We encourage all types of fitness, for more reasons than just weight loss. While weight loss is an awesome side effect of working out and living a healthier lifestyle, exercise can benefit your brain, your mood, your sleep, and your overall health, too!
However, if you're focusing on dropping pounds, are there types of exercises you should flat-out avoid? We asked certified personal trainer John Rowley — International Sports Science Association (ISSA) director of wellness and founder of UX3 Nutrition — for his opinion on the matter. While we still encourage anyone to give these workouts a shot (in fact, we love all of them!), these four may not give you the results you're looking for if weight loss is your top priority.
CrossFit: "CrossFit is number one on the hit list," Rowley said in an email. "The risk-to-results ratio just isn't there." If you're just beginning your weight-loss journey, you likely won't have the strength to get an effective workout without injuring yourself. "It's very popular, and I can see how fun and challenging it is," he noted. "But the way the exercises are done is very dangerous, especially for someone not in tiptop shape."
Yoga: Rowley explained that yoga "has a lot of benefits, but losing weight is not one of them." Although you'll gain strength and tone up, if you're aiming to shed pounds, "you want to work as much of your body as possible to lose weight and to stimulate your metabolism," and Rowley said yoga is not the most effective way to do so.
Indoor Cycling: While indoor cycling classes are great for exercise veterans, Rowley said, "they can get out of control as well," and the format of the classes can put you at risk for injury. "The rooms can get too hot, the movements can be too aggressive for some, and any vigorous exercise will make you hungry." More on that hunger in the next point . . .
Cardio-Only Routines: Rowley said these should be avoided if your only goal is weight loss. Why? The munchies. "Cardio will help burn calories but can often make you hungry, leading to excessive calorie-consuming after workouts," putting you at a higher risk for undoing your progress. Additionally, if you're only doing cardio and not balancing with strength training, it can lead to muscle loss. "The loss of muscle destroys your metabolism; if you are going to do cardio, do it in conjunction with a well thought-out weight training workout."
Again, we love (and do) each of these workouts — and you absolutely can lose weight doing any of them. But if your number one goal is weight loss, Rowley warned, you might want to reprioritize your workout schedule.
So what should you do? "The only way for lasting, healthy weight loss that will change your body composition is through resistance training," Rowley said. "Lifting weights stimulates your muscles; your muscles burn calories even when you are eating and resting." We encourage you to be open to all types of workouts — get comfortable with movement of all types! But start with a good, healthy balance of strength training (as recommended by this trainer) and a bit of cardio to help build up your endurance so you can keep shedding pounds and crush your goals.
Every lifter can benefit from building a deeper, better squat. Commit to this one-move plan for the next 21 days to boost your squat, strength, energy, and even weight loss!
Why challenge yourself with goblet squats? Why not, say, hit heavy back squats every day? Because while there's a time and a place to go heavy, there are also great benefits to be gained from racking up lots of volume with picture-perfect form. And as plenty of personal trainers can tell you, the goblet squat is the best-looking, easiest-to-teach squat variation around.
With this in mind, I recently conducted an online 21-day squat challenge. Hundreds of men and women joined in, with an overwhelmingly successful outcome. In just 21 days, they experienced personal records with their squat strength, increased energy, firmer glutes, alleviated knee and back pain, and some surprising weight loss.
Why the three-week timeframe? In 21 days, with enough repetition, your body can learn a skill and become remarkably strong at it. But this challenge is also designed so you won't burn out or overdo it. It's designed so you can reap the benefits of proper squat practice.
Stick with this squat plan, and I guarantee you won't regret it. If you had any idea of the epic results you'd get from adding lots of squats to your life, you wouldn't think twice about starting today!
The Case For Squats
Squats aren't called the "King of Exercises" for no reason. In fact, you naturally gravitated to a perfect, deep squat when you were a toddler. I remember both of my little ones playing with their toys or holding their bottle for minutes on end while sitting in the squat position. It's about as natural a human position as it gets.
However, many of us stop squatting as we grow older, especially in Western society. Many other cultures, like those in Asia, still eat, work, and give birth in the deep-squat position.
