Prepare for the Summer Outfits
As the weather becomes nicer and nicer, we start wearing less and less clothing. Gone are the jackets and scarves, and we are welcoming the shorts and summer dresses. However, is your body ready for the summer?
Chances are that you have spent a lot of the colder part of the year relaxing and perhaps indulging in rich foods for holidays. However, now it is time to shed all that extra weight and to really tone your body in order to look your best. Here are some of the most effective exercises you can do:
Step-ups
Step-Ups are fairly easy to do, and you won’t need any additional equipment except an elevated position, like a tall step stool or a chair. They are aimed to tighten your glutes and your hamstrings. The end result should be lean and strong legs as well as the posterior. You will also be using your quads, which can result in stronger legs.
The exercise is simple – you stand in front of your elevated position and simply step on it with one leg. Then, lift your body and the other leg onto the elevated position. Return to the original position and do it again with the other leg. In order to do this exercise properly, you should not use your core or lean forwards or backwards so that the leg muscles are engaged the most.
Leg presses
When you are looking to improve the look of your legs, there are not many things that are better than leg presses. The leg press machine should be available in every gym, and it is fairly easy to use. This exercise once again focuses on your quads and upper leg region, so make sure that you rest your legs sufficiently between step-ups and leg presses.
You will need to determine the weight you can press with your legs. Start small and work your way up.
Different kinds of planks
Planks are an awesome all-around exercise that can target different sections of your body, depending on the type. However, they have one thing in common – they are deceptively difficult to do for an extended period of time.
Lay on your stomach and elevate your upper body, leaning on your elbows. That is the basic plank, and it helps you improve your core strength as well as your posture. However, you can do better than that. If you raise one arm, you will increase the difficulty of the exercise, but it will become more effective.
Raising your whole body and leaning on the side results in a side plank. This exercise is great at giving definition to your waistline and your belly. Just keep in mind that you will be leaning on a single elbow and forearm, which means that you shouldn’t stay in this position for too long, 30 seconds to one minute is quite enough.
Pushups
There is no escaping the classics if you want results. Pushups are some of the most effective, albeit strenuous exercises. If you feel like you aren’t fit enough to do them, or simply don’t like them, you can skip them and replace them with some light weightlifting and planks.
Cardio
A lot of people use cardio as a warm-up activity, which makes sense. It is not particularly demanding, and it gets the blood going. However, cardio can be an effective exercise in its own right, especially if you adopt the HIIT (high-intensity interval training) version of it. Whatever your cardio exercise of choice, do as many as you can in as short time as you can and then rest. The shock will help your body burn fat more effectively.
There are plenty of other exercises you can do, and if you have a personal trainer who can help you design a training routine specifically tailored for you, go for it and be the best you for the summer.
Article by Lara Jannsen
This article was written by the guest author listed at the end of the article.