Authors: Drew Manning
Fit2Fat2Fit (31 page)
STEP | Â | Place a low step against a wall for stability, or use your stairs at home. |
STEP | Â | Now get in push-up position on the floor, facing the step in front of you. (If you're a beginner, you can do this exercise on your knees until you build up the strength to do it without the added assistance.) |
STEP | Â | Put one hand flat on the top of the step, followed by the other hand (keeping your body in a straight lineâhence the word “plank”). |
STEP | Â | Return hands down off the step/stair one at a time until you're back in the starting push-up position. |
STEP | Â | Repeat these movements at a fast pace for approximately 30 to 45 seconds, depending on your fitness level. |
This is another vital exercise to strengthen your upper body and improve your flexibility and athleticism. Chin-ups, which are different from pull-ups due to the way the palms are facing (pull-ups = palms facing away from you; chin-ups = palms facing toward you), allow you to focus more on the biceps muscles. This is why I always perform chin-ups on my biceps day instead of doing just a bunch of standard curls. This exercise strengthens so much more than just biceps, but it's a great way to get those “guns” for us menâor, for you ladies, it'll create some nice definition.
STEP | Â | Grip the pull-up bar with palms facing you. |
STEP | Â | Extend your arms all the way and hang from the bar. |
STEP | Â | Pull your body up (without a swinging motion), using primarily your biceps, until your chin reaches above the bar. |
STEP | Â | Return to the starting position and repeat. |
“Curls for the girls”âthat's what my wrestling coach used to call these back in high school. Curls aren't that difficult to do, and they make your arms look defined. I like to add a few twists to traditional dumbbell curls, though. Adding a quick 1-count on the way up (positives) followed by a slow 3-count on the way down (negatives) is great for improved strength and explosiveness.
STEP | Â | Stand with feet shoulder width apart while holding dumbbells. Let the weights hang in front of you with your palms facing forward. |
STEP | Â | While keeping your back straight, bring dumbbells up in the curve of a D-shaped motion, using your biceps. At the top, squeeze/flex the biceps. (Do the lifting motion as you count to 1; it should be a fast motion.) |
STEP | Â | Return back down in the same D-shaped arcâthis time counting to 3 to get a slow motionâuntil your arms are fully extended and back in the starting position. |
Dips are another great exercise I work into my routine no matter what phase I'm in (strength building vs. toning). There are many variations and degrees of difficulty for this exercise. I like to include a pulse at the bottom to add an extra degree of difficultyâand you'll feel better after even one set!
STEP | Â | Sit on a chair with your hands on the edges a bit out from your hips. |
STEP | Â | Walk your body away from the chair so that you're holding yourself up with your arms, and your feet are about shoulder width apart, giving you extra support. |
STEP | Â | Go straight down until your arms form a 90-degree angle (keeping your elbows in and your back straight). |
STEP |  | Come back up slightly (about ¼ of the way), then return all the way back down again. |
STEP | Â | Return up to the starting position. |
Another great and effective triceps workout is “skull crushers,” which sound intimidating but are pretty simple to do, even at home. This exercise really helps to isolate just the triceps muscles. Having stronger triceps will help with a lot of other upper-body exercises. My wife loves these; she says they help prevent those flabby arms that many women struggle with.
STEP | Â | Lie down with your back on a stability ball, knees bent as needed, so that your body is parallel to the floor. |
STEP | Â | Bring dumbbells straight up above your head with arms extended and palms facing each other. |
STEP | Â | Bend your arms to 90 degrees so that the dumbbells reach your forehead on both sides. (Don't actually hit your head; just get close!) |
STEP | Â | At the bottom do a pulse by bringing the dumbbells back up a quarter of the way, then back down all the way; then straighten your arms so that the dumbbells are again above you, keeping your elbows in the same position throughout the entire step. |
Strengthening your core is one of the most important things when it comes to physical fitness, yet it's overlooked by many, including professional athletes. Your core is your foundation, and if
it
is strong, that strength will benefit the rest of your body. So many people focus only on abs, and they think the key to a six-pack is to do as many sit-ups as possible. I love the plank, even though it's a yoga pose, because it's one of the most basic core exercises and is very effective. A lot of dudes think yoga is for “girls,” but it has many benefits for everyone (yes, even if you're a bodybuilder). The extra hip rotation adds a degree of difficulty and helps widen the area of muscles worked during this exercise.
STEP | Â | Lie face down on a floor mat, resting on your forearms. |
STEP | Â | Push off the floor, raising yourself up onto your toes and resting on your elbows. |
STEP | Â | Concentrate on keeping your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air and your middle from sagging. |
STEP | Â | Rotate to one side by bringing one of your hips to touch the floor. |
STEP | Â | Return to the center position. |
STEP | Â | Rotate to the other side by bringing the other hip to the floor. Repeat. |
The side plank is another essential core exercise, reaching different muscles than a traditional plank. This exercise focuses on the obliques, hips, lower back, and “love handle” area. Being a guy, I get a lot of stares doing this one, since most guys in the gym are working some kind of ab-cruncher machine. The “thread the needle” motion adds an extra degree of difficulty to traditional side planks. This supplemental motion has many benefits, such as widening the area worked during the exerciseâspecifically, the motion helps to strengthen the small stabilizer muscles and improve balance.
