Must Love Dogs: The Bowwow Workout

Credit: lululemon athletica

Today’s post is written by core performance guru, Linda LaRue. Linda is the creator of Crunchless Abs and the new, constant resistance, 3-dimensional workout, The CORE TRANSFORMER, which burns nearly 1,000 calories per hour.

Are you a dog lover? Me, too. And while walking the pup around the block is fun, I thought I’d give animal lovers in Los Angeles a new way to get a great workout with your four-legged loved one: the Bowwow Workout!  This outdoor, semi-private exercise class allows both you and your dog to get a workout outdoors with others pups and their owners.

The class was created by my friend, certified personal trainer, Bruce Gilbert, who is the owner of Balanced Fitness. Bruce came up with the idea for The Bowwow Workout several years ago when on a surfing trip to Costa Rica. While there, he noticed that dogs and their masters were allowed to go everywhere together. The camaraderie and love between dog and master was a concept he wanted to duplicate.

“I really love dogs, ” Gilbert says. “It struck me that there are a lot of overweight and out of shape people and their dogs that need to move, lose weight and get in shape.”

Since he was already bringing his border collie, Louie, to Runyon Canyon, a no-leash dog park, several times a week to hike, he thought, “Why don’t I have people come to the park with their dogs and put together a program that’s more structured than only hiking?”

And that he did. The workout uses natural and man-made items scattered throughout the park, along with a versatile, exercise tube for resistance. The class includes a circuit of cardio-hiking and resistance-training stations for a 60-minute total-body workout. One station is an old tennis court, where Bruce has both dogs and owners doing running drills across the court. Bruce even hands out gourmet dog treats for good behavior (only for the dogs here, obviously).

The Bowwow Workout is a great out-of-the-box exercise alternative for you and your cherished four-legged loved one—especially if you hate being stuck inside on a treadmill going nowhere fast. Plus, because dogs are pack animals, it’s the perfect mind-body exercise solution for you and your furry friend. What could be more healthy and fun than being outside in the sun, moving with your dog? Bow-wow! —Linda LaRue