In the past week, I have once again taken up my hobby of mowing lawns for family and friends. It has been nearly a year since the last time, and it was much harder to get into the habit. Mowing the lawn actually uses several important muscles groups, but most importantly, it builds strength in the core. Pushing a heavy lawnmower back and forth across the lawn on a sweltering day is actually a great way to work out core muscles without going to the gym. For bigger arms, more stamina, and important core strength workouts, get out and mow your lawn this summer.
Several exercises used by personal trainers actually call themselves the lawn mower to pay homage to the fabulous workout that it mowing the lawn. Think about how tired muscles feel after an hour or so. After my first week of mowing, not only were my arms and legs stiff, but also my entire core was sore due to the great stretching and working that mowing the lawn provided.
Keep in mind that this is a strenuous task that should not be completed by older individuals or those who have health problems that would prevent one from participating in strenuous exercise. For the younger and healthy, a brisk lawn mowing session is comparable to doing a bunch of crunches and lunges at the gym.
Think about how much strength it takes to push a lawn mower over the resistance of tall grass or weeds. The extra effort it takes to push the lawn mower will not only burn calories, but it will tighten core muscles. Be sure to not use the self-propel function, as this makes the mower easier to push thus lowering some of the core strength training benefits. Pushing the mower without self propel will burn literally hundreds of calories and build a solid foundation for a muscular core.
The benefits of mowing the lawn begin in the legs. A lot of the strain to propel the mower actually comes from the upper and lower leg muscles. Once the initial burst of energy has happened, the propulsion radiates not from the arms, but from the core muscles, such as the abdominals. Gardeners are usually fit for a reason. Outdoor tasks like mowing build up core strength and burn hundreds of calories from the constant movement. Even muscles in the lower back can be worked by mowing the lawn.
Always ask your doctor before mowing the lawn or doing other strenuous activities. Get out and enjoy the weather while building core muscles this summer by mowing the lawn.
