Take a look at these simple yet super effective tips that will help tone an define your body quicker than you can say “Cardio!”
Don’t Get Too Focused.
I know this may sound weird for many, but in order to control a certain area of your body you must not neglect the rest of your body. For example, if you want to have slender arms, don’t just do tricep extensions and forget about doing cardio or working different muscle groups in your upper and lower body. If you focus on your whole body, not only will you see more results with the location that you want, but you’ll also become fitter in the process.
You Have The Power Of Choice.
It’s important to do exercises that you like because that motivates you to actually do them. If there is an exercise that you dis-like, try to modify it or replace it altogether to do one that’s more enjoyable. For instance in many workout books (which you can find at www.indigo.ca) there are dozens of exercises to choose from. You don’t necessarily have to do all of the exercises to become fit. Try and take one or two exercises and see how you feel and how your body responds to them.
This is great because after a while you’re able to mix and match certain exercises to come up with a customizable workout that suits YOUR needs.
Kick It Up A Notch.
When you do start off with an exercise program you can do the exercises without added weight. However, as you progress, it’s a good idea to incorporate some added resistance by using dumbbells or cuff weights.
By adding this extra weight you’ll bump up the intensity of the exercise which will in turn get you much better results. Adding more weight is totally up to you as well as your fitness level. You should start off with a weight that you can do 12-15 times comfortably. Once that gets too easy up the weight by 3- 5 pounds on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Dollar Saver!
Look for quality ankle/wrist weights in sporting goods stores. The cuffed ankle weights, with a pouch to insert various weights are much better and gives you better control of how much load you place on your muscles and joints. In terms of saving a few dollars, there also great because if you want to increase the weight, you simply insert more weight into the pouches. And when that gets too easy you can get a little crazy and place two pouches on one leg or arm instead of buying a whole new set.
The Importance Of Reps.
When you do your exercises an important question that always come up is “How much reps do I do?”. Here’s the breakdown:
For Muscle Growth: 3-6 reps of a heavy weight For Strength and Toning 10-12 reps of a moderate weight For Toning and Defining 12- 15 reps of a light weight (recommended for women who want to get that feminine and lean look)
Remember that these values act as a guideline, sometimes I have my clients do an exercise for 1 minute. So within that minute they end up doing 20+ repetitions of one exercise.