So what's the big loss? Believe it or not, not squatting can actually increase your mortality rate, according to Brazilian physician Claudio Gil Araújo. Araújo conducted a study around the idea of being able to get up and down off the floor. According to his research, people who weren't successful at being able to get up and down off the floor from the seated position, without using their arms—in other words, from an easy squat—had a three-year shorter life expectancy compared to those who were successful.[1]
But aside from their association with longevity, squats offer plenty of life-enhancing—and body-enhancing—qualities as well. Properly executed squats make you stronger, increase your conditioning, firm your legs and gluteal muscles, and strengthen your hips and knees. You'll also gain mobility in your hips, knees, and ankles. Plenty of people even report that their digestion is better once they get their squat back!
Squats are truly one of the most beneficial exercises to practice. If you have to choose just one exercise to focus on, squats should be it.
Your Guide To Goblets
Here's how to perform a perfect kettlebell goblet squat, the move you'll be using for the next three weeks:
To get the kettlebell into position, start with a two-handed kettlebell swing and "catch" it at the top, so that you're holding the kettlebell by the horns.
Take a breath, and slowly lower yourself down, using your elbows to push your knees out and open your hips. Only go as low as feels comfortable, and focus on improving your depth over time.
Pause for a second. Pressurize your abdomen, and straighten out, pushing steadily through your heels as you ascend back to the top position.
If you have really tight calves or ankles, feel free to put a small plate under your heels. If you're strong on goblet squats, you can use double-kettlebell front squats instead.
Now let's get squatting!
The Squat-Challenge Details
Directions: Each week, pick a weight, and stick with that same weight every day that week. Add more weight in subsequent weeks. Beginners should start with no weight.
Wondering how much to weight to choose? Start conservatively on Week 1. By Day 7, you should have a pretty good idea how much more you can handle! One advantage of using kettlebells is that they come in 4-kilogram or 8-kilogram "jumps" that are perfect for many of people.
Example 1: Beginner
Week 1: Bodyweight
Week 2: 18 lbs. (8 kg)
Week 3: 26 lbs. (12 kg)
Example 2: Advanced
Week 1: 53 lbs. (24 kg)
Week 2: 70 lbs. (32 kg)
Week 3: 88 lbs. (40 kg)
You'll figure out the right weight for yourself quickly enough. Your real job is to do the reps! Break them up into as many sets as you want. For example, if you are supposed to do 20 reps, you can do 4 sets of 5 reps or 2 sets of 10 reps. Just get them done!
21-Day Squat Challenge
Week 1: Bodyweight Or Starting Weight
Day 1: 20 reps
Day 2: 25 reps
Day 3: 30 reps
Day 4: 35 reps
Day 5: 40 reps
Day 6: 45 reps
Day 7: 50 reps
Week 2: Add Weight
Day 8: 20 reps
Day 9: 25 reps
Day 10: 30 reps
Day 11: 35 reps
Day 12: 40 reps
Day 13: 45 reps
Day 14: 50 reps
Week 3: Add Weight Again
Day 15: 20 reps
Day 16: 25 reps
Day 17: 30 reps
Day 18: 35 reps
Day 19: 40 reps
Day 20: 45 reps
Day 21: 50 reps
My Results With The Squat Challenge
I started the squat challenge with a 44-pound kettlebell. It felt challenging on the first day. The last day of the challenge—that's just three weeks later—I tested myself with a 97-pound kettlebell. Here's what happened:
The toughest part for most people, honestly, is getting that heavy bell into position by the end. One swing might not be enough for a small person to get something well over half their body weight up to chest level. If that's the case, add another swing!
What Do People Say About The Challenge
Pete is a 64-year-old who works a manual-labor job, so being fit is vital to his ability to earn money and stay injury-free on the job. Here's what he had to say about his 21-day squat-challenge experience:
"[The squat challenge] was probably the singl- best experience I've ever had in my fitness life. I have always been a fitness 'loner'—no gym, no workout buddies. I've simply gone out to my shed or worked out in my computer room. But I have to stay fit because I'm a full-time, second-shift, blue-collar worker in a manual-labor-intensive job with no retirement in the cards. But I had been flagging, and my workouts were infrequent and stale.
"But something about Lauren's challenge called to me, and once I started it, I was hooked! It's not the weight, or the number of sets it takes to do the reps—it's you, in there, slugging away consistently."
