Help Lists for the Legs

Hamstrings and Quads Lunges: With your feet together, standing, place your right foot forward, making a little larger step than average. Bend your right knee, lowering yourself towards the mat. But don’t let your left knee touch the mat. Hold – while your left thigh is lined straight with your back. Pushing backwards off your right leg, return to start. Switch legs and repeat. Repeat set. Variations: add light weights – approximately two pounds to hands. If you’re in the gym, work this muscle group on the leg curl and leg extension machines.

Hamstrings and Quads Squats: With legs shoulder-width apart (or wider), stand with your feet parallel. Fold your arms in front of you. Inhale while gently seating yourself “almost” in a fake chair. Keep knees in line with toes. Head up. Back straight. Exhale, while standing upright again. Straighten up, but do not lock your knees. Repeat. Variations: Hold light hand weights, resting hands with weights on your hips. If you’re in the gym, work this muscle group on the leg press machine.

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Be Flexible!

Shoulder and Trapezius Stretch
** Stand upright with shoulders back, chest out, and feet hip-width apart.
** Clasp your hands behind your buttocks.
** Slowly lift your hands up and away from your body until they have reached the furthest comfortable position.
** Keep your chest out and your chin in without hunching over.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your chest and anterior shoulders, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.

Lying Quadriceps Stretch
** Lie face down on a mat.
** Lift your right leg up towards your buttocks.
** Reach around with your right hand and grasp your foot. -Slowly pull downwards, stretching your quadriceps to the furthest comfortable position.
** Hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.

Shin Stretch
** Using a wall or chair as support, place your left foot behind your right foot, with the top of your left on the ground.
** Extend the bottom of your left shin as far forwards as possible. Slowly lower yourself by bending both legs.
** Once you have stretched your anterior tibialis to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.

Hip, Gluteus and Back Stretch
** Sit on the floor with both of your legs extended in front of you.
** Bend your right leg over your left leg, keeping your right foot flat on the floor outside the left knee.
** Place your left elbow on the outside of your right knee, and extend your right arm behind you with your palm flat on the floor for support.
** Slowly twist your upper body to the right while looking over your right shoulder.
** Lightly apply pressure with your left elbow on the outside of your right knee as you twist. Be sure to keep your upper body straight.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your hips, buttocks, and lower back, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch sides and repeat.

Calf Stretch
** Put the sole of the top half of your right foot against the wall. Slide your right heel as close towards the wall as possible.
** Slowly lean forward towards the wall stretching your calves. Once you have stretched your calf to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.

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Circuit training benefits

Circuit training offers many benefits. Here are some of the main ones:

• It’s a complete program that incorporates weight loss, getting and staying in shape, and improving your overall fitness and health.

• It’s great for fatigue management, resulting in increased work performance during a set time period.

• It’s great for indoor and / or outdoor training. Budget not required.

• It’s a program with variety of fitness activities, so you’re not stuck with the same old “boring” workout routine.

• It’s the best way to get a team, group or family in shape.

• It’s noted as one of the top methods used for improving strength endurance; for example, trainees are only allowed to move up to the next level of the training program when they meet their program’s requirements.

• It’s a cost-effective program.

• It’s an efficient program, allowing R&R (rest and relaxation) between alternating days of exercises and your body’s fitness areas between workouts.

• It’s a program that helps your body’s aerobic conditioning and strength building while also burning fat at the same time.

Now we’ll quickly cover the basic steps in a circuit-training program. And then cover recommended workout stations or exercises for the different muscle groups.

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Supplemental Help for Buttocks

To help with additional buttocks weight loss, here are some extra exercises to mix in with your regular routine.

- Squat-Squeezes: With your feet hip-wide apart while standing in front of a chair, ready to be seated, very slowly lower yourself into a squatting position until you barely touch the seat. Hold. Rise while squeezing your buns together. Repeat.

- Moderated Lunges: With one leg behind you, knee of the opposite leg bent, lunge forward slow and steady, touching to “feel” the pull.

- Leg Swings: Stand straight and tall. Move one leg out to the right, then in. Repeat using gentle swinging motion a dozen time, pulling the buttock area. Repeat using other leg.

- Variations: Go walking, jogging, running, biking, hiking, kickboxing. Try martial arts and yoga. All are great rear end toners.

Moderations / reps: To increase weight loss efforts, add hand weights with any of the routines above.

