Good Morning!A few people have asked for some tips on at home workouts and while (again) I'm not a certified trainer any longer, I am happy to share some workouts I have found and others I have done myself. You can get a great workout at home!
Make sure start with a 5 minute warm up. Whether you need to bundle up and get outside and walk for 5 minutes, jog in place/walk in place/run up and down the stairs for 5 minutes; you need to warm up your muscles! After this, you need to stretch for 5 minutes. What happens when you try to stretch a "cold" rubber band? It snaps right? Well, when your muscles are not warmed up, the same is likely to happen, so warm them up!
So, if you haven't already, purchase some hand weights. Many times you can find them at Target, WalMart, Ocean State Job Lot, even TJ Maxx. You don't need anything too heavy. I would start with 5 to 8 pounds and if you think 10 is good, then get those too. Again though, if you don't have weights today, I'm sure you have something else lying around that you can use. Fill 2 pillow cases with cans of food or fruit, use 2 gallons of water, etc...
Also, while you do the moves in your workout, be sure to keep proper form. You don't want any injuries and by using proper form you will be getting the maximum benefit of the exercises you are performing. Control your movements. If the weight is too heavy, get a lighter weight. Don't compromise form. I recommend working with a Certified Personal Trainer for a few sessions if you can; someone who can teach you proper form.
As a side note: when you are on the treadmill; do NOT hold on! There is a reason why the trainers on the Biggest Loser lose their minds when the contestants hold on. By holding on you are not using proper form and you end up burning less calories. You also aren't engaging your core as much as you could be if you would let go and let your arms and legs work together with the help of your core in the middle. If you find the need to hold on, slow down to the pace where you don't need to hold on to maximize your efforts. You made it all the way to the treadmill, why not utilize your time as effectively as possible right while you're on it?
- Warm up
- Stretch
- Butt kicks for 1 minute (jogging in place, but lifting your heels so that you're kicking your butt)
- 15 pushups (go to your knees if you can't do a regular pushup. Proper form is imperative so that you don't injure yourself. Keep you neck in neutral and keep your back flat, not bowed in either direction. Arms are about shoulder width apart.)
- High knees for 1 minute (jog in place but pull your knees up high in the front)
- 20 squats with bicep curls (feet shoulder width apart, don't let your knees go over your ankles. Squat down like your sitting over a public toilet and hold one weight in each hand. Go down and when you come up, curl the weights.)
- Run up and down your stairs 10 times (yes 10) just don't fall
- 15 Tricep kickbacks with weights; see the following site on what a kickback is: http://www.aol.com/video/standing-tricep-kickbacks/516985297/
- 1 minute jumping jacks (keep arms straight and bring them all the way up)
- 15 front raises with the weights (works your shoulders) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akcsWXoENEk
- REPEAT the workout (not the stretch and warmup) 5 times or complete until you've been doing the workout piece for 25-30 minutes.
This is a total body workout and it's fun!
As you can see too, I found another sample workout that I included as today's photo!
Let me dispel some typical misconceptions about females lifting weights:
- Lifting weights is NOT going to make you look bulky like a female body builder. It just won't! Women do not produce nearly as much testosterone as males do. Fact. Testosterone is one of the main hormones responsible for muscle size. The muscles that you see on female body builders (more often than not) are not only created by hard workouts and extreme dedication to their field, but they have the help of anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone).
- My other favorite myth is that weight training turns muscle into fat. Ummmm NO! Wouldn't that be nice though? Your body will gain lean muscle mass through weight training, but it will simultaneously lose fat through aerobic exercise and through your _____. DIET!! You need to have a good balance of all three to obtain maximum results...1) aerobic exercise 2) weight training and 3) DIET!
- You can NOT SPOT REDUCE TRAIN! I've said it before. You can't do 100 situps a day and think that you're going to lose the weight you need to lose and walk around with the belly you've always wanted. Fact. Sucks, but it's true.
Again, if you can, try to work with a certified personal trainer. One of the best in the Worcester area is Frank Nash. I've known Frank for a while now and I have worked with him in the past. I was lucky enough to get 13 sessions for Christmas to work with him at his new place and I'm so looking forward to working with him; I'm a little nervous too lol...he is intense and he drives RESULTS. Here is his site: http://franknashtrainingsystems.com/
If you have any thoughts or questions, please email me or comment below! theflower4@gmail.com
Quote of the day:
"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit." -Vince Lombardi-
Let's NEVER quit okay?!
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