The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (55 page)
Authors: Selene Yeager,Editors of Women's Health
Tags: #Exercise & Fitness, #Weight Training, #Men's Health, #Quick Workouts, #Mind & Body, #Health
INSIDER TRAINING
Pregnancy and childbirth can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, which can lead to leakage. Get back in shape on the inside with Kegels. Instructions for these pelvic pullups are found in
Chapter 12
.
AGE ERASER WORKOUT
If you want to stop the march of time, strengthen your fast-twitch muscles (the ones that give you speed) and your bones (bone density decreases up to 2 percent a year after age 30). The best workouts to combat aging make use of plyometrics—high energy jumping, hopping, and other explosive exercises such as those shown here.
START HERE:
Do all of the moves without resting in between, and then take a 60-second break. Repeat for a total of three circuits.
Skaters
A
• Cross your right leg behind your left leg as you bend your left knee into a half-squat position. Extend your left arm out to the side, and swing your right arm across your hips.
B
• Hop a few feet directly to the right, switching the position of your legs and arms. That’s 1 rep.
• Continue hopping from side to side without pausing or resetting your feet.
REPS:
Do 10.
Seal Jumping Jacks
A
• Start with your feet about hip-width apart, arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
B
• Clap your hands in front of your chest and jump just high enough to spread your feet wide.
• Without pausing, quickly return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 20 as quickly as you can with control.
FOOT LOOSE
Flexibility prevents workout injuries, and it often feels really good. Gain greater range of motion with this pre-workout foot massage: Step on a tennis ball or lacrosse ball and roll it around each foot for 45 to 60 seconds. Doing so loosens up the tissue in and around your muscles. And, like a domino effect, it helps trigger the same response up your back side, as well as your calves, hamstrings, and glutes.
Clock Walk with Hands
A
• Assume a plank position as if you were ready to do a pushup. Your hands should be direcly under your shoulders.
B
• Walk your right hand out wide to the side, then follow with your left hand to return to a shoulder-width stance.
• Continue this pattern to complete one full clockwise rotation leading with your right arm.
• Then do one full counterclockwise rotation leading with your left arm. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 1.
Low-Step Lateral Shuffle
A
• Stand with your left foot on a low box (or step) and your right foot on the floor about 2 feet to the right of the box. Bend your knees slightly, keep your chest up, and bend your arms 90 degrees.
B
• Push off your left foot and jump to your left, landing with your right foot on the box and your left foot on the floor, knees bent.
• Push off your right foot to jump back to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 10.
Chapter 14:
15-Minute Sports Training Workouts
IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE IN YOUR FAVORITE SPORT (AND AVOID SEASON-KILLING INJURIES) WITH EXERCISES THAT MIMIC HOW YOU MOVE ON YOUR PLAYING FIELD.
Superfast Sports Training Workouts
Any of the workouts in this book will give you strength, speed, and stamina on the ski slopes, tennis courts, single-track mountain bike trails, or wherever your favorite pastimes take you. But to help you reach the very top of your game, we’ve designed routines that specifically target the muscles you use for different sports—and re-create the way you need to use them. For the best results, start these workouts at least a month or two before you dive into your sport.
Build your athleticism...
Great athletes—especially those who play tennis, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball—are defined by their ability to change speed and direction quickly. No matter what your sport, you can benefit from adding an old-school agility drill to the end of any workout. Try the T-Drill.
Set it up:
Form a large T with four cones. Place three in a line 8 feet apart (the top of the T) and a fourth 16 feet away from the middle cone (the bottom of the T.
How to do it:
Sprint from that bottom T cone to the middle cone. Then immediately shuffle left to the side cone. (Shuffle your feet with short, quick strides, and don’t cross them.) Then shuffle right, passing the middle cone to the right cone. Bend down and touch each cone as you pass. Shuffle-step as quickly as possible to the middle cone, and then run backward to the starting cone. Repeat twice more, rest, then repeat the circuit in the other direction.
FIND IT QUICK:
YOUR SUPERFAST SPORTS TRAINING CIRCUITS
CURB CRAMPS
Explosive training exercises for sports can easily trigger charley horses. The remedy? Pickle juice eases muscle spasms, according to a study
in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
. But who carries a jar of gherkins to the playing field? Here are some other ways to keep spasms from cramping your style:
Drink Up:
Dehydration messes with your electrolyte balance, causing cramps. Down 20 ounces of water 3 hours before working out .
Stretch:
When you feel a charley horse coming on, stop and gently stretch the sore spot for 20 seconds until the pain goes away. Stretching counters the tightening of the muscle.
Add tension:
Flexing a cramping muscle may make it release.