The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (27 page)
Authors: Selene Yeager,Editors of Women's Health
Tags: #Exercise & Fitness, #Weight Training, #Men's Health, #Quick Workouts, #Mind & Body, #Health
REPS:
Do 10 to 12.
Scoop Hold
A
• Grab a 5-pound dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in. Sit with your knees bent, feet together flat on the floor, and arms extended outside your knees.
B
• Raise your feet 6 to 12 inches and, keeping your arms straight, lift the weights over your head, pressing them together at the top.
REPS:
Hold this position for as long as you can.
TIP:
For a greater challenge, raise your arms only to shoulder height.
Triceps Dip and Reach
A
• Sit on the floor with your knees slightly bent and your back as close as you can get it to a 12-inch-high step. Grab the edge of the step with your hands slightly more than hip-width apart.
• Push your heels into the floor as you straighten your arms. Perform a dip.
B
• Straighten your arms, then reach your left arm straight out in front of your body at shoulder height while lifting your right leg.
• Hold for a few seconds, then repeat, lifting the opposite arm and leg. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 12 to 15.
Chapter 7:
15-Minute Core Workouts
INJURY-PROOF YOUR BACK, AND TIGHTEN AND TONE YOUR MIDDLE.
Superfast Core Workouts
First, let’s make one thing abundantly clear: Your core is more than your abs. Somewhere along the way, well-intentioned exercisers (and, indeed, even fitness instructors) started using the two terms, “core” and “abs,” synonymously. The abdominals are essential players in your core muscle group, but they have an equally important supporting cast—namely all the muscles that run from your hips to your shoulders, including the muscles of your back and your obliques, which run down the sides of your torso. Mark Verstegen, the trainer and author of the book
Core Performance
who brought the concept of core training to the mainstream, likens strengthening this whole system of muscles to giving yourself a full-body makeover. You’ll feel younger, stronger, and even smarter in the long run.
Abs with Benefits
HERE’S WHAT THESE WORKOUTS PROMISE:
Straighter, stronger posture
Your core muscles are the scaffolding that hold you upright. The stronger and more balanced they are, the straighter (and taller and thinner) you’ll look.
Bullet-Proof Back (and more)
Studies show that much common back pain can be alleviated by strengthening the supporting muscles that run up and down your spine, as well as the deep abdominal muscles that create a corset for your midsection.
Lightning Fast Reactions
“Stabilizing your core hones your fine motor skills, so you can react quickly and stay balanced on unstable surfaces,” says Verstegen.
Improved Mental Function
Your spine is the messenger between your brain and your body. “Having a stable and aligned spine allows your brain to receive your body’s messages more efficiently,” Verstegen says.
A Flatter Belly
Training your core will indeed give you a flatter belly as you strengthen the soft and sagging muscles around your midsection.
Start with the basics...
The following workouts are designed to strengthen your entire core with a variety of moves that challenge your balance, stability, and rotational strength. For the best results, do one (or more) of these core workouts 2 days a week. You can do more, just be sure to leave a day of rest between workouts so your muscles can recover. Do the prescribed number of sets and reps for each exercise.
Each workout also lets you hone in on a special problem area, whether it be a lower-belly pooch or upper-back bra bulge. Pick the superfast workouts that hit your problem areas and you’ll start seeing results in as little as 4 weeks!
FIND IT QUICK:
YOUR 15-MINUTE CORE CIRCUIT PLAN
Flat Belly Without a Single Crunch Workout
Stability Ball Pelvic Tilt Crunch
Arm Pullover Straight-Leg Crunch
The Perfect Crunch Circle Crunch
ANATOMY LESSON
YOUR CORE, the girdle of muscles that stabilize the spine, is made up of more than two dozen muscles. Get to know the key players:
Rectus abdominis:
The six-pack muscles in front of your belly that are activated when you do crunches
Transverse abdominis:
Deep muscles under the six-pack that pull your abdominal wall inward
Obliques:
The abs muscles on the sides of your torso that help you bend to the side and resist rotation
Hip flexors:
The muscles that allow you to flex your hips and raise your upper legs to walk and run
Lower back:
The many muscles here play a critcal role in core mechanics by keeping your spine stable when you bend backward
FLAT BELLY WITHOUT A SINGLE CRUNCH WORKOUT
I remember when crunches became “the” ab-toning exercise du jour. Everyone was doing dozens of crunches a day; there were even special crunch devices to save the strain on your neck. Though the crunch is an effective move, there’s more than one way to firm a midsection. Like this crunchless workout of dynamic exercises that will streamline your silhouette fast.
START HERE:
Do these moves one after another with no rest in between. Rest for 60 seconds at the end. Then repeat the circuit once more.
Reverse Wood Chop
A
• Squat, holding a medicine ball next to your left hip with both hands.
B
• Keep your arms straight and raise the ball up and across your body until you’re standing and the ball is above your right shoulder.
• Lower back to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 10, then start with the ball next to your right hip and raise it to your left shoulder 10 times.