Ladies, if
you are tired of wearing a T-shirt over your bathing suit, this article is
dedicated to you. If you don’t want to be mistaken for a beached whale while in
Cancun, this article is for you too.
July
is National Bikini month. Some of you women may not be happy about this;
if so lets do something about it. When you aren’t happy you have to do
something about it, in this case you will eat healthier and exercise
more. We got a good response from the men with the first Beach Body Fresh article [May 29], so let’s get to it!
Below
is the plan. I saw the big girl in the “Lollipop” video just like you did,
and that is not who you want to be when wearing a two piece. Consider
this quote to live by, “If you want to wear the two piece, don’t order a
three piece!”
Legs
So,
you feel a little insecure about wearing really short shorts or a bathing suit
because your thighs are fat. My mother is a larger woman, I’ve seen this
first hand. Look here, Dream Girls are trying to be Beyoncé or Jennifer Hudson,
so the way you get your legs right is by avoiding the four myths below.
Myth 1– If I just use a machine on the area I don’t
like it will tone up
. Understand that if you sit on one of those innerthigh machines in the gym and squeeze your legs together for an entire workout
you will NOT end up with a toned body. You
will have big thighs, they will just be stronger. Variety is the key for
toned legs.
Myth 2- Riding the bike will make your thighs
smaller. No! Have you ever seen Lance Armstrong’s legs? They look
like horse legs. The bike makes your thighs bigger, but the Stepper on the other hand is better if you are looking
to reduce size and tone up. The stepper engages the glut muscles the
most and because the gluteus is the largest muscle group in the body, it can
burn up the most calories compared to the other cardio machines.
Myth 3- The elliptical is great cardio for your
trouble areas. The elliptical will get your target areas but only if
used backwards. Most elliptical machines can move
in both directions, backwards and forwards. By moving it backwards you
engage the hamstrings, which are the muscles at the back of your thighs instead
of the front ones, which are the quadriceps.
Myth 4- Weight training will bulk you
up, so you shouldn’t do it.
Neveravoid weight training if you want a well toned body and sculpted thighs. The
lower body has the largest muscle groups and these muscles when developed can
contribute major elevated metabolism benefits. This means you burn more
calories while doing your cardio.
Lower
Body Workout – Four sets:
Quads
Superset-Barbell
Squat 8reps, Leg Press 15reps
{one
minute break}
Leg
Extensions, 10 reps
Hamstrings
Dropset-Leg
curls 25reps (point your toes downwards, this way you fully engage your
hamstrings!)
Outside
of thighs
Seated
abductor machine, 15reps
Inner
thighs
Dumbbell squats with feet pointed, 15 reps
Calves
Calf
raises, 25 reps
**Do lots of stretching before and after
your workout
Arms
Another
key target area for women is the back of the arm. At Chicago Fit 4 Life we call
it “wavy arm,” because when you wave your arm, the fat waves back at you!
The “wavy arm” is a combination of fat and untoned muscle which is just hanging
around. You do not need to spot train that one specific area, but you
should add variety to your upper body program, with many different
exercises. If you want arms like Ciara, here is what you do:
Watch
Erika Shevon, R&B Queen of Chicago, going through the workout:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV16x-rOHk8
Upper Body Workout – Four sets:
Chest
Superset-
One arm frontal raises (cable cross over machine) 10 reps, Frontal raises
resistance bands, 15
{one
minute break}
Shoulders
Superset-
Shoulder Press 10 reps (dumbbells), shoulder press resistance bands, 10 reps
Upper back/Triceps
Reverse
frontal raises
Chest
Push-ups,
10 reps
Perform all workouts in a circuit until you
have finished the four sets.
Abs
The
critical component of loosing stomach fat relies on your metabolism and certain
hormones flowing through your body. This is why shorter, more intense workouts
are much more efficient. This means walking or sitting at a stationary
bike reading for your workout will not give you the body that you really want.
When performing your cardio you should feel like Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown –
like you have NO AIR !
Success key 1- You cannot spot-reduce the
midsection by doing extra ab exercises like
crunches or sit-ups. You must first burn
off the body fat through proper cardio in order to define the area. Abdominal
training by itself will not do much.
Success key 2- Although carbohydrates have
an important role in the body, do not base your meals on them. Try to avoid simple sugars like cane sugar, honey, fruit
juices, syrups, and even a lot of fruit (i.e. apples, oranges, bananas).
Success key 3- If you want proper ab
development, you need to add resistance (weight) to your ab exercises. Abs are muscles just like any other muscle. Grab a
dumbbell, either hold it in front of your face, or let it lie on your upper
chest under your chin, and perform regular crunches.
Success key 4- Drink at least a gallon of
clean water each day as well. It will
help in nutrient absorption and digestion and will help flush toxins from the
body.
30 minute routine – repeat two times
nonstop:
Three
minute incline running
One
minute jump rope
One
minute ab shockers
60
second plank
30
second side planks
30
second side planks
Three
minutes of stretching
Bonus Tracks – Eating while on Vacation:
Rule 1- Turn in the mini bar key. This is too tempting and once you start drinking, any
inhibition you had regarding your diet is thrown out the window.
Rule 2- Find a market place or grocery
store. Grab some fresh fruit,
vegetables and sandwiches to eat instead of going to a restaurant for every
meal. The portion size is always bigger at a
restaurant than you would normally eat.
Rule 3- If you have to go out and eat
at a restaurant, do so only when you are hungry. Try to wait out your hunger pains by engaging in some
activities.
Rule 4- Do not eat late at night (i.e.
after 8pm ). When your body gets ready for sleep
and slows down, it also burns calories at a much slower pace.
Rule 5-
Exert some will power. Just stop at a certain point. I have had clients come off a vacation
gaining 10 extra pounds just because they felt that a vacation is a free-for-all. What
happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what you eat comes back home!
This
is for all those single ladies out there; get your body right and you won’t be
single for long. Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson both got their bodies
right one landed a man and the other one landed Nick Cannon. You
heard Kanye say “a nice stomach and you can maybe land a ball player.”
Definitions of exercise terminology:
Superset- It is performing two exercises with no break. Perform
barbell squats and jog immediately to leg press machine with no rest in
between.
Dropset-
Start heavy and continuously lower the weight when you burn out until you hit
rep goal. Let’s say you start at 50 pounds and can only do 10 reps – drop
the weight to 30 pounds until you cannot perform any more. Let’s say that
number is 10 reps, then perform five reps.
Dumbbell squats with feet pointed- perform squats by holding a dumbbell with both hands in
the middle and feet pointing 45 degrees outwards.
Calf Raises- Stand on the edge of a platform or anything that is
elevated like stairs, and tip toe, flexing the calf and go all the way down for
a good stretch.
Siddiqu Muhammad is an ACE
(American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, NFPT
(National Federation of Personal Trainers) certified personal trainer,
a Professional Athlete Strength and Conditioning coach, and
Motivational Speaker. Send questions to him at
chicagofit4life@yahoo.com. To view more of Chicago Fit 4 Life’s eating
and training philosophy visit www.cf4life.com