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Supplemental Help for Upper Torso

And here are supplemental exercises for the upper torso / upper back. Upright Row: With feet shoulder-width apart, stand with arms down, crossed at the wrists. Pull the arms up and back so that upper arm becomes parallel with floor, shoulders in line with torso the entire exercise. Return to the down position, slow & steady. Add resistance work by anchoring anchor a band underneath feet. With band ends in each hand, cross wrists. Continue as above (without bands).

Shrugs are also good to add. With light-weights in hand, stand, feet shoulder-width apart, hands at sides. Raise shoulders up in shrug. Hold. Slowly lower shoulders to start position.

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Supplemental Help for Chest

Here are additional workouts for the chest, two more push-up versions. Modified Push-Ups: start in an upright position with arms shoulder-width apart, elbows bent a little and knees (bent) on the floor. Object is to maintain head, neck and back all in a straight line throughout exercise. Move body down towards the floor, slow and steady, stopping when upper arms parallel the floor. Rise to start, slow and steady again. No locking elbows.

Alternative Push-Ups: start in upright position with arms shoulder-width apart, elbows bent a little, feet together. Object again is to maintain head, neck and back in straight line throughout exercise. Move body down towards the floor, slow and steady, stopping when upper arms parallel floor. Rise to start, slow and steady again. No locking elbows. For resistance, have someone GENTLY rest their feet on your back while you perform this exercise.

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Fast Weight Loss Tips Series # 4

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS: MIDDLE AREAS: STOMACH OR MID-SECTION

Sit-ups burn fat off the belly, myth or reality? Myth. Truth is, your body’s overall fat plays an important part in how flat or round your stomach is. And since the body’s fat storage is basically one system, you cannot just lose fat in your stomach. On the contrary, many people think doing sit-ups will make their stomachs thinner, but leg exercises are reported to burn more than four times the body fat than sit-ups.

And while many people strive for a flat stomach, the reality is that the human abdominal or stomach area is meant to have a rounded shape instead. Of course age, gender and individual genetic body- type play important roles in the actual shape.

However, the first issue of focus with this weight loss area is to focus on posture. Instead of “flattening” the stomach, trimming pounds with improved diet and exercise along with better posture can improve a potbelly or other unhealthy appearance. Here are points to ponder with regards to a healthy posture, in case you’d like more than “stand up straight” for guidelines. When standing, bend a little at the knees. Then with shoulders back, head evenly aligned (not cocky at an angle or anything) and tailbone aimed towards the floor, “suck it in,” or contract the stomach muscles.

Now for dealing a little more directly with those stomach muscles.

Here are some weight loss exercises:

Step 1 – Warm-up time first. Begin with stretches for 5 to 10 minutes that gradually build up to light cardio activity like jogging in place, walking, biking or jumping rope.

Step 2 – Next get down on the floor; an exercise mat or carpeted area, and do 20 to 30 crunches and reverse-curls apiece as follows. For crunches, with your knees bent a little and feet flat on the floor, lie on your back with your arms wrapped together across your chest. Then do this two-step: (1) exhale while raising your head, shoulders and chest off the floor, tightening your stomach muscles as you bend forward towards your hips, pause… (2) inhale while gently and slowly returning ALMOST to the original position, keeping your head just off the floor. Repeat. For those who are intermediary or advanced toners, place your hands behind or beside your head (and don’t pull it), place hands straight out over your head or pause for a couple seconds before inhaling for a more intense workout.

Next it’s time for reverse-curls. To work the lower front and side abdominal muscles, begin on your back on the carpeted area or mat again. With hands on the floor and knees bent towards your chest with hips off the floor, continue to lift your hips, contracting the stomach muscles and bringing hips further towards your chest. This exercise focuses on lifting the pelvis toward your rib cage using the abdominals without swinging the legs. Advanced toners can place their hands in the air leaving their elbows on the floor for increased intensity.

Step 3 – Head back to the cardio activity that you were doing at the end of Step 1 above and continue doing that for 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 4 – Head back to the carpeted area or mat for 20 to 30 imaginary bike pedal touches. In other words, you place your hands behind your head while lying on the floor. Then with our knees up at about a 45-degree angle from the floor, you slowly pedal an imaginary bike while touching your right elbow to your left knee and vice-versa, then alternating elbow to other knees, all while breathing at a natural, normal pace. For those who are at intermediary or advanced levels, you can make the angel of your legs near 180-degrees or straight, without locking the knees for more intensive weight loss.

Step 5 – Beginners can stop here. Intermediate and advanced toners can return to another round of Step 3 above.
For the best results, these weight loss activities should be performed three to four times a week. Work up the routine until gradually the cardio portions last from 10 to 15 minutes each. And add your other exercises for the upper and lower body areas, and of course a well-balanced diet.

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