A beach workout uses two lines drawn in the sand, the soft surface, and the ocean itself to build a complete training session anywhere there is a shoreline — no gym and no equipment. I just got back from Bimini, where the beach and the water gave me everything I needed. In this Physical Friday I share how I set up sand shuttle runs, lunge and handstand-walk ladders, ocean swims between landmarks, and the fifteen-minute treading-water workout.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Draw two lines in the sand with your foot — ten meters, twenty meters, whatever you want — and you have a course. Do ten burpees on one side, run to the other line for ten sit-ups, then nine and nine, eight and eight, down to one — or use the space between the lines for movement work: lunge one direction, handstand-walk back, and repeat ten times. The sand makes everything harder and falls cost nothing.
Stay on the train — do not get off. Vacation is where people go way off track: you skip a day with the kids, then the next, and suddenly a week is gone and getting back on is hard. The beach in front of you is a wonderful gym. Get the energy from the ocean, get sand between your toes, and bring the kids and your wife into it. A short beach workout every morning keeps the streak alive.
You can, but I do not. The beep test is a benchmark, and on sand you slip and slide, so the score will not compare honestly to one run on firm ground. It is still a workout, but I save the beep test for the parking lot and use the beach for shuttle runs, ladders, and movement combinations where an exact comparison does not matter.
Pick two landmarks just off the beach — in Bimini I used houses; on the Florida Panhandle you might use two big hotels. Swim from one to the other, maybe a hundred yards, maybe half a mile, then run that same distance back along the sand, and repeat: swim, run, swim, run. Only do it if the water is safe and calm, and stay aware of rip currents and where you are at all times.
It is a great one, and it needs no swimming skill beyond staying afloat. Set the alarm on your watch and tread water for fifteen minutes without touching the bottom. It works the whole body and the lungs more than it looks like it would. Be careful about rip tides and anything pulling you out, and stay close to shore — but if conditions are safe, it is a complete workout in one spot.
Wind. The deck of cards workout is one of my favorites, but on a beach the cards start blowing everywhere and the workout falls apart. The beach calls for workouts you can keep in your head — a 10-to-1 ladder, lunges and handstand walks between two lines, a swim-run circuit. Decide exactly what you are doing before you walk out onto the sand, just like every other workout in this series.
Here are the beach workouts from this episode, exactly as I did them in Bimini — all you need is sand, two lines, and safe water.
I cover how to size the distances and keep it safe in the episode, so press play in the player above.
You have been working hard, now it is family time, and the workout is the first thing to go. Miss one day, then the next, and a week disappears — and getting back on the train is much harder than never getting off. The beach solves this because the gym is literally in front of your room and the workout can include your kids. I talk about protecting the streak without stealing family time in the episode, so press play above.
Drag your foot once, walk ten or twenty meters, drag it again, and you have a measured course. Cover the distance fast with shuttle runs, or fill it with movements — lunges, handstand walks, bear crawls. Two lines, two uses, endless combinations. It is the same principle as the parking lot lines from last week, just softer underfoot. I run through my favorite combinations in the episode — press play above.
A clean beach, calm clear water, and houses spaced along the shore that became my swim markers. I would swim from one house to the next, run back along the sand, and repeat. No schedule, no equipment, no gym fee — and a workout I genuinely looked forward to. I tell the whole story of that morning routine in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The ocean is the best gym in the world and the only one that can hurt you. Check conditions before you commit, know what a rip current looks like, stay near shore, keep landmarks in sight, and skip the swim entirely if anything feels off — tread water in the shallows or stay on the sand instead. The workout is never worth the risk. I go through my checklist in the episode, so press play above.
Whether you are at the beach for vacation or work, the shoreline gives you sand, space, and water — everything you need to stay on the train. The only rule is the same one from this whole series: know exactly what you are doing before you walk out there.
Tonight, decide the workout, set the alarm, and tomorrow get sand between your toes before breakfast. Press play in the player above and I will give you the full plan.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
Bimini · Florida Panhandle · beach shuttle runs · 10-to-1 ladders · lunges · handstand walks · ocean swimming · treading water · rip current safety · vacation fitness · travel workouts
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series where I share the workouts, nutrition, and mindset that keep guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong, durable, and in the game for life.
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