Exercises For A Toned Body
The 5 moves that burn calories, sculpt your muscles, shed fat and you don’t even have to leave your living room Here are some workouts put together that produces major results, such as a flatter tummy, firm shoulders, firmer butt and thighs and that too in six weeks. All these exercises involve multi-joint movements, so you are firming up individual muscles while training them to work together. That means better balance and more coordination. Because you are moving your body weight instead of sitting stationary at a metabolic boost. Best of all, all this from your sitting room.
Workout Basics:
The Equipment: A kitchen timer, with a second hand that can be seen, and maybe a 8 to 12 inch step, there are two types, one level and two level exercisers.
How The Routine Goes: First of all, warm up for 5 minutes by marching or jogging in place. Then do the five exercises, devoting 1 minute each. Rest for 1 minute and repeat the circuit.
For beginners: Do 3 complete circuits;
For advanced: Do 5 complete circuits;
The plan: Do this workout 3 times a week, on non-consecutive days. Once a week, skip the timer and do 10 reps of each exercise, concentrating on form.
Workouts:
1. Step Up:
Works gluteus, quads, hamstrings, calves, core
Stand in front of staircase or step with feet together, arms at sides. Place left foot solidly on step, keeping head up and abs tight. Lift body onto step, raising right knee until thigh is parallel to floor.Hold for a second. Lower your right foot to the floor, behind step, then left. Repeat this with right foot and raise left knee. Continue alternating legs.
Why does it work: In addition to mimicking real life demands, such as climbing stairs, the step up forces you to engage your core, raising the knee challenges your balance.
