The Fat Burn Revolution (14 page)
Read The Fat Burn Revolution Online
Authors: Julia Buckley
WE’RE ALMOST READY TO GO, BUT BEFORE YOU DIVE IN, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THESE SAFETY POINTS:
•
Always read through all the materials for each phase of the programme before trying the workouts for the first time.
•
If in doubt, don’t. If you have any injuries or illnesses which could be exacerbated by performing any of the exercises, or if you’re pregnant or
on medication, seek advice from a medical professional before starting.
•
Any time you’re unsure about any aspect of the workouts refer back to the book and if you still don’t find the answer you can contact me via my
website,
juliabuckley.co.uk
.
•
Don’t miss out the tips section at the bottom of each exercise description, these contain important safety notes as well as advice for getting maximum
benefits from the moves.
•
Exercise in a safe space. This programme is designed to be followed at home, but you must ensure the area where you train is free of objects that you could
trip on or bang into and that the floor is not slippery.
•
Keep your equipment clean and well maintained and check it over before every session. Collars on dumbbells can become loose quite quickly, so always re-tighten
them before starting a workout.
•
Many of the exercises will be physically challenging, but they should never be painful. If you feel pain, stop immediately and seek advice from a medical
professional.
•
The same goes if you feel ill or faint during your workout. Stop right away and see your doctor.
•
Keep a glass of water handy and take regular sips to ensure you stay hydrated during the workouts.
•
Form is king. When you reach a point in any exercise where you can’t continue with good posture and technique then it’s time to stop.
repetitions or reps:
The number of times you do each individual exercise is counted in repetitions, or reps for short. One
repetition is complete when you have performed all stages of the movement and are ready to repeat it or finish your set.
sets:
The duration or total number of repetitions in any single exercise is called a set. Most of the exercises in the Fat Burn
Revolution are organised into one to three sets, each comprised of 10 repetitions.
core muscles:
Many of the exercises focus on the muscles in the midsection of the body. I use the term ‘core’ when
describing these. The core comprises the muscles in and around the belly (transversus abdominis, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis) the lower back (multifidus, erector spinae and
latissimus dorsi) and often the pelvic floor muscles. Many of these exercises will also activate the gluteal muscles in the bum and trapezius in the upper back.
tightening the core:
Keeping your core muscles ‘tight’ is important in many of the exercises. What I mean by this is
that you should contract the muscles of the core without releasing while doing the exercise. Performing the plank exercise will give you an introduction to how this should feel if it is new to
you.
You should always
take a few minutes to warm up to get the body ready for exercise. This will help you to perform at your best,
reduce the risk of injury and get you in the right frame of mind for the session. For the first part of the warm up I recommend 5–10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (or longer if you feel
you need it). I leave this open for people to choose whatever activity they like. So, for example you could do jogging in place, fast-marching up and down stairs, aerobics-style moves, or working
at a moderate pace on an exercise bike, treadmill, rower or other cardio machine. Anything that gets your heart pumping and speeds up your breathing is good, but try to avoid exercises that involve
jumping until your joints have had time to warm up and become lubricated.
Once that’s done you should perform the dynamic (moving) stretches described in the next section. For the workouts that focus on the upper body you only need to do the upper body dynamic
stretches and for the lower-body workouts you only need to do the lower-body dynamic stretches. For the full body sessions (Total Body Blast, Metabolic Blaster and Plyo Blaze) you should do all of
them.
The same applies to the post-workout static stretches. The time to perform static (still) stretches is after exercise while your body is cooling down. These will help keep your muscles in good
condition and may reduce post-exercise soreness. Pay particular attention to any muscles that feel tight or where you felt a burning sensation in during the workout.
arm circles
target area
chest, upper back, shoulders