Another participant, Gemina in Hawaii, said, "This challenge was awesome, with no dread factor at all. Even on days I didn't feel great, I was able to accomplish the challenge training, and it always re-energized me. This was a great add-on to other training sessions, or even great on rest days."
So what are you waiting for? Start your squat challenge today! We had quite a few moms doing squats with kids on their backs toward the end. I even enjoyed it with my 9 year old on my back.
Let me know if you have any questions about the squat challenge. Happy squatting!
References
de Brito, L. B. B., Ricardo, D. R., de Araújo, D. S. M. S., Ramos, P. S., Myers, J., & de Araújo, C. G. S. (2012). Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2047487312471759.
For biceps-training advice, we went straight to the guy with the big guns. Here's what Calum von Moger—World Fitness Federation's Mr. Universe—had to say.
It comes with the territory that when you're jacked, people are going to ask you questions about your training. For World Fitness Federation's 2014 Mr. Universe winner Calum von Moger, that means endless queries about how he trains his mountainous biceps.
We posed 13 questions to the 24-year-old Aussie, who has now made the requisite relocation to Los Angeles in search of bodybuilding fame and glory.
1. What's The Most Overrated Biceps Movement?
The single-arm cable curl done from a low pulley. [If you're too close to the pulley], any movement of your elbow away from your side can lessen the tension on the biceps as you bring the weight up.
In fact, when your hand is above your elbow, the biceps are in a resting position [when your arm is fully contracted]. Here the load is on the elbow, not on the biceps. The elbow needs to stay back by the side, rather than coming forward as you raise the handle. Take a couple of steps back from the pulley to keep tension on the muscle.
2. What's The Most Underrated Biceps Movement?
The standing concentration curl with a dumbbell; it's amazing how many people do them wrong. Done correctly, it's one of the best biceps exercises and really isolates the peak, giving height to the biceps.
Standing Concentration Curl
I do this standing in a bent-over position with one hand on my knee. The seated version is simply called a concentration curl.
3. What's Your Favorite Biceps Exercise?
Preacher curls, because I can get a really good mind-muscle connection and my arms respond quite well to these. I find this short-head movement provides continuous tension from the bottom to the top of the range of motion. I give it a good squeeze in the peak-contracted position.
4. Any Tricks To Get More Out Of Your Preacher Curls?
I like to do 1-2 sets to "prime the pump," then several working sets of 10-12 reps each. I'll do either a dropset—reducing the weight by about 25 percent when I reach muscle failure so that I can continue the set—or partial reps: six reps from bottom to halfway up, and six more from halfway all the way to the top. When training with a buddy, on my last set I like to have him pushing down as I resist lowering the weight, which makes the eccentric movement more challenging. This leads to the most excruciating squeeze you'll ever feel in your arms.
Preacher Curl
When my training partner pushes the bar downward, I'm focusing on the eccentric motion, or the negative, which is often forgotten. Since you're stronger on the eccentric than the concentric motion, this really challenges those muscle fibers more completely, really tearing them down. I believe the eccentric is just as important as the concentric phase, but it's neglected by a lot of trainers. You can do a lot more muscle damage with negatives.
5. How Does Biceps Fit Into Your Training Split?
I changed it recently. My arms are my strongest body part, and I've had to reduce the amount of arm work I do to keep my arms proportional with the rest of my body. I currently train biceps once a week with triceps. Just arms. I only do about 10 sets total for biceps. In the past, I'd go up to 20, but I've cut that in half now.
6. What About Reps Schemes When Training Biceps?
I start with a standing curl with a barbell or EZ bar. I do two warm-ups and two heavier sets. Then I like to do some kind of dumbbell curl, a preacher curl, and a concentration curl—I do 3 sets of each after the first exercise. I normally reach muscle failure around the 10th rep. I use higher reps about six weeks out from the Mr. Universe competition, as I'm trying to etch more detail into my arms. In the past I trained for weeks at a time where I'd fail at about 6 reps—that's a pretty heavy weight.
7. Do You Favor Any Special Advanced Training Techniques When Doing Biceps?
Besides doing negatives and partials, I'm a big fan of doing forced reps and dropsets. With barbell curls, I also did a lot of cheat curls. Most people don't understand the concept of a cheat curl and how it can actually help. With cheat curls, you do as many crisp reps as you can, but rather than setting the bar down when you reach a sticking point, you generate just a little bit of momentum through your knees and hips to keep the set going. This will enable you to complete a few extra reps than you ordinarily would've been able to do.
