Dear girls,
It’s workout time tonight!
Let’s see what we can do and what exercises are considered to be
the best for us.
Here you are TOP 7 exercises to strengthen your body.
Obviously, any exercise program depends on the underlying health
status of the participant. Be certain that your health is appropriate for
exercise prior to attempting a new program.
1. Interval training: This refers to doing
almost any type of exercise at a variable pace. For example, if you are walking or doing push-ups, vary the pace of the
exercise. You can walk normally for a minute or so, and then speed up a bit,
and then return to normal speed several times. For exercises like push-ups, do
a few slowly and do others more quickly and, like walking, repeat these faster
and slower intervals several times. Interval training helps the body to adjust
its aerobic system (heart rate, breathing, and metabolism) to burn more
calories to lose weight and strengthen muscles. While some purists may say
interval training is not an exercise, others say yes it is because it is a mind
over matter exercise that makes you aware that the body can adapt to increased
physical demands that will be required to reach your goals.
2. Walking: A walk is one of the best exercises to begin with in any
exercise program. Men and women can do this together as a calorie-burning
cardiovascular exercise. One hour of interval walking can burn about 500 or
more calories; it takes about 3500 calories to lose a pound so you could lose a
pound for every week you walk for an hour. A word of caution: Beginners should
start walking about 5 to 10 minutes at a time and slowly increase their times
by about 5-minute intervals to allow the cardiovascular system and muscles time
to adapt to the new demands.
3. Squats: This exercise is an excellent calorie burner because
squats use the largest muscle groups in the body (quadriceps and hamstrings or
the thigh muscles and the gluteals or buttocks). Squats are exercises that
consist of an up and down motion of the body that resembles the motion of
getting out of a chair. In fact, some trainers suggest that a person new to
trying to do squats can practice by getting up and down from a chair. The
proper way to begin is to keep your back straight, feet spread apart about
shoulder length with both arms extended, knees over the ankles and then go
downward with your butt just touching the chair; then return to your original
standing position. Eventually, stop using the chair and you'll be doing
effective squats. Some people with knee discomfort may be concerned about doing
squats; they should check with their doctor or orthopedist but some knee
problems result from quadriceps problems and squats may help resolve them.
Also, avoid bending your knees to 90 degrees or less.
4. Lunges: Lunges work the same large muscle groups as the squats,
but can work additional leg muscles and improve balance. Lunges are done by
taking a big enough step forward that the knee forms about a 90-degree angle.
However, you must to keep your spine in a neutral position (upright position,
no bending forward). Your trailing leg, at the same time, should have its knee
come close to the floor and have the toes accept significant body weight. Then,
return to a standing position and repeat with the other leg. After you master
the lunge, you can vary the exercise by placing the advanced leg to the right
or left to mimic more variable movement, such as the angles you might encounter
during a nature hike.
5. Push-ups: The basic push-up is the classic exercise to strengthen
the upper body (chest, shoulders, and triceps) and core (abdominal muscles).
Beginners can first do push-ups by spreading their fully extended arms slightly
more than shoulder width apart with their hands against an unmovable object
like the edge of a kitchen countertop. Then bend your elbows until your chest
almost touches the edge of the counter op, allowing only your toes to bend and
keeping your back and legs in a straight line. Then push your body away from
the countertop until your arms are again fully extended. As you progress, you
should use lower stationary objects (for example, a stationary bench) and
eventually do the push-up with your hands on the floor.
6. Abdominal crunches: The standard abdominal crunch is an
excellent way to strengthen and define those abdominal muscles (commonly termed
a “six pack” but not so commonly seen in many men and women!). There are two
ways to start; either with you lying on the floor or on a non-slip rug with
your hands placed lightly behind your head (never pull your head up with your
hands or arms) and with your knees bent so your feet are flat on the floor.
Other experts suggest doing the same with your knees bent and your feet not
touching the floor. When you keep your feet off of the floor, it helps you avoid
arching your back, a problem that can actually weaken the abdominal muscles.
The “crunch” is done by not arching the back. The lower back is pushed downward
and then contracting the abdominal muscles and tucking in your chin slightly,
lift your neck, shoulders, and back off of the floor. Some experts suggest you
hold the raised position for a second or so before returning slowly to the
starting position. A variation to strengthen and define the oblique abdominal
muscles uses the same technique except you must twist your abdomen to the right
or left before lifting the head, shoulders, and back. Although many people
think the way to lose belly fat is to do crunches, it is not. Belly fat that
covers up those “six packs” is reduced by burning more calories than you take
in, so, paradoxically, if you want that “six pack” to show, the fluid six packs
(beer) must go, along with other caloric foods.
7. Bent-over row: This exercise can give the last groups
of muscles (back and biceps) a good workout. Beginners can start by sitting on
a bench, but the exercise is usually done while standing. You should stand with
your feet shoulder-length apart, with knees bent, and hips flexed forward at
hip level. Tilt the pelvis forward slightly, contract the abdominal muscles, and
extend (straighten) the upper back. Hold your hands straight down beneath your
shoulders and make a fist. Then flex your elbows so that your forearms and
hands come all the way up and in toward your body. Pause for about a second or
two, and return your flexed arms to their previously extended position. People
soon add small weights instead of just making a fist. However, you don't have
to buy anything, just find two similar shaped items that weigh the same (for
example, two books or two bottles of a sports drink) and there you have the
weights you need!
We wish you good luck during workouts!
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