The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (8 page)
Authors: Selene Yeager,Editors of Women's Health
Tags: #Exercise & Fitness, #Weight Training, #Men's Health, #Quick Workouts, #Mind & Body, #Health
Hamstring Curl and Triceps Kickback
HOW TO DO A CIRCUIT
Circuits are fast and efficient workouts that combine the heart rate–elevating benefit of aerobics and the muscle building of resistance training. In a circuit, you do one set of each exercise, resting only briefly—10 to 30 seconds if at all—between exercises before moving to the next. Only after completing the list of exercises do you go back and repeat them. Rest for 1 to 3 minutes between circuits.
BASIC SUPERFAST TOTAL-BODY WORKOUT
Four moves. That’s all it takes to fire up your fat burning and build lean, metabolism-charging muscle. As mentioned in
Chapter 1
, you can lose 4 pounds of fat and add 2 pounds of muscle in just 8 weeks by doing a basic routine that hits all your major muscle groups. If you’re new to resistance training, master these before moving on.
START HERE:
Do these moves one after another with no rest in between. Then repeat the circuit for a total of three times, with 1 minute of rest between circuits.
Squat
WORKS:
your entire lower body.
A
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides. Keep your weight on your heels, not on your toes.
B
• Squat down like you’re sitting in a chair until your thighs are nearly parallel to floor (don’t let knees jut past your toes). Stick out your chest and keep your head up. Looking down increases the strain on your lower back.
• Slowly return to the starting positon.
REPS:
Do 12 to 15.
Chest Press
WORKS:
the pectoralis major, the largest muscle in the chest.
A
• Lie back on an exercise bench while holding dumbbells at arm’s length over your chest.
• Your palms should be facing out, but turned slightly inward.
B
• Lower your arms until the weights are even with your chest. Keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Press your arms back to the starting position.
REPS:
Do 12 to 15.
KNOW SQUAT
A typical beginner squat mistake is bending forward, which puts too much stress on your joints and sends your weight onto your toes. To fix it: As you squat, imagine that you’re sitting down into a chair. Push your hips back first instead of beginning by bending your knees, says Dan John, a strength coach in Burlingame, California. Be sure to sit back into your heels. To make that easier, pretend that you’re standing on a paper towel, says Charlie Weingroff, lead physical therapist for the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. “Then imagine trying to rip the towel apart by pressing your feet onto the floor and outward.” This activates your glutes, which also helps you move on to heavier weights.
BONUS TIP:
You can do squats without dumbbells. Follow the same form using only your bodyweight.
Bent-Over Row
WORKS:
your upper back, rear deltoids, and rotator cuffs.
A
• Stand, grasping dumbbells at your sides.
• Bend forward from your hips until your back is nearly parallel to the floor, with your arms hanging down, palms facing backward. Your lower back should be naturally arched.
B
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the dumbbells to your chest. Keep your torso still as you raise the weights.
• Then lower the weights back to the starting position.
REPS:
Do 12 to 15.
Bicycle
WORKS:
your rectus abdominis and obliques.
A
• Lie on your back, knees bent to 90 degrees and legs lifted so your calves are parallel to the floor.
• Brace your core.
B
• With your hands behind your head, lift your right shoulder off the floor and curl toward your left knee as you extend your right leg.
• Then curl toward your right knee as you bend it and extend your left leg.
REPS:
Alternate for 12 to 15 per side.
TIP:
Don't stress your neck by pulling up on your head. Make your abs do the work.
RESET YOUR CLOCK
Want to work out in the morning, but can’t seem to rouse yourself? Try this trick to flip your circadian switch: For 4 weeks force yourself to get up 15 minutes earlier than normal and do any type of physical activity (walking, for instance). “Make it so easy that you don’t even have to change into your workout clothes,” says John Raglin, PhD, an exercise researcher and professor at Indiana University Bloomington. As you near the end of the 4 weeks, you’ll have a new habit and will then be able to progress to greater amounts of exercise.
HIGH SCHOOL REUNION WORKOUT 1
Need to drop down a pants size or two in a month? These routines work their magic by challenging multiple body parts as well as balance and core stability with each move, so every major and minor muscle has to fire up to keep you moving with good form. The challenging, multimuscle moves also raise your heart rate so you burn more calories, and hone your balance to prevent injury.
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.
Test-the-Water Squat and Biceps Curl
WORKS:
your biceps and entire lower body.
A
• This is a time-efficient combination lift. Grab a pair of 8- to 10-pound dumbbells and stand on a 1- to 2-foot-high step or bench with your feet together and your arms at your sides with your palms facing forward.
• Lift your left foot off the bench .
B
• Squat down a few inches, curling the dumbbells up to your shoulders as you squat. That’s 1 rep.
• Next, lift your right foot off the bench, curling the dumbbells as you squat.
REPS:
Do 12 to 15, then repeat the exercise, this time squating with your right leg.