MoreHappens every year: You're all gung ho in the beginning of the summer, hitting the gym like it's your job and dutifully counting calories. After all, you have the big bikini body reveal to prepare for! But once the season hits its stride, it's easy to fall off the wagon and onto a lawn chair—and before you know it, the heaviest thing you're hoisting is an icy cocktail.
Fortunately, tearing off that cover-up with confidence doesn't mean choosing between having fun and staying fit. The key to scoring a hot body? Committing to a plan that's easy to fit into your busy summer schedule (we're talking 30-minute workouts here) and lasts exactly 21 days. Why? Experts say you can start to form a habit in as little as three weeks, and as anyone who's ever been hooked on something knows, habits are hard to break. In other words, once you complete this program (which has built-in days for rest and recovery—yay!), you'll be motivated to keep going.
How the Plan Works
Each week, you'll do six workouts: two total-body toning routines, two fat-blasting interval workouts, and two easy, results-enhancing recovery sessions. It doesn't matter what order you do them in, as long as you do them. (The goal is to get used to penciling in a little exercise each day, which helps you form a workout habit.) The remaining day is your no-excuse-needed day off—enjoy it!
Total-Body Toning Workouts (two per week)
Exercises 1-6
These fast-paced strength circuits are designed to target multiple muscle groups at once so you can build lean muscle, rev your heart rate, and torch a ton of calories in a short amount of time. Best of all, you'll fire up your metabolism and continue to burn calories 24 to 48 hours after your workout is done.
Do the first pair of exercises as instructed, resting for 30 seconds between each move. Continue until you've finished all three pairs. During week one, complete one set of each pair. During weeks two and three, complete two sets.
Fat-Blasting Interval Workouts (two per week)
Exercises 7-9
This is your cardio fix. These interval-training workouts utilize high-intensity body-weight exercises to get your heart rate up, burn calories, and supercharge your metabolism. Do these three moves back-to-back, completing as many reps as you can in the prescribed amount of time. Rest for one to two minutes, then repeat. During week one, do each move for 20 seconds and complete five intervals. In week two, do six intervals of 30 seconds each, and in week three, do seven intervals of 40 seconds each.
The key to seeing results: Push yourself as hard as you can while keeping good form. Each time you do the routine, try to increase the number of reps you complete in the amount of time given.
Results-Enhancing Recovery Workouts (two per week)
Exercises 10-13
This quick, stretch-focused routine is designed to balance your high-intensity strength and cardio days and help create that enviable long and lean look. These four moves will stretch your chest and strengthen your upper back (to improve your posture), as well as activate your glutes, engage your core, and stretch your hip flexors (all of which help to correct postural imbalances and flatten your belly). Do these moves two or three times in order.
MORE: For more Bikini Ready workouts, learn how to Lift It, Shape It, Tone It, in 30 Minutes or Less!
GET STARTED
* Watch this video to learn how to do the exercises
* Download a printable version of the workout
Original article and pictures take www.womenshealthmag.com site
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий