Exercising with your Dog Stroller | Dog Strollers | Dog Trailers | Dog Carriers

A 30 minute exercise program you can do with your dog stroller

Stroller Fitness

If you combine regular dog stroller walking with a healthy eating plan you will be burning calories and helping you lose weight. But you can maximize the results by incorporating a few extra exercises and moves that build strength and tone your muscles too.

Here is a stroller workout that takes exercise beyond the basic walking and takes just under 30 minutes from start to finish. This routine includes periods of brisk walking and light jogging, with lunges that tighten and tone your legs and gluteus muscles. If you park the stroller during your walk, you can even use it for support as you do squats, push-ups and curls.

Correct body posture when exercising

When you partake in any form of exercise you need to do a body warm up. And we also stress the importance of a proper posture during your dog stroller workouts.

To avoid muscle strains and injuries, we advise holding the pet stroller handlebars so your wrists are not in a bent position and keeping your shoulders relaxed.

As you do your walking, push your hips forward toward the pet stroller, while tightening your abs to maintain the correct posture.

What kind of stroller should I use?

a pet jogger is perfect for when you jog or exercise

While it is possible to burn calories and lose weight pushing a standard pet stroller better results are gained by investing in a jogging pet stroller. A pet jogging stroller with three fixed, inflatable rubber wheels is the most stable on uneven terrain like gravel and grass. The three wheel design also gives you more maneuverability than a four wheeled stroller would.

Jogging dog strollers also have shock absorbers and better suspension so your dog has a smoother bump free ride when you are cruising along on your run.

Most jogging pet strollers also come with adjustable handlebars which will also allow you to maintain a comfortable posture. Pet Joggers also feature good rear-wheel foot brakes which will keep the dog stroller stable and stop it from accidentally rolling out of your reach. These types of pet stroller are also perfect for jogging and speed walking.

Safety Tips

Safety is very important when doing any form of exercise. Always be careful of cars and the environment when exercising with your dog. Make sure your dog is always in sight and it’s usually best to do this sort of exercise in a doggy park, where your dog is enclosed and in sight. Below are a few safety tips to bear in mind when doing any form of dog stroller exercise:

Safety tips when doing the 30 minute dog stroller exercise program

Always keep your stroller a hand’s reach away from you if you’re working out next to your stroller.
Always take things slowly in the beginning and don’t over do it too soon
Make sure to get your doctor’s clearance before starting any vigourous exercise program.
If you are using your stroller during any of the above exercises, always make sure your stroller is stable with the brake on
Never hang on or attach an exercise tubing to the stroller.

The 30 minute dog stroller exercise program

Below is the 30 minute dog stroller exercise program. Some great results can be gained if this particular routine is done regularly. You will be surprised how many interested dog owners will comment on what you are doing and who knows, it may inspire them to join in with you. You may even be able to start a dog stroller fitness group in your local doggy park!

For the exercise routine you will need a blanket and an exercise tube. Exercise tubes are stretchy resistance tubes or bands that you use when exercising. Resistance tubes are great to use for when you are on the move as they are compact and light.

This type of exercise band have handles attached to each end so you can comfortably work your muscles. Some tubes come with an attachment used to secure the band to the hinge of a door. The bands come in multiple tension levels, as indicated by their colour or a specific weight.

The colours come in tan, yellow, red, green, blue, black, silver and gold. Beginners would start with the tan coloured tubing and gradually upgrade towards the advanced gold tubing which has more resistance.

Exercise Tube Colours

Tan – Extra Thin
Yellow – Thin
Red – Medium
Green – Heavy
Blue – Extra Heavy
Black – Special Heavy
Silver – Super Heavy
Gold- Max

Check out Exercise Resistance Tubes at Amazon.co.uk

Also remember to pack some water and a little fruit so you can rehydrate yourself after exercise. All this equipment can be stored in your dog stroller storage compartment, so you don’t even have to carry it upon your person.

The 30 minute dog stroller exercise program

Warm Up – 3 to 5 minutes

If you plan on doing some vigourous exercise routines, it’s important that you do a good warm up. Begin with an easy walking pace, gradually warming up your body and your muscles.