Besides doing negatives and partials, I'm a big fan of doing forced reps and dropsets. With barbell curls, I also did a lot of cheat curls.
I also like to supinate my wrists as far as I can and turn my pinkies up. This emphasizes the outside biceps head. I'll also do my hammer curls with a rope instead of dumbbells, which also allows me that slight supination at the top as I turn out my wrists. I squeeze and hold for a second at the top for extra peak contraction.
8. What's The Best Way To Increase Intensity During Biceps Training Without A Workout Partner?
Keep it intense. Sometimes I do supersets, pairing a biceps exercise with a triceps exercise, which reduces the rest time between sets. While the biceps are recovering, you train your triceps; while the triceps are recovering, you train the biceps. It's a very intense technique and reduces your total workout time.
9. What's The Biggest Mistake You See People Make When Training Biceps?
Lack of focus. The key, I think, is the mind-muscle connection. If you don't achieve it, the workout suffers and you're essentially going through the motions. Staying focused means keeping distractions away.
Aside from that, I often see people using bad form and poor technique. You must master those two things before lifting heavy weights.
10. What Was The Biggest Mistake You Made Early In Your Career When Training Biceps?
I used to get carried away trying to lift the heaviest weight I could possibly lift. After a while, you find yourself lifting really heavy weights, but it's much easier to tear a muscle, which I've actually done a couple of times. Luckily the tears were minor rather than major. Today I don't approach my biceps training like that. I've realized I don't have to be hitting those super heavy weights to be making gains.
11. Do You Have A Favorite Way To End Your Workout With A Super Biceps Pump?
Say I'm doing preacher curls: I'll do dropsets using a heavy weight and repping it out, then reduce the weight a few plates when I reach muscle failure. I do this several times. How much weight to drop is a bit intuitive; it just depends on how I'm feeling.
12. What's The Best Biceps-Training Advice You've Ever Received?
When I was getting ready for my second competition, I was told to start doing standing curls with a straight bar rather than an EZ bar, which I had always used. I could really smash those curls. But when I changed to a straight bar, my wrists began hurting a little bit because it's just more stressful with that underhand grip. After a while, however, my wrists strengthened up a bit, and I really think I was able to put more quality size on my arms by doing the Olympic curls at the start of every workout.
13. When People Ask You What Your Secret To Big Arms Is, What Do You Tell Them?
When I started out, I loved training them; I'd do it three times a week. So obviously you've got to enjoy training biceps and pushing yourself hard. Just do the challenging heavy movements first and the isolation exercises at the end. That's no real secret.
If a few brief hip flexor stretches is your idea of mobility work, you're cutting yourself short. Make hip mobility a priority, and your reward could be a better squat and less back pain!
I like to think of myself as a powerful, modern Highland warrior, or maybe a Viking. Had I been born 1,100 years ago I would have leapt first off the longboat to battle hundreds of enemies with a giant axe, or so the fantasy goes. But, it didn't take strength coach Matt Wattles long to put a pin in that balloon. All he had to do was ask me to raise my toes all the way up to his hands, and in an instant, I felt like a senior citizen with a hip replacement. That movement was hard.
Unfortunately hip mobility issues like these are some of the most common problems I see in the weightlifting population. However, the issues manifest differently in different people. In some, it's a basic inability to descend below parallel—or anywhere near it—in squat variations. In others, it can contribute directly to debilitating lower back pain, even in people who spend hours every week strengthening their backs.
The hip flexors in particular can be troublesome little cusses. These muscles are crucially tied to the functionality of everyone from elite athletes to senior citizens, but working them can make anyone feel silly. After all, you never see videos of Ronnie Coleman walking with his arms extended in front of him like a zombie, attempting to raise his toes up to his hands.
It's time to swallow your pride and get serious about this neglected area of your body. Use my three-pronged attack, and your weak hip flexors will simply have no choice but to get stronger and healthier.
