Summer heatwaves can mean only one thing, it’s time to take enjoy some outdoor summer games as part of your workout. These four simple but effective moves will awaken your inner child with a whole lot of retro fun and burn off some serious calories in the process too.
Online gaming platform Yahtzee Craze collaborated with London based PT and fitness expert Anthony Mayatt to reveal the best cone-themed outdoor games to play in the sun this summer. Get your kids involved for extra parent points, guaranteed to bring a smile to their faces.
1- Cone turn
Equipment: 30-50 cones
“In this game, people are split in two teams of equal numbers, and everyone is spread over the exercise area. Half of the people have their cones turned upside down and the other half have their cone the right way up.” explains Mayatt.
“The goal is for each team to try and turn all upside-down cones the right way up, and vice versa.”
Cone turn is always a lot of fun and brings out a little healthy competitiveness. Up the ante by making the losing team complete a small forfeit exercise. This game is continuous so it’s generally about which team can be the quickest.
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, however people with lower back issues might prefer to avoid, due to a requirement for lots of bending down whilst running, which might cause some discomfort.
2- Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes, and Cone!
Equipment: One cone per pair
“In this game, people get into pairs and place a cone on the ground. Then, each person takes one big step backwards whilst still facing the cone. At this point, everybody starts running around the exercise area until the coach shouts ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes!’” Anthony says.
“The participants must touch each body part in sequence, whilst still running. As soon as the command ‘cone’ is yelled, the teams must run and try to grab their cones. The first team to grab their cones, is the winner and gets awarded a point.”
The game is repeated for a set number of rounds.
This is by far one of the most popular outdoor summer games to play as it is simple, keeps you moving and works your brain to improve reaction time, agility, and movement.
3- Card Game
Equipment: A large pack of playing cards
“This is one of the most popular and most requested games during my bootcamps,” reveals PT Mayatt.
In this game, the coach chooses 10-15 exercises and writes them on every card in the deck repeating each exercise a few times.
The coach then shuffles the pack, and each player randomly chooses cards with exercises to perform. Land a joker and have fun choosing either a forfeit exercise or nominate someone else to complete for you. Face cards (Jack, Queen, or King) call for more repetitions.
Mayatt adds: “This is a great game for health, strength, and flexibility, due to its variety, and the fact you can choose exercises to match specific individual goals.
“You can do this game for a set time or randomly select a few cards from the deck and stop once they are completed.”
4- Steal
Equipment: 30-50 cones
“To start, the coach places all the cones together in the same area, then spreads the participants around it evenly, at an equal distance.
“The game last for one minute and the goal is to be the person who collects the most cones by the end of it. However, there is a twist…” notes Anthony. “Each person can only collect one cone at a time, but they can either go to the middle to collect one from the pile or go to steal one from another participant’s area.
“This is certainly the funniest game. In addition, it is also great for all fitness levels and boosts mental health. You are doing a high-intensity exercise without thinking you are doing so.”
PT Anthony Mayatt says: “These games are great and accessible to most people, as they only require a set of cones or a pack of cards and allow people to work out and have fun at the same time. As adults we tend to focus on working out at the gym or going for a run; something that feels like exercise. But what’s better than exercising whilst having fun?”
A spokesperson for Yahtzee Craze comments:
“Playing games of all sorts, from online games to VR fitness games, is a great way to unwind and escape reality for a bit. Whilst outdoor group games are great for socializing and working out at the same time (whilst having fun), solo games are great for improving strategic thinking and problem solving: a great way to spend some of your free time!”
