without flipping her around the bar...save that for when she's 3). Sit in the swing next to her and pump-swing a few times to build up speed and height.

Then jump.

Land running and immediately turn and run back to the swing. Give your baby a couple of more pushes, and then repeat until your baby is bored. Laugh every time you jump and run back toward her. Make between 1 and 3 silly faces per rep.

The Jungle Gym

Take your baby out of the swing and let her walk or crawl over to the jungle gym. Remove from her mouth any wood chips or sand she may have decided to ingest along the way. Let your baby crawl around on the jungle gym and determine where her "playing stations" are. These are places where she will spend at least 30 seconds, and sometimes up to a minute. Also determine where her "falling off the jungle gym" stations are. These are the places where she will, well, fall off. Don't let her.

At Station 1, use the guide rails along the staircase to do inclined pushups.

IMG00319

At Station 2, use the parallel vertical bars along the bridge to do inclined pullups.

IMG00320

At Station 3, use the high bar next to the gaping death trap of an opening to do chinups.

IMG00316

At Station 4, use the steps to do stair drills.

IMG00318

At Station 5 use the low bar and platform to do tricep pushups.

IMG00322

And at Station 6 use the handles to do elevated squats on the horizontal bars.

IMG00321  And don't let your baby fall off the jungle gym.

The Cool Down

Reload your baby into the backpack and walk to your market/grocery store. Buy enough that you need two bags to carry your purchases home, but don't buy anything heavy.

On the walk home use your relatively light bags to do bicep curls and shoulder presses. You will feel it after your second set of 15, no matter how light the bags are.

Once you arrive home, remove your baby from the backpack and try to get her to go down for a nap.

Fail.

Trust me, friends, if you follow my simple workout program you too can have a body like Backpacking Dad lies about having and a baby who is (a) tired and (b) uninterested in going to sleep (c) crying in her crib and (d) too much for you to handle, really, because you've been working out for an hour while she played.

I was inspired to develop this brilliant workout routine after sitting at home eating cheese sandwiches all morning. I think the combination of lifts, pulls, pushups, walking, and guilt has succeeded in working them off.

Mmm. Cheese sandwiches....Be Back Later.

13 comments:

Jennifer said...

When is Backpacking Dad Workout DVD coming out? I'm totally putting it on my Amazon Wishlist.

Heather said...

This workout sounds like it might produce results. However, I'd rather sit on my couch. So I will continue to lie about the shape I'm in as well.

Carmen said...

I think you could sell this plan on an infomercial, late at night.

You could make SCADS of money. Hubby
s bought some seriously awful workout dvds.

Carmen, Mom to the Screaming Masses

I can't find my blog said...

I'm guessing it works for lazy mommies, too.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

But can you blog while doing it?

Mamique said...

Good for you for following through!

I had so many GREAT workout plans when I was home with my girls. I never quite understood why I didn't get in shape, though. Oh right, I never put them into practice. So that's where my flaw was....

Gerbil said...

Calories can also be burnt off when you foolishly sit down on the slide with baby on your lap and push off, disregarding the fact that your hips are not the same size they were when you were twenty and you get stuck and have to flail like an idiot to free yourself.


not that I would know from personal experience or anything...

Whit said...

Is there a beginner's workout? I need to ease into it.

Backpacking Dad said...

jennifer: I'm having some creative differences with the director. She directs me not to make one; I whip off my shirt and say "But the world needs to see this!"

heather: It certainly resulted in me being sore this morning.

carmen: I'm going to make that "Oxy Clean" guy sell it. And I'm going to make him demonstrate the workout, with an added "beard lift" station.

headless mom: yeah, but you'll never catch a mom showing off her mad workout skills at the park in front of everybody. Only lazy dads are vain like that.

jenn: only during the stair-drills...that's what my Blackberry is for.

mamique: yeah, my flaw is in basically being a snuffleupagus.

gerbil: I'm trying that one next time. Along with "sun-soaked steel slide ass burn".

whit: the beginner workout involves driving to the park, opening the door, kicking your kid out, and watching them from the parking lot with the A/C blasting and REO Speedwagon on the iPod.

MereCat said...

That plan ought to work, you know. But for it to actually work for women, though, it definitely requires two babies. We can't win.

Sorry about the screaming nap. That is the WORST.

for a different kind of girl said...

So I'm lacing up my workout shoes, am calculating my park/swing ratios, checking my iPod for a charge, then suddenly I'm stumped on this whole "baby" thing. Perhaps you should drop a line to my husband and suggest this.

Also, when you whip off your shirt and declare the world's need to see that, are you jabbing your index fingers toward your abs with each syllable for emphasis, then perhaps circling the air in front of your stomach upon saying "this"? That might help. If so, you can thank me properly in the credits.

Backpacking Dad said...

Merecat: well, to get that second baby you will be doing all kinds of working out anyway, so you won't need this one for a while ;}

FADKOG: I painted a bullseye on my abs, for ease of identification.

Anonymous said...

Love the stair drills.