Meet The Hip Flexors
The hip flexors are a group of five muscles that connect the femur (or thigh bone) to the pelvis. They move in one of two ways. When the pelvis is stationary, a contraction of the hip flexors will draw the femur upward—think the classic "goose step." Conversely, if the femur is stationary, a contraction of the hip flexors will tilt the pelvis forward and the butt back—think of the pull-back portion of Garth's many hip thrusts beginning at about 40 seconds in ... foxy lady!
Last month, I talked about the unique complexity of the shoulder, and how a problem there can produce effects throughout the upper body. Well, the hips are just as complicated, and pelvic dysfunction can be just as far-reaching. Your erectors, glutes, hamstrings, abdominals, quadriceps, hip flexors, and more all interact at this junction, and a problem with any one of them can lead to debilitating immobility and weakness in lifting and in life.
You may have been told that the answer is to undergo a barrage of awkward hip flexor stretches as often as possible. In truth, that's only part of the solution. As with the shoulder, you need to smash, stretch, and strengthen your hip flexors in order to improve them.
1. Come Unglued
The first step in building better hip flexors is to spend some painful minutes ungluing tissues that have been frozen from years of sitting at a desk. I recommend rolling, aka "self myofascial release."
You can roll on just about anything. I've used several different types of foam rollers, a Rumble Roller, lacrosse balls, PVC pipe, a number of weird stick-shaped things. I've also been getting great results using the Body Wrench, an awesome device that is basically a combination of all of the above. I have found that different materials are suitable for different areas on different bodies, so feel free to experiment and find what works best for you.
Keep adjusting your position until you find a hot spot, and then hold that position for at least 30 seconds.
To work these tissues, start by locating your iliac crest. Sounds like a rare bird species, but it's the top bony part of your hip that sticks out by your beltline. If you're using a lacrosse ball, simply move into a plank position on the ground and lay on the ball so that it presses into your hip just below the crest. Move side-to-side slowly, so the ball moves back and forth laterally several inches at a time.
Keep adjusting your position until you find a hot spot ("A what? I don't know what you're ... Oh! My God! There one is!"), and then hold that position for at least 30 seconds. Your first impulse will be to tense up when you feel tenderness, but it's important that you relax and continue to move around the area. Keep it up, and don't hurry. The more slowly and more often you can do this, the better.
2. Get On The Couch
Now that we smoothed out that old tissue and dislodged a few fossilized nasties, let's see what we can do about improving extensibility. The couch stretch is one of the most effective movements you can do for opening up your hip to the end range of motion. Adopt a kneeling position in front of something that you can use to hold your foot up (i.e., a couch). Your back knee should be completely flexed, meaning your heel is as close as possible to your butt.
It's easy to compensate in this position by hyperextending your lower back, but it's crucial that you don't. Instead, I want you to focus on squeezing your glutes and hamstrings, which will push your hips forward into a full-on "schwing." If your right foot is back, you should feel an intense stretch on the right front side of your hip. Hold it for a long time, like a minute or two, and then switch sides.
Like rolling, this is a movement that deserves to be done as often as you can tolerate. Physical therapist and coach Kelly Starrett has written that you should do it for two minutes on each side every half hour. That may be tough to manage, but the point is this: Frequent, long-duration stretches are the only stretches that will have any significant effect on your tissue length and mobility. If you want to improve, you have to commit.
3. Build Flexible Flexors
When I first began training, I assumed that because I had short, tight hip flexors, they must be strong. Wrong! Because we spend so much of our lives sitting—a position in which the hip flexors are passively contracted—most people's flexors are both short and weak.
The psoas, our primary hip flexor, is usually the weakest of the five flexors, and the other four hip flexors have to work more as a result. To test if this is the case for you, lift one knee well above 90 degrees and hold it there, ensuring that you do not compensate by moving your pelvis or leaning forward. If holding this for more than a few seconds is painful or impossible for you, your psoas suck. You are going to have serious trouble squatting to parallel or lower if these muscles can't do their job properly.
One way to strengthen the psoas is by performing the type of toe-lifting movements I mentioned at the start of the article. However, in this case I prefer to rely on closed-chain movements, where the hands are fixed and can't move. This small change makes it harder to cheat or compensate, allowing you to focus squarely on the movement.
