Authors: Drew Manning
Fit2Fat2Fit (30 page)
STEP | Â | Lie on your back on a medium- to large-size (55 to 75 cm) stability ball with knees bent so that your body is parallel to the floor. (Your upper back should be resting on the stability ball while your hips and butt will be off the medicine ball.) |
STEP | Â | With arms perpendicular to your body and bent upward at the elbow, hold the dumbbells out to the side. |
STEP | Â | Press both dumbbells up until arms are fully extended. |
STEP | Â | Lower one of the weights toward the side of your upper chest (keeping your other arm extended) until a slight stretch is felt in the chest or shoulder. |
STEP | Â | Finally, extend the arm fully to the step 3 position. Now switch arms! |
Pull-ups are a must in my workout routine. Even if I'm trying to build more muscle mass, I still include this excellent exercise in whatever routine I'm doing. This is definitely a good measuring tool for me as far as my athleticism is concerned, and I'm always striving to be able to perform more repetitions of this exercise. Pull-ups work multiple muscles in the back, as well as the biceps, forearms, and even core. That's why this exercise is a must, especially for those who desire to achieve the upper-body V shape that many fitness buffs strive for.
STEP | Â | Grip the pull-up bar with palms facing away from you. |
STEP | Â | Extend your arms all the way and hang from the bar. |
STEP | Â | Pull your body up (without a swinging motion) until your chin reaches above the bar. |
STEP | Â | Return to the starting position and repeat. |
Deadlifts are an often-forgotten (or -neglected) exercise in the gym. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to perform these, because they're exhausting when done properly. However, dumbbell deadlifts are a great strengthening exercise for the lower back, middle back, upper back, core, legs, forearms, and grip strength. I generally perform these on those weight-training days that focus on my back.
STEP | Â | Stand straight up, feet shoulder width apart, with dumbbells resting just in front of you, your arms fully extended downward. |
STEP | Â | Slowly lower the dumbbells while keeping your back straight (though angled forward), chest out, and butt back until the dumbbells go below the kneecaps. |
STEP | Â | Return to a fully standing position while keeping the dumbbells close to your body. |
Squats are another exercise that many people avoid, because their legs quickly feel like Jell-O after only the first set when squats are done properly. Like deadlifts, they benefit many muscle groups: lower back, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and even abs. Some will argue that no other exercise works as many muscles as squats do.
Jumping
squats add a degree of difficulty, but in different ways than traditional barbell squats. This variation works the fast-twitch muscle fibers, and you won't want to be using nearly as much weight as in traditional squats. This is a great exercise you can do without a gym membership and without equipment. You'll be sweating and breathing hard after doing these no matter what your level of fitness!
STEP | Â | Stand with feet shoulder width apart. |
STEP | Â | Lower your body while keeping your chest out, back straight, and butt back. |
STEP | Â | Go down until your thighs are parallel to the ground; then explode and jump up as high as you can. |
STEP | Â | Instead of landing with your legs locked straight, land with bent knees. Don't stop your motion, though; slowly lower yourself again and repeat the squat without pause (that is, no rest between). |
Lunges are another great exercise to help strengthen the legs and glutes. Most men think lunges are for “girls,” mostly because these exercises help to shape the glutes, but my opinion is that
no one
should have a saggy rear end. That's why leg days, for me, will always include some form of lunges.
Jumping
lunges, like jumping squats, add a slight degree of difficulty. They're very effective at burning calories during your workout and will definitely get your heart rate up, which is good for your cardiovascular system.
STEP | Â | Stand with one foot way out in front of you and the other back behind you, with the back foot up on your toes. |
STEP | Â | Go straight down, with back straight, until your front leg is parallel to the floor, making sure that your front knee doesn't go in front of your front toes. |
STEP | Â | From that lowest position, explode and jump up as high as you can. |
STEP | Â | Instead of landing with your legs locked straight, land with bent knees, switching legs each time you land (so that if your right leg was in back before the jump, it's now in front). Don't stop your motion, though; slowly lower yourself again and repeat without pausing. |
The title of this exercise might seem confusing, but it's actually two exercisesâside dumbbell raises and front dumbbell raisesârolled into three simple motions. This is a solid endurance exercise as well as a great toning exercise for your side and front deltoids. I like to mix this one into my workouts to get a great burn.
STEP | Â | Stand with feet shoulder width apart, with dumbbells hanging at your sides. |
STEP | Â | With elbows slightly bent raise both dumbbells to your sides, away from your body, until your arms are parallel to the floor. |
STEP | Â | Keeping your arms parallel to the floor, bring dumbbells in front of you until they touch (turning them so that they become perpendicular to the floor). |
STEP | Â | Still keeping arms parallel to the floor, bring dumbbells back out to the sides, and then lower down to your waist/hips. |
This is a great exercise that I was able to perform with Dr. Oz when I was on his show. It's another multimuscle exercise, but I tend to do it on my shoulder days. It covers a wide variety of muscles, including shoulders, triceps, and core, and it's also great for cardiovascular endurance. The word “plank” refers to the straight line your body maintains.
