Your Guide to Summer Fitness Fun

Because you should look forward to your workouts.

Working out should be fun. Especially if you’re trying to build any sort of consistent exercise habit.

I wrote about this back in 2024: Studies have shown that long-term exercisers keep working out because they enjoy it — and those who quit often say they stopped because they weren’t having fun.

In honor of this observation (and in defiance of the world outside), I’ve created this guide to help you find the fun in fitness all summer long.

Scroll through for some revisits to articles from the WBC archive, fresh ideas and recommendations, and the first ever WBC workout playlist — which you can still recommend songs for, just leave a comment or send me a message.

How to Make Fitness Fun (If It’s Not Already)

1. Reframe why you’re exercising in the first place.

If you’re primarily chasing aesthetic goals, you’re likely to be discouraged when your body doesn’t respond to exercise the way you want it to. As I wrote a while back,

You don’t determine how your body looks in response to your good-faith efforts to get fit, which means some appearance-focused goals may never be attainable.

You might have good reasons to lose fat or build boulder shoulders, but if looking a certain way is your main reason for working out, you’re still relying on extrinsic motivation. Fun is intrinsic.

So what is a fitness goal that sounds fun to you?

• Do you want to play in a pickleball tournament without running out of steam?

• Do you want to do a cartwheel again or jump on a trampoline without worrying you’ll hurt yourself?

• Do you want to hike a trail you’ve been dreaming of for years but always felt hesitant about because it’s so long and steep?

I call all of these performance-based goals. They give you a reason to train that is focused on the function you gain through your fitness. Movement is a big part of life, so what type of movement do you want to train for?

Once you have a goal in mind, you can reverse-engineer workouts (or take your goal to a coach) to help you reach it. Hopefully, the workouts that support your goal will be somewhat enjoyable, but if not…

2. Find what you actually like — and give yourself permission to mix it up.

Yes, some of us love lifting. Some people out there love running. Some get fired up for HIIT or yoga. Find what works for you.

People will argue about what form of exercise is “most optimal,” but the main thing that matters — especially since less than a third of women¹ in the U.S. get the recommended dose of physical activity each week — is that you move, you increase your heart rate, and you challenge yourself.

This doesn’t mean you should avoid all of the things you don’t enjoy (or don’t think you enjoy) about exercise. Sometimes, we need to spend time on the thing that makes us feel uncomfortable and awkward so we can get better at it, gain the health benefits it brings, and then potentially find that we like it. But you don’t have to only do things that you hate. So:

• If you’re dreading lifting weights but you want or need to do it for health reasons — great! Do it! But also, feel free to give yourself a day or two each week where you do a different type of exercise that you already enjoy.

• If you hate being inside a smelly gym — schedule some outdoor workouts or pool days.

• If you like lifting but are bored with the standard powerlifting sets, mix it up with some barbell complexes or tire work.

When you’re just a regular person training for basic health and fitness, you have a ton of options at your fingertips. You don’t have to relentlessly add weight to your maxes like a competitive powerlifter. Missing a few lifting sessions will not erase all of your hard-earned gains. You can take a break and switch it up and still be in good shape.

For more tips on how to make fitness fun (and a deeper look at how fun supports exercise motivation):

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Take Your Fitness Outside

I love an outdoor workout. One of the good things about summer 2020, COVID summer, were my outdoor workouts. When winter melted off in Denver, I took to my side yard, laid down a yoga mat, turned on some music, and ran through a circuit with some combination of jump roping, pushups, squats, lunges, burpees, and when I got some more equipment, sandbag throws, and kettlebell swings.

But outdoor workouts don’t have to look so similar to gym workouts, and you don’t necessarily have to slap that “workout” label on them at all. Plenty of outdoor activities require some level of fitness, but your attention can be more on the scenery or the people you’re with than how many steps or reps you’ve logged. These activities might be why you train in the first place.

1. Paddleboarding, Kayaking, Etc.

What it emphasizes: Balance; muscle strength and endurance in your back and arms.

Hot tip: When you’re rowing, instead of trying to pull the oar through the water, dip the oar and pull your hips to the oar. Whenever I do this, I’m able to last much longer on the water.

2. Hiking

What it emphasizes: Cardio fitness, muscle endurance, especially in your legs and core (depending on the weight of your backpack).

Hot tip: Take care of your feet. As I’m returning from all of my ankle issues, I’ve relearned the importance of footwear. Your hiking boots should give your toes room to wiggle and splay, and you better believe I’m only wearing boots with ankle support from now on.