My exercise of choice here is floor-slide mountain climbers. You will need some furniture moving pads, Valslides, or something similar that will slide smoothly on your floor. Paper plates even work well in a pinch. Put your feet on the sliders and move into a push-up position. To perform the movement, simply pull one knee at a time up toward your chest, going as high as you can while keeping your foot on the slider. You can alternate legs with each rep or do sets of one leg at a time. Don't expect it to be easy.
Floor Slides
Your hips may not lie, but they can really sidetrack your training if they fall out of whack. Implement this three-part plan, and your hips will be more effective in the gym and less prone to injury moving forward!
Genetics play the leading role in creating the basic shape of your body and you have to begin with being realistic, so that you can do the best you can, with what you have. Body type of an individual, is a word related to the metabolism and genetic pre-disposition towards gaining fat or muscle or staying lean.
All of us are programmed by birth to be tall and long-limbed, petite and short limbed, small framed or big-boned or whatever. It is better for all of us to begin accepting the imitable things about our body type, and move towards improving on what can be improved.
Genetics also determine where you are likely to gain weight, which at times might not be appreciable by you. No matter what you do, you might find that any extra pound you carry appears around your middle, on your hips and thighs or below your beltline.
This clearly proves that women with different Metabolic rates and different body shapes need to workout differently. A woman who has a tendency to gain weight/fat easily will need to do more exercise than a woman who cannot gain weight no matter what.
Physiologists have divided women into three basic body types :
Ectomorphic: are lean, long-limbed and often tall. These woman have long torsos, slim hips and shoulders and small bones in proportion to their height. The Ectomorphic women generally have a very high metabolic rate making it difficult for them to gain both muscle and fat.
They generally need less aerobics and should do anaerobic/strength building or Resistance training exercises with repetitions in the range of 6-10 with a resting time of 45-90 sec between each set. The number of sets to be performed will depend on the need for fitness or a particular sport.
The aerobic workout should last for at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week for cardiovascular fitness. If you play a sport that requires physical conditioning, then you will need to vary the routine for aerobic workout according to the need of the sport.
If Ectomorphs desire to gain size, they should indulge in strength training repetitions of 6-10 with heavier weights with a resting span of 30-45 sec.
Endomorphic : are short of limb and torso with more rounded bodies. They tend to store body fat easily and might also be big-boned. They generally tend to gain weight in the lower part of their body. Endomorph women can be curvaceous like Madonna, or Pia Zardora. In reality many endomorphs spend their lives fighting fat.
Mesomorphic : tend to have a square, sturdy bodies and often are fairly big-boned. They are athletically built and can bulk up their muscles more easily than women of other body types. If they do gain weight, it is generally centered in the abdomen.
Mesomorphic women need to take up 20 minutes of cardiovascular workout, 3 times a
week to maintain their fitness level. They generally need a balanced strength training program composed of low repetitions for size and high repetitions for definition. The span of aerobic workout will vary according to the sport you play or the goals desired by you.
- Overweight Mesomorphs become “apple-shaped” who carry their extra weight around their midsection. Their problems are big bellies and “love handles” on the side of their torsos.
- Please do not make these categories as strict “pigeon holes” to put yourself or your workout partner in. An Ectomorph might have a little of Mesomorph in her and vice-versa Similarly an Endomorph might have a little of Mesomorph in her.
- No matter what your fitness level and body type is, The WF weight loss and fitness program will provide you with a complete fitness program based on the five components of complete fitness, namely, Cardiovascular Training, Strength training,Flexibility training, Nutrition and Weight Management. The professionally designed WF fitness program, exercises all the major and minor muscle groups of the body through a complete aerobic and anaerobic workout to help you achieve health and fitness goals.
- By staying committed and incorporating a comprehensive fitness program into your lifestyle you can achieve a lifelong healthy and fit body. The benefits of WF aerobic and anaerobic fitness program are optimum healthy body weight, improved level of strength, better posture, improved co-ordination and a resilient body.
Depending upon your genetics, as well as your exercise routine and diet, your body shape may be quite different from those around you. Not everyone likes the body type or shape that they are born with, but there are ways to make the most of what you have. Here are some tips on how to identify your body type and shape as well as how to sculpt it with the best possibleexercises.
Each body frame carries weight differently and, therefore will pose different exercise challenges to the individual.