The most common postural dysfunction when pushing a stroller is to hunch forward, so be sure to keep your shoulders down and back throughout your walk. Don’t wait for the abs portion of the workout to draw in your belly button and engage that core!
Stroller squats – 2 minutes

The squat is one of the best exercises for the lower body. Stand behind your stroller with the brake off and your hands about shoulder-width apart on the handlebars. Your feet and knees should face forward with your legs about hips-width apart.

Sit your bottom way back and put your weight in your heels. Push your stroller out in front of you as you squat down, and pull it back in as you lift yourself up to a standing position. When squatting back, keep your spine long and strong, with your upper body only slightly tilted forward.

A common mistake during this exercise is to bend too much from the upper body, when it should be the lower body that is reaching back. For all of the strength “stations,” do three sets of approximately 10 to 15 repetitions.
STROLLER WALKING – 3 minutes

Try this exercise for a duration of three minutes as you are walking along with your stroller. If you are bit too embarrassed to do this down the hight street, do a few laps around the park.

Walk for 30 seconds as hard and fast as you can, then recover by slowing your pace a little for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence until your time of 3 minutes is up.
REAR FLY – 2 minutes

This exercise is great for when you have arrived at the dog park and your pooch is running around exercising with the other dogs. This exercise is great for the back.

For this exercise, park your stroller and take out your exercise tube. Stand with your legs hips-width apart and hold the tube taut in front of you, arms slightly bent. Using your upper-back and shoulder muscles, separate the handles and open through the chest.

Do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Or do this exercise for around two minutes.
LUNGE WALKING – 2 minutes

The lunge is by far one of the most effective exercises a woman can do to tone and strengthen her lower body. It’s a compound exercise, which basically means it works a lot of muscles in just the one move.

A good lunge will effectively work your quadriceps (front of your thighs), hamstrings (back of your thighs) and gluteus maximus (your bottom). This exercise will be part of your walk.

Lunge walk by taking really long strides and lowering your upper body down until your front thigh is almost parallel to the ground. Your front knee should not go further forward than your toes. Lower your body slowly and squeeze your thighs and glutes as you come back up.

Do this exercise for around two minutes. You may think you look a bit silly doing this, but any passers by will soon cotton on to what you are doing!
Power Walking – 3 minutes

Now it’s time to resume your walk using full, powerful strides. Keep your feet and knees facing forward and your body standing tall. Walk at a pace that is challenging.

This isn’t meant to be a recovery. Do this for another three minutes.
BICEPS CURL – 2 minutes

Park your dog stroller and pull out your exercise tube. Stand on the tube with legs about hip-width apart.

Keep your shoulders down and elbows at your sides. With palms facing up, do a biceps curl. Even when doing an arm movement, you want to keep your abs engaged. For an easier variation, curl one arm at a time.

To make the exercise more challenging, curl both arms at once. Do this for 2 minutes
POWER WALK – 3 minutes

By now you should really be working. Keep your intensity high enough that you are a little out of breath, but not so high that you can’t have a chat with your dog or to any dog stroller walkers, who happen to be doing the exercises with you!
TRICEPS TONER – 2 minutes

Again, bring your pet pram to a halt and pull out your exercise tube. Stand firmly on one side of the tube. With the tube behind you, start with arms at a right angle. Use your triceps (the muscles at the back of the arm) to straighten your arms to full extension. Return to the starting position.
STROLLER CRUNCH – 2 minutes

Put your brake on and place a blanket in front of your stroller. Lay down directly in front of your stroller with your feet on either side of the wheel.

With hands lightly behind your head, draw your belly button in and contract your abdominals as you lift your shoulder blades a few inches off the ground.

Exhale as you come up and inhale as you come down. Hold at the top of the movement for a moment, without pulling on your head.

Your starting position should be where the abs start to engage; not at rest.
Final Stretch – 5 minutes

Take time to stretch all the body parts we worked today. This is a great time to give your dog their last five minutes of playing, socialising and exercise before heading back into their stroller!

You’ve now finished a total-body workout that included strength, cardiovascular and flexibility exercises, all the while spending quality time with your dog. You should both feel refreshed and revitalised.

The only drawback is your dog gets to snooze, while you have to burn a few more calorioes to get you both home!