The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (24 page)

Triceps Leg Extension

A

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding an 8- to 12-pound dumbbell with both hands.

• Contract your abs, lift the dumbbell overhead, and slowly drop your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows next to your ears.

B

• Next, push the dumbbell toward the ceiling and simultaneously extend your right leg to the side. Release to the starting position and repeat, this time raising your left leg. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 8.

The 1-Minute Hammer Curl

A

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

• Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them next to your thighs, palms facing each other. This grip is known as the hammer, or neutral, grip.

B

• Curl the weight in your right hand toward your shoulder without rotating your wrist.

• As you lower the dumbbell, curl the weight in your left hand.

• Alternate your arms rhythmically.

REPS:
Do as many as you can with good form in 1 minute.

CHEAT SHEET

You’ll know if you cheated yourself out of a good workout by monitoring how your body feels. When you are finished with your workout, you shouldn’t feel like you could do it again.

Pyramid Pushup

A

• From a regular pushup position, move your hands to form a triangle on the floor (with your thumbs and forefingers touching).

• Your hands should be centered between your shoulders and your nose.

B

• Next, lower yourself until you’re a few inches above your hands and pause for 2 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat.

REPS:
Do 8 to 12.

TIP:
Do it on your knees for an easier version.

Chinup

A

• Using a wide, underhand grip (palms facing you), hang from a bar with your elbows straight, knees bent back, and ankles crossed.

B

• Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar and slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.

REPS:
Do as many as you can.

TIP:
Chinups are tough. If you can’t manage one yet, have a workout partner help you raise yourself by placing her hands beneath your ankles.

Medicine Ball Rolling Pushup

A

• Get in a pushup position with your left hand on top of a 5- to 8-pound medicine ball and your right hand on the floor.

B

• Lower yourself until your chest is as close to the floor as possible.

• Press back up until your arms are fully extended.

C

• Roll the ball to your right, then quickly place your weight on your left hand and place your right hand on top of the ball.

• Do another pushup, then roll the ball back to the left That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 6 to 10, moving quickly.

MICHELLE-OBAMA-ARMS WORKOUT

Toss that baggy boyfriend hang-to-your-knees oversize XL T-shirt and get yourself a cute, fitted girl T that says, “I am a woman. And I kick butt.” The following workout will give you Michelle Obama–style biceps, as well as sculpted shoulders and triceps and a toned upper back and chest. You’ll never go shapeless again.

START HERE:

Do these moves one after another with no rest in between. Then repeat the circuit for a total of two times, with a minute of rest between circuits.

Standing Lunge Shoulder Cross

A

• Hold a 5-pound dumbbell in your right hand and step forward with your left foot as if you’re about to lunge.

• Bend your right elbow 90 degrees and raise it so it’s in line with your shoulder, with your palm facing forward.

B

• Next, sink down until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. As you lunge, bring the dumbbell down and across your body to the outside of your left thigh.

• Stand up and raise your arm to the starting position. After 10, repeat with the weight in the left hand and your right foot forward.

REPS:
Do 10 on each side.

Lateral Band Raise

A

• Grab an exercise band and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

• Hold one end of the band with your right hand at your side with your elbow slightly bent, and step on the other end of the band with your left foot.

B

• Raise your right arm straight up to the side until it’s in line with your shoulders, then lower it slowly. Repeat.

• After completing all reps, hold an end of the band under your right foot and extend the band with your left hand.

REPS:
Do 10 on each side.

LOOSEN UP BY LIFTING

Lifting weights through a full range of motion can improve your flexibility better than stretching does, according to a University of North Dakota study. The likely reason? During resistance exercise, your muscles first contract and then stretch to their full range between each repetition. One way to make weight training even more effective for flexibility: Each time you reach the “down” position of the lift (where you feel the stretch), pause for 2 to 3 seconds without relaxing your muscles.

Biceps Curl