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Posts Tagged ‘body exercise programs’

Reach a plateau in your weight loss efforts? It is time to turbo-charge your workouts. Tom Holland, M.S., an exercise physiologist in Darien, Connecticut suggests overloading your muscles to keep them guessing. During this change, work every muscle three or four days in a row. Perform each set with little rest in between.

Try this fast paced circuit. Complete 8 to 12 reps of each exercise while going from one exercise to the next with little or no rest. Repeat the entire circuit three times, resting for two minutes at the end of each circuit. Choose a dumbbell that will fatigue your muscle by the 10th or 12th rep.

Pushups – Get on your hands and knees (or toes). Tighten abs, hands flat on the ground shoulder-width apart. With fingers facing forward or slightly turned in, slowly lower body toward the ground, elbows flared out just a little. Push up until arms are fully stretched. During the entire exercise, keep your head aligned with your spine. Do not allow your lower back to sag and do not bend from the waist.

Forward Lunges — Stand with feet together, hands to your sides. Step forward with left leg into a lunge. Concentrate on sinking hips toward the ground rather than pushing hips forward. Keep your back straight and lower your body until the left thigh is parallel to the ground. Firmly push off with your right leg and return to start position. Switch to the right leg and repeat. 8-12 repetitions per leg.

Chest Press on stability ball — Sit on a stability ball. Grab a pair of dumbbells and walk feet forward until your head and shoulders lie on the ball. Keep your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes and abs tightly throughout the exercise to stabilize your body. With your palms facing forward, bring the dumbbells around chest level. Drive weights up over chest, and lower back to start position.

Squats with Dumbbells – Stand shoulder-width apart, holding a heavy dumbbell on each side with arms hanging straight down. Bend knees until thighs are just past parallel to the floor. Back should be at roughly 45 degrees, eyes looking straight ahead. Extend your legs, straightening back up to return to standing.

Upright rows — Position left knee and left hand on a workout bench or a large chair so that back is parallel to the floor. Keep head aligned with your spine. With right hand, lift the dumbbell straight up to torso level, keeping the elbow in and pointing it slightly towards the ceiling. Feel the back muscle contract. Hold for 1 second and slowly lower the weight to a dead hanging position. Repeat, then switch to the other arm after 8-12 reps.

Crunches on Ball — Sit on a Swiss ball and slowly lean back and roll on the ball until the curve of your back lies on the ball. Place hands behind your ears. Tighten abs as you exhale and slowly raise head and shoulders toward the ceiling. Lower shoulders and repeat. Do 15-20 reps.

Lunges, shoulder press and dumbbell curls – With palms facing forward step forward with one leg into a lunge. Follow the instructions above on correct lunge technique. As you drop down, curl the dumbbells to your chest while elbows are glued to your sides. Turn wrists so that palms face forward then push the dumbbells overhead as you return to the starting position. Bring feet together and lower your arms. Repeat, stepping with the other foot forward. 8-12 repetitions per leg.

Combine any of the following to pep up your circuit:

1) Immediately after an exercise, add plyometric drills that works the same muscle group. For example, after a set of squats, perform 10 squat jumps (start in the squat position, then jump up and stretch out arms overhead, land gently with your knees bent and arms dangling behind you).

2) Add 30 seconds of intense cardio, such as jumping rope or high knee lifts between sets of the weighted exercises above. This burns a higher percentage of calories from fat. Go for at least a minute if you do less intense cardio, such as jogging in place.

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