3. Outdoor Sport of Your Choice

What it emphasizes: This will be sport-specific, but likely coordination, agility, and cardio fitness.

Hot tip: Don’t take it too seriously. Recreational sports are a great way to make friends, and basically everyone struggles with loneliness these days. Be the friendly face.

4. Run Clubs, Yoga in the Park, or Start Your Own Variation

What it emphasizes: Being social, active, and meeting other active people.

Hot tip: If it doesn’t exist, start it. And don’t make it complicated. A little consistency and predictability goes a long way.

5. A Good Old Park Workout

What it emphasizes: Full body and taking full advantage of your local amenities.

Hot tip: If your local park doesn’t have a designated outdoor gym, use the playground for pullups.

For some outdoor workout inspiration:

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3 Pieces of Gear to Add Variety to Your Outdoor Workouts

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

1. Jumprope

You can only do so much running and so many jumping jacks. A good jumprope opens up a variety of possibilities: double unders, single-leg jumping, tricks, dance moves that break my brain. And the health benefits are great because jumping is a full-body exercise that especially emphasizes your feet and calves — and strong calves bode well for longevity.

I use a speed rope from RPM, but you can find a basic rope at your local sporting goods store. I’m not a huge fan of cloth ropes, but that might be just me. (Let me know if you have strong opinions.)

2. Kettlebell

The kettlebell can seem intimidating if you’re not familiar with it, but it’s useful for a ton of exercises: squats, pressing movements, deadlifts, swings (technique is needed here; it’s all in the hips), farmer carries, etc.

If you are more of a beginner strength-wise, go to the fitness section at your local Target, Walmart, or sporting goods store and see how the different weights feel. You might want to start with 25 or even 15 pounds. But if you’ve been lifting for a while and you have a stronger upper body, go heavier: 35 or 45 pounds. You want a weight that you can carry in one hand but still requires you to actively brace your core and shoulder.

3. Sandbag

This is where we can get some heavier weight, and depending on the kind you get (I have a REP Fitness bag), you can often adjust how heavy it is by adding or removing sand.

A sandbag is great for working on lower body strength and challenging your core and other stabilizing muscles. The sand shifts within the bag as you move it, so your body has to adjust accordingly. You can use the sandbag for more standard weightlifting movements like deadlifts, rows, squats, even overhead press (make sure the sandbag is properly resting on your fists), and you can also use it for sandbag-specific movements, like tosses where you take it from the ground and explode in one smooth motion upward to throw it over your shoulder.

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The WBC Summer 2026 Workout Playlist

I asked, you responded, and this playlist is the result:

I’ve added most of the suggestions, plus quite a few of my own and some additional songs I found on other workout playlists. I figure 5 hours should be enough for you to skip the songs you hate and still get through a whole workout, but music is a highly individual thing, so no hard feelings if it’s not your vibe. =)

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A Quick Note from Meredith

In case you haven’t noticed, the economy is in rough shape, and both of my chosen fields — journalism and content marketing — have been hit hard. I’m in the middle of one of the slowest freelance years I’ve had since 2018, and just this week, I’m starting a catering job to buy myself time as I decide whether to stick with freelancing or start looking for a full-time role. That means a few things for WBC readers:

1. I’ve been able to more consistently write the newsletter because I’ve had more time than usual, despite being a bit stressed about my career.

2. Paid subscribers, especially Heavy Lifters, have the opportunity to help a sister out.

I want to provide my readers with high-quality work that is worth their time, but to do that, I need time to think, observe, research, and write. In a full-time job, I lose a lot of that time.

So I have a simple ask: If you enjoy Women’s Barbell Club, will you do one thing to support my work?

Support doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a paid subscriber (though it would be great if you did!). You could also:

• Share your favorite WBC piece with friends.

• Shout WBC out on your social platform of choice — I’m focused on Instagram right now, but am also on Threads, BlueSky, and LinkedIn.

• Know a communications or marketing director? Refer me for freelance work. I’ve worked in many different industries, but am especially interested in higher ed, healthcare, and sustainability. If your referral leads to paid work, I’ll comp a paid subscription to WBC (paid offerings are in the works).

Sharing this is uncomfortable, but it’s where I’m at. To my friends and family, don’t freak out — I’m not about to be on the street. But I need work. That’s just the reality.

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here.

~Meredith

1. Good news! This stat has increased since the last time I checked it. A few years ago, the figure was reported to be 21.5% of women who met the federal physical activity guidelines. Now it’s 27.6%. Still not where it should be, but progress is progress.