5 Fun Pumpkin Exercises to Do for Halloween

Looking for pumpkin exercises to do for a post Halloween workout?

Well, it doesn’t take a mad scientist (or a person dressed as one) to realize that a pumpkin can be used  as a weight, making them perfect for these pumpkin exercises!

The Halloween gourds  grown for carving typically range from two pounds to 25 pounds… though the biggest pumpkin ever weighed in at a monstrous 2,323 pounds.

But enough pumpkin trivia. We’re here to sweat.

For these festive pumpkin exercises, we consulted with pumpkin lover Mario Godiva, a holistic  health coach  and certified Equinox fitness trainer, who recommends using two pumpkins.

For the push-up, use a flatter, heavier pumpkin so you don’t lose your balance and take a nosedive into the squash. “You’re going to have to be a little careful,” Godiva advises, “which actually makes you work a bit harder for balance and stability.”

For the other exercises, choose a second, lighter pumpkin.

Here are weighted pumpkin exercises to ensure you’re a fit  gypsy, a limber ghost, or just a downward-dogging little devil in the pumpkin patch this year.

Aim for 15-20 reps per move.

1. Pumpkin Staggered-Hand Offset Push-Up

Target Muscles: Chest
How to do it:

• Assume a push-up position (feet together, body straight from head to heels, arms straight, hands in line with and slightly wider than your shoulders) with a  pumpkin three inches in  front of your right hand.
• Place your right  hand on the middle of the pumpkin, squeezing your glutes and bracing your core to keep your body rigid (and your hips from sagging). This is the starting position.
• Keeping your elbows tucked, lower your chest until it almost touches the floor. Pause, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
• Switch sides for each set.

2. Pumpkin Pick-Up  and Press

Target Muscles: Glutes, quads, shoulders
How to do it:

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and turned out 15 degrees, with the smaller pumpkin between them.
• Keeping your back flat, straight, and core braced, lower your body and grab the pumpkin with both hands. This is the starting position.
• Straighten your legs as you lift the pumpkin to chest level.
• Now press it overhead until your arms are straight. Pause, and then reverse the movement, lowering the pumpkin to the floor. That’s one rep.

3. Pumpkin-Loaded Lunge

Target Muscles: Quads, glutes, shoulders, core
How to do it:

• Stand tall holding the smaller pumpkin straight overhead with both hands.
• Keeping your back flat, straight, and core braced, take a large step forward with your right leg, lowering your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor (don’t let your left knee touch the ground).
• Pause, and then push back up to the starting position. Do equal reps with both legs.

4. Seated Pumpkin Twist

Target Muscles: Core
How to do it:

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent, holding the smaller pumpkin in front of your chest with both hands. Lean back slightly.
• Keeping your back straight and core braced, rotate your torso as far to the right as you can, and then as far to the left as you can. That’s one rep.
• Not challenging enough? Hold the pumpkin farther away from your chest.

5. Pumpkin Goblet Squat

Target Muscles: Quad , glutes
How to do it:

• Hold a smaller pumpkin in front of your chest.
• Set your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back flat and elbows pointed down, push your hips back and lower your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground (your elbows should touch the insides of your knees).
• Pause, and then slowly push yourself back up to the starting position.

Beachbody On Demand Workouts (No Pumpkins Required)

If you’re looking for even more body-chiseling workouts when you’re done, head to Beachbody On Demand and choose from hundreds of killer workouts.

Looking for a strength-training workout? Try LIIFT4 with Super Trainer Joel Freeman. (Although you might want to use actual weights for these, not pumpkins!)

Prefer cardio workouts? Check out the MMA-inspired CORE DE FORCE.

Want a little of both? Try 80 Day Obsession with Autumn Calabrese or Chris Downing’s  SHIFT SHOP, which include both cardio and strength workouts.

For more details, here’s a full breakdown of  the most popular Beachbody programs.