Sometimes at the gym, people tend to concentrate on working only certain parts of their body. These training tips from fitness experts target your whole body and can help people get fit.
Legs
Deep squat – Start with your feet a shoulder width apart, put your hands on your shoulder to keep your back straight and keep your head up. Lower your bum ALL the way to the floor under control and then stand up. By going all the way down you will activate all the muscles in your legs and get that amazing all over look.
Lunges – Step forward, landing the heel first, and lower until the knee is at 90 degrees and directly above your toes. The back knee should continue until it nearly touches the ground. Drive up with the front leg to the starting position. This is great for tightening up the legs.
Arms
Diamond push-ups – Place your palms on the ground and touch thumbs and forefingers together to create a diamond. Perform the press-ups by slowly lowering the chest to your hands and push back up. Put your knees on the ground if you struggle to do 10 to 12 reps. This will get your triceps working hard and tighten them up in no time.
Bench dip – You’ll need a chair or a bench about knee height. Place hands on the bench directly under the shoulders. Legs are straight out away from the bench so they are behind you, lower your body slowly until your bum nearly touches the ground and push back up. Work hard through the burn and you’ll see the success at the other side.
Bum
To really achieve a shapely bum, you need to strip excess fat away:
The Tabata method – As an alternative to counting reps you can follow a timed method, which is one of the most effective methods for fat loss. You work at high intensity for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds rest. Repeat for 4 minutes (8 cycles). This is a great way to burn calories and it really works.
There’s no substitute for hard work and to get the amazing results of high intensity training, you need to work hard. The good news is these workouts are much shorter; a 20 to 30 minute high intensity workout will burn the same amount of calories as a 1-hour cardio session. With an increased metabolism for up to 36 hours, overall you will burn much more calories.
Abs
Spend 5 to 10 minutes, three times per week, working on your core muscles and feel the benefits.
Exercise 1 – The plank
Adopt a pose similar to a press up but keep your forearms on the ground and shoulder width apart beneath your chest. Keep your body straight and your feet together and balance on your toes. Pull the belly button up to your spine to feel the full effect. Just hold still in this position. Aim to hold for 20 to 60 seconds and lower slowly. Repeat three to five times.
Exercise 2 – Plank superman
From the normal plank, lift your left foot off the ground slowly. Then slowly extend your right arm in front of you. You should now be balancing on your left forearm and right foot. Again hold and squeeze in the abdominal area. Aim to hold for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat two to three times on each side.
Exercise 3 – Half sit
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent at 90 degree. Then squeeze your abs and slowly raise your shoulders and body keeping your back straight. Come about half way up so you maintain tension in the abs and then slowly lower but don’t let your shoulders touch the ground. Aim to complete 10 to 20 repetitions and repeat three to five sets.
Exercise 4 – V-sits
Lie flat on the ground and raise your feet off the ground about six inches. Slowly raise your legs and sit up with your torso, bringing your hands to touch your toes. You then slowly lower to the start position, keeping your back and legs straight. Aim to complete 5 to 15 repetitions and repeat two to three sets.
Bust
The T-Plank – Using five to 10-pound weights as handles, hold your body up in a pushup position, with your legs wider than hip width for more stability. Lift your right arm, holding the weight up, and open your body all the way to the right making a ‘T’ shape with your body. Return to your starting position and do the same on left side. That’s one rep. Do 10 to 20 reps.
The Chest Fly – Lay down on floor, keeping your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Start to raise your arms up with a slight bend in your elbows. Inhale and open your arms wide like you were going to give someone a big hug, stopping with your arms above your chest. Exhale and bring your arms back to a starting position. Repeat 10 to 25 times.
The Elbow Squeeze – Raise the weights up to eye level, pressing them together. Open your elbows wide, then squeeze your elbows back together without letting the weights drop down past eye level. Repeat 20 to 40 times.
Exercise and health vary from person to person. Always train under the supervision of experts. See your physician before beginning on a new exercise regime. This is especially important if your family has a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, or other health conditions. If you have any doubts whatsoever, consult your physician.