Waterlow Park Workout: A 35-Minute Park Routine

You do not need a gym membership to get a good session in. Sometimes you need 30 minutes, a pair of trainers and a bit of green space. If you live in Archway, Highgate or Dartmouth Park, a Waterlow Park workout is one of the easiest ways to do that: the park is a short walk up Highgate Hill, it has benches, paths and open lawns, and you can finish with a coffee. Here is a full routine you can do there, plus the practical park details you need to know.

The park facts below come from Camden Council, which manages the park, and from Lauderdale House, which sits on its edge. Check them before you go, as details can change.

About Waterlow Park

• Who runs it: Camden Council, working with the volunteer Friends of Waterlow Park and the Waterlow Park Trust Advisory Group.
• Size: 29 acres, with terraced gardens, three ponds and a nature conservation area.
• For families: two small children’s play areas.
• Tennis: six tarmac tennis courts, bookable online through Camden Active.
• Café: Lauderdale House, on the Highgate Hill side of the park, has a café. The House is run separately from the park.
• History: the land was once Sydney Waterlow’s private estate. He gave it to the London County Council in 1889 as “a garden for the gardenless”.
• Closing: gates are locked at closing time, and Camden Active says the park closes at dusk, so winter evening sessions are not an option.

Before your Waterlow Park workout

• Be a good park user. Paths are shared with families, dog walkers and older visitors. Pick a quiet bench or a corner of the lawn, not the middle of a busy path.
• Bring a group? Lauderdale House notes Camden guidance that gatherings of more than 20 people need to be arranged through Camden’s events team. A few friends is fine.
• Check the ground. Grass is slippery after rain. Do standing moves on the path and floor moves on a mat or jacket.
• Health first. If you have back or joint pain, a health condition, or you are pregnant or postnatal, check with your GP or physio before starting, and keep everything at a comfortable level.

The workout (about 35 minutes)

All you need is a bench and your own bodyweight.

Warm-up: 7 minutes

Walk briskly around the park paths for 5 minutes, letting your breathing pick up. Then do 10 bodyweight squats, 10 arm circles each way and 5 slow reverse lunges each leg.

Strength circuit: 3 rounds, about 15 minutes

Do 10 to 12 reps of each, one after another, and rest 90 seconds between rounds:

1. Bench step-ups: 10 each leg. Hold the back of the bench for balance if you need to.
2. Incline push-ups: hands on the bench seat. The higher your hands, the easier it is.
3. Sit-to-stands: sit on the bench and stand up without using your hands. Slow on the way down.
4. Bench tricep dips: keep your knees bent and only go as low as is comfortable for your shoulders. Skip this if your shoulders complain.
5. Split squats: back foot on the ground, not the bench, if you are a beginner.
6. Bench plank: hands on the seat, body straight, 20 to 30 seconds.

If you are new to squats or push-ups, my guides on how to squat properly and push-up progression for beginners will help you get the technique right.

Walking intervals: 8 minutes

Use the park’s paths. Walk as fast as you can for 1 minute, then easy for 1 minute, four times. If your loop includes a slope, push the pace on the way up. You should be able to say a few words but not hold a full conversation on the fast parts.

Cool-down: 5 minutes

Slow walk past the ponds, then stretch your calves, hamstrings, hip flexors and chest against a bench, about 30 seconds each.

How often should you do it?

The NHS recommends adults do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week, plus at least 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking. This routine covers both, so doing it once or twice a week alongside your normal walking is a solid base.

Bringing the kids

The play areas make it easier to fit this in with children. One option: one parent trains while the other is at the playground, then you swap. Or let older kids join the walking intervals and step-ups. Keep floor exercises well away from where children are running around.

Where a bootcamp fits

Park workouts are brilliant from spring to autumn. When it gets dark early and the park closes at dusk, it is harder. That is why my SYP Bootcamp classes in Archway are indoors: 45 minutes, a maximum of 10 people, £15 a class. You can see this week’s class times on the booking page.

FAQs

Can you work out in Waterlow Park?

Yes, a bodyweight session using benches and paths is a good fit for the park. Be considerate of other users, and note that Camden guidance says gatherings of more than 20 people need to be arranged through its events team.

Are there tennis courts in Waterlow Park?

Yes, there are six tarmac tennis courts. Camden Active says they can be booked online, open at 8am and close at the last hour before the park closes at dusk.

Is there a café in Waterlow Park?

Yes. Lauderdale House, on the Highgate Hill edge of the park, has a café. The House is run separately from the park itself.

Give this routine a go next time you are passing. And when you want a coach, a group and a roof over your head, book your £15 class in Archway. If you live nearby and want a plan built around you, see personal training in Tufnell Park.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.