The only
Four Exercises You'll Ever Need To Shape Up!
Four absolute tried and tested exercises for all over body toning and fat burning.
With these four body toning moves, you will do four 'rounds' of each in a row with as little rest as possible. For the first and third rounds do 20 repetitions of each exercise and for the second and fourth round of each exercise do 14 repetitions of each exercise. 20, 14, 20, 14... easy to remember!
The advantage of this rep range and with little or no rest (only rest if you absolutely have to!) you will get the benefit of increasing your heart rate which means burning calories and keeping you fit, plus you'll challenge your muscles, toning them beautifully.
It takes next to no time at all to do four rounds this way meaning it fits easily into your day. Ready? Okay, lets get stuck in.
PRESS UP
We all know press ups are hard. That is simply because they work!
But we have the advantage of progressing as we get fitter and
stronger and with progression comes more and more tone for the upper
body. Start with your hands on the floor directly underneath your
shoulders and straighten out the body to engage the abdominals. Do
not let the lower back collapse. Lower your chest towards the floor
as low as you possibly can then completely straighten the arms back
up again squeezing your triceps (outer arms). Once this becomes easy,
try doing a press up from the balls of your feet with your knees off
the floor. It's amazing how quickly you will progress!
SQUAT
Keeping your body upright, eye line ahead, feet shoulder-width
apart (or wider with feet turned out slightly if you have weak knees)
engage your abdominals, place the weight into your heels and bend
your knees. Lower down so that your buttocks are parallel with the
floor. Do not let the heels come up. Push back up through the heels
again to the starting position. When you get stronger and want to
tone up even more, hold a dumbbell in each hand. The perfect exercise
for the lower body, core and buttocks.
PULL UP
If you have access to a gym you can do this on a suspension
trainer such as the TRX. If not you could use a metal gym bar in a
local park or even a strong tree branch. Just make sure it is a
strong one! The lower your body is to the ground the harder it is so
progress slowly. Start with arms straight, pull up and lift your
body, squeeze your shoulder blades together keeping your whole body
tight and then lower again to the starting position. Fabulous for a
gorgeous back and arms.
PLANK
One of the world's most simple and best exercises for abs and for
the whole body! With elbows bent and forearms on the floor, keep your
feet together, tilt heels forward, pull abdominals in tight, knees
off the floor and hold for as long as you can. Do not let the lower
back collapse. Even 20-30 seconds is a good start and work up to
holding for 1-2 minutes.There you have it. Four very effective exercises to get your New Year fitness resolutions back on track and four that work around you and your working and family life. Do this routine 2-3 times a week, eat clean and drink 3 litres of water a day and you'll soon notice that beautiful body from emerging!
The 15-minute Ab Workout
A few of my favourite exercises to keep your tummy looking tight
You will need a watch, a medicine ball and if you really fancy going the extra mile, invest in an ab roller. Most sports stores sell them and they are super cheap and really effective!
Set aside 15 minutes a day and get stuck into this effective tummy routine for great results.
Body Plank:
With your feet together, elbows bent and leaning on your forearms,
hold yourself in a strong plank position for up to one minute. Be
sure to pull in your lower abdominals, squeeze as many muscles as you
can including inner thighs, straighten the front of your legs, and
keep your entire body strong. Ensure your low back does not collapse
and pull in your abdominals as tightly as you can into your lower
spine. To make it harder, bring your heels forward so you are on the
tips of your toes. This way it works the arms and shoulders as well
as the deep layers of your stomach muscles.
Medicine
ball straddle crunch:
Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor
wider than shoulder width apart, hold the medicine ball in your hands
on the floor above your head. Lift up your upper body putting the
focus on your abdominals, squeeze and 'crunch' them as you lift up
the medicine ball in a forwards direction ending with it between your
thighs keeping knees apart. Slowly roll back down keeping the
abdominals under tension back to the starting position. Do this for
15 repetitions.
Side Body Plank:
Straighten out your entire body whilst lying on one side and stack
one foot on top of the other. Bend your elbow so it is close to your
rib cage and lift the hips off the floor squeezing the side of your
waist and hold this position for up to one minute. Be sure to keep
your neck in line with your spine. Repeat on the other side.
Ab Roll Outs: With your ab roller place your knees on the floor and bring your hips forward to 'engage' your abdominals before you start. Place the ab roller on the floor in front of you and hold with both hands. Keeping a neutral spine and tummy tight roll the ab roller out in front extending your body until you feel your abs tighten completely then using your abdominals, 'pull' backwards to the starting position. Be sure to keep your arms straight throughout the movement and do this on a flat soft mat or smooth carpet for ease of movement. Repeat for 15 repetitions.
Repeat the entire routine above 2 or even 3 more times.
A fantastic tummy routine you can do in 15 minutes or less to keep your waistline looking great.
The Number 1 Flat Belly Tip For Women
