How to Load Up Your Car for the Ultimate Outdoor Group Workout

As luck would have it, the team at Mini were looking for someone to road test their new Countryman, the brand’s largest vehicle yet. And what better way to test it? It really is big, too – roomier than previous models in almost every dimension, including an extra 8cm of height, which proved especially helpful when stacking up sandbags (you’ll find our full kit list below). You can also create extra cargo space by sliding the rear bench forwards, if your backseat passengers don’t mind sacrificing a little legroom.

On the drive over, AT mentioned that he’d attempted a similar enterprise in a regular-shaped Mini a few years ago; turns out they’re not really built to support a quarter tonne of cast iron, and he bottomed-out the car hitting a bump on Shoreditch High Street. In the Countryman, however, you’d barely know there was anything in it, let alone a roof-high pile of gym paraphernalia.

More so than the thought of being forced to heft a 40kg sandbag over my shoulder while my colleagues watched on critically, my primary anxieties were around getting in and out of central London. City traffic isn’t fun, but I was impressed with the Countryman’s built-in navigation system, which delivers quick route calculations based on real-time data. It has a nice-looking display too, with eight customisable ‘modes’ to pick from, plus a ‘Hey Mini’ voice-activated personal assistant. I’ve rarely felt more confident on the road, particularly in the capital. Now I just needed to carry that energy into my workouts…

For our location, we settled on an outdoor calisthenics space in Primrose Hill, right off the back of London Zoo. You’ll have to keep this one to yourself, because it was delightfully quiet on a weekday afternoon – save for a brief appearance from couple of chatty scarlet macaws, which looked like they might have made a break from the Zoo’s adjoining aviary.

To complement our improbably extensive kit list, the outdoor space has 17 training stations, including pull-up and dip bars, parallettes, metal rings, monkey bars and a small circular running track. Technically, you could probably stage a fairly comprehensive team fitness event here without all the gear. But where’s the challenge in that, eh?

Game On

With the Countryman stationed near the park entrance and five burly MH team members on hand to assist with unloading, set-up was swift: bags and ’bells in the middle, climbing rope looped over a high bar, workouts scribbled on the whiteboard.

After a thorough briefing and a few form demos from AT, we split up into teams of two to complete the four partner workouts you can see right. Warning: they’re not exactly a walk in the park – and ironically those loaded sandbag sprints around the park were one of the more challenging elements. At the end of each block, we noted our completed rounds and reps on the board, with a trophy* for the pair with the highest score. (*Well, a tube of Pringles…)

You might not have access to supersized Mini or a mega-haul of gym equipment yourself. But if you’re keen to plan a similar excursion with your training buddies – or hardier workmates – you really can do a lot with a little. There’s also nothing better for bonding that a bit of shared suffering. But at least the journey home was comfortable.

From £29,350, mini.co.uk

What We Packed

‘Mini’ this car ain’t. The Countryman has a 460L boot space, or 1,450L with the rear seats flattened. Here’s exactly what we packed into it

• 4 dumbbells: 10kg, 15kg, 17.5kg, 22.5kg
• 3 individual sandbags: 20kg, 40kg, 70kg
• 2 heavy sacks, tied together (50kg total)
• 1 32kg kettlebell
• 1 set of gymnastics rings
• 1 45kg mooring buoy
• 1 climbing rope
• 1 large whiteboard
• 3 large rucksacks and a picnic hamper
• 3 Men’s Health teammates

How We Trained

Fitness Director Andrew Tracey programmed four six-minute ‘mini’ workouts. Each block is designed to be completed in pairs. Make a note of your scores, if you want to get a little competitive

Block 1: Sandbags

Grab a sandbag at a weight that will challenge you while still leaving you with something in the tank. Work in pairs, one at a time, splitting the reps up as you wish. Do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) within the time cap

• 10 burpee over bag
• 20 sandbag over shoulder
• 30 sandbag squat
• 20m sandbag carry relay

Block 2: Dumbbells

Pick up a single dumbbell each. Both partners work at the same time, completing reps in an ascending ladder format. Start with 5 reps of each move, then 10, 15, 20, 25…

• Devil’s press
• Snatch
• Push press
• Reverse lunge

Block 3: Climb and Carry

One partner climbs the rope while the other completes the carry. Switch stations after each 30m slog

• Max reps rope climb
• 30m carry (buoy, sandbag) or kettlebell duck walk

Block 4: Weighted Sacks

In this workout, both partners work together. Pick up one side each of the joined sacks and synchronise your movements

• 5 thrusters
• 10 overhead presses
• 15 walking lunges
• 100m run between each round

Scarlett Wrench is the Senior Editor at Men’s Health UK.

With more than 12 years’ experience as a health and lifestyle editor, Scarlett has a keen interest in new science, emerging trends, mental well-being, and food and nutrition. For Men’s Health, she has carried out extensive research into areas such as wellness in the workplace, male body image, the paradoxes of modern masculinity, and mental health among school-age boys.

Her words have also appeared in Women’s Health, Runner’s World and The Sunday Times.