The 8 frame is considered the perfect body shape. It is often called the hourglass figure. For those of you lucky enough to have this naturally proportionate shape blessed with chest andhips of the same size and a waist ten inches smaller, your job is easy. You can perform any type of cardio which means you can vary your work out to keep from being bored. You should still include a regiment of resistance training at least twice weekly. Work all of the muscles of the body between the two days.
If you are 8 frame or an Hourglass
If you are have an hourglass figure, then you should be focusing on both cardio and resistance exercises. Cardio will assist in keeping your weight in check, while resistance exercises will help to maintain balance between your upper and lower body. Vary your repetitions and keep your resistance weights light so as not to build too much muscle mass.
The A body shape is not quite as lucky as the 8 frame. This body type is thinner on the upper body and carries most of the body weight in the hips, thighs, and butt. This body shape wants to avoid doing cardio exercises that will increase the muscle size of the lower body. This means the stair climber is out unless you want to increase the spoon like figure proportions. Stick with the elliptical or the treadmillwithout an incline. Resistance training should target the upper body to even out the body shape. The bigger you make the upper body muscles, the smaller the lower body will appear.
If you are a A body type
If you are a A you will want to focus on exercises that will balance out the top half of your body with the bottom half of your body. You will also want to try to thin down your lower half. To achieve this, focus on aerobic activities that work out your lower body, and resistance exercises that will build your upper body. Use light weights and perform high repetitions of exercises. Some great activities include:
Training Tip: Cardio – 3 times per week (30 min) of low intensity exercise Weights- 3 times per week working the whole body and combining light and heavy weights
The H frame body shape has a larger waist and shoulders. People with this type of body want to concentrate on minimizing the waist. The cardio choices for this body include the treadmill with an incline and the stepper. Resistance training should concentrate on the lower body. Squats and leg presses are great resistance exercises for the H body shape.
Try doing squats, leg press and stiff dead lifts composing a bulk of your training. You can use extensions and lunges as finishers.
The V frame body also known as the “cone shape” has shoulders measuring at least two inches more than the hips. This body shape is usually bigger up top and smaller on the bottom. The goal for this body shape is to build up the lower body to even out the body shape. For cardio, the stepper is a good way to burn fat while increasing the muscle tone in the legs. Avoid doing cardio that will slim the legs. As with the H frame, resistance training should focus on the lower body.
On the other hand if you want your back to be more pronounced train back muscles for thickness as well as width. Many back exercises develop the rear deltoids and the trapezius which are very important to getting that ‘V’. When your back is thick, you are bound to look powerful and with the width, it will make your waist look narrower, thus making the ‘V’ more pronounced. Try bar-bell row and deadlifts for a thick and powerful back. Chin-ups and push-ups done in a slow controlled motion will provide you the width or more commonly called ‘wings’.
The Ruler body shape is usually equally thin from bottom to top. A person with this body shape has difficulty adding weight and shape. The majority of exercise should be resistance training. Too much cardio will only further minimize the body. Focus on resistance exercises for the whole body evenly. Building muscles on the upper body and lower body will help bring out more shape.
If you are a ruler
Running is the ideal exercise for you. This will keep your build lean. You can do this for about half an hour. Sit-ups can also do well for you to strengthen your abs and maybe even that prominent belly look. You can do these 3 sets of 20 if you can. The ideal sports that you can engage to will be volleyball and basketball. These sports will involve your whole body and you can do this for also half an hour. Reaching and stretching before the game will do wonders on your upper body segment.
To ensure that you build a symmetrical body shape, all of the muscle groups should be emphasized and routinely given a workout. Focus on:
The apple/oval body shape is biggest in the middle, chest and stomach, but little in the arms and legs. This body shape wants to concentrate on cardio that will burn fat and build toned legs. The stepper and the treadmill on incline are great cardio to lose weight all over while still building some muscle tone on the legs. Resistance training should concentrate on the lower body, again to build tone in the legs.
If you are an Apple
If you are an apple, you will want to focus on aerobic training in order to slim down and lose body fat. By working on the lower half of your body, you can help balance out your chest and shoulders. Look to perform exercises that are low-resistance and involve low repetitions, such as:
The trick is, know your body shape and the exercises to use to sculpt the masterpiece.
Note:
Some women will not fit into any of these categories but the basic principles still apply. Regular exercise, light weights or resistance training and a healthy low fat diet will deliver lasting results over the long term.
