March 19, 2024

Start your fitness TODAY! By Tera Busker

Fall has just started and winter is right around the corner, but is it too early to be preparing for your summer wardrobe?

Absolutely not! Shorts and swimsuit weather will be here again before you know it, so here are 4 great exercises to incorporate into your workout this winter to get you in a “shapely” shape for this summer. (Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.)

 

 

Tricep Dips
When you wave goodbye, does the underneath of your arm continue to wave even after you stop? To tone up your arms, give tricep dips a try.

Starting Position

Sit on the edge of a chair and wrap your hands over the front edge. Walk feet out slightly so your hips are out past the edge of the chair.

Action
Lower hips toward the floor until your elbows are bent to 90 degrees. Press up until your elbows are straight, but not locked. Work up to doing 15 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.

 

Clock Lunges
Clock lunges are guaranteed to tighten up your booty, slim the hips and give you well defined legs.

Starting Position

Imagine you are standing in the center of a clock. Straight in front of you is 12:00, to your right is 3:00, behind you is 6:00 and to your left is 9:00.

Action
Lunge with your right leg to each of the 12:00, 3:00 and 6:00 positions. Lunge with your left leg to each of the 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00 positions. Each time you lunge, make sure to return to the starting position before lunging to the next position.

Once you have completed each position, you have done 1 cycle. Work up to doing 5 cycles and 3 sets of this exercise.

 

Plank Up Downs

Plank Up Downs will tighten the entire core, strengthen the chest and give you definition in your shoulders.

Starting Position

Get into a pushup position (on knees or up on toes) with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders.

Action
Slowly drop down into a low plank position (on elbows) one side at a time and pushup yourself back up into the high plank. That is one rep. Work up to doing 10 reps and 3 sets.

 

HIIT
The best and most efficient way burn fat and torch calories  is through HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training. It’s a short workout that alternates between short blasts of high intensity work with bouts of lower intensity “recovery” periods in less than 30 minutes.

Action

Warm up for 5 minutes. For the next 10 to 20 minutes alternate between 30 seconds of very intense exercise (like running) and 90 seconds of lower intensity exercise (walking or complete rest).  Follow that up with a 5 minute cool down.

HIIT training is very difficult and should not be done more that 2-3 times a week and never 2 days in a row.

Tera Busker is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Fitness To Go, an exclusive In Home & Private Studio Personal Training Service based out of Roberts, WI. www.fitnesstogo.net

Time-Saving Workout Tips by Tera Busker

What workout can I do at home to save time on busy days?

Here are 4 examples of effective workouts that will get you the results you want in a short amount of time.

Circuit Training
Circuit training is a series of strength or cardio exercises (or both) that are repeated two or three times with little or no rest between sets. Circuit training requires you to move quickly from exercise to exercise, which elevates your heart rate. If you add strength training exercises into your circuit, you can burn fat and tone your muscles in one workout. Circuit training is also a great boredom buster. Who can get bored when you are darting quickly from exercise to exercise? Choose 5-6 exercises, like lunges, mountain climbers, bench dips, burpees or jumping jacks, do each back to back for 30 seconds each. After you have completed all of the exercises, rest for 1-2 minutes. Repeat the same circuit 1-2 more times.

Tabata Training
Tabata training is a type of workout that only lasts four minutes but creates an “after burn effect.” This means that your body continues to burn calories well after the workout is over. A tabata workout consists of eight rounds working at high intensity for 20 seconds, and then 10 seconds of rest. Tabata training hardly takes any time at all, can easily be incorporated into your day, and offers huge benefits. Try it with jump squats, push-ups, or even sprints! An example workout would be do jumping jacks for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, do pushups for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence for a total of 4 minutes. 2 examples of workouts that work great with equipment that you may have at home (cardio machines/weights)

HIIT
Your cardio workout doesn’t have to be long to be effective. Rather than doing steady-state cardio for 60 minutes, opt for 20 minutes HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that alternates between short bursts of high intensity exercise with longer periods of lower intensity. These high intensity bursts that melt the fat away – up to 50% more effectively than low-intensity exercise. It also speeds up your metabolism, which enables you to burn more calories throughout the day. Try this beginner HIIT workout. After you have warmed up at a low intensity for 5 minutes, start your first HIIT cycle. Work at an intense level for 30 seconds and follow with 90 seconds of moderate effort. Repeat the HIIT cycle for a total of 10 minutes, then cool down for 5 minutes.

Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are movements that combine an upper body and lower body exercise together. Movements that utilize both the upper and lower body at the same time create a better workout than exercises like, bicep curls, which only focus on one part of the body. How do you “build” a compound exercise? Take a lower body exercise like lunges, squats, bridges or planks and fuse it with an upper body exercise like bicep curls, shoulder presses, rows or tricep extensions. Some great examples are the squat and press, the rowing plank and the hip bridge with a tricep extension. Create a workout out of only compound exercise or add compound exercises into your Tabata or Circuit Training for a fast and effective workout.

Tera Busker is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Fitness To Go, an exclusive In Home & Private Studio Personal Training Service based out of Roberts, WI. www.fitnesstogo.net