The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (59 page)
Authors: Selene Yeager,Editors of Women's Health
Tags: #Exercise & Fitness, #Weight Training, #Men's Health, #Quick Workouts, #Mind & Body, #Health
A
• Sit on the edge of a chair, hands grasping the seat on either side of your hips. Keep your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Scoot your butt off the chair seat.
B
• Bend your elbows and lower your hips toward floor until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
C
• Straighten your arms, then reach your left arm straight out in front of your body at shoulder height, palm facing down, while simultaneously extending your right leg with the foot flexed.
• Pause. Then bring the arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat the entire sequence with the other arm and leg. That’s 1 rep.
REPS:
Do 10 to 12.
Single-Leg Step Down
A
• Holding dumbbells, stand on an 18-inch high step with only the right foot on top of the step, allowing the left leg to hang in the air.
B
• Pull your navel toward your spine and, keeping your chest lifted, slowly step down with the left foot and gently tap the left heel on the floor.
• Keeping the right heel firmly planted on the step, push up to the starting position. Complete all reps, then switch legs.
REPS:
Do 10 to 15 with each leg.
— • —
9
Number of extra pounds of fat lost over 10 weeks when dieters strength trained, compared with dieters who did no exercise, according to the
European Journal of Applied Physiology
.
— • —
Chapter 15:
15-Minute Stretch and Strengthen Workouts
THIS SERIES OF FLEXIBILTY EXERCISES ACTIVATES MUSCLE FIBERS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU EVEN HAD. IT’LL MAKE YOUR ENTIRE BODY FEEL YOUNGER, CALMER, AND SEXIER.
Superfast Stretch and Strengthen Workouts
In the past decade, women have been flocking to yoga and Pilates classes. Smart women. These increasingly popular forms of exercise take a full-body holistic approach to fitness, and they make you feel fabulous afterward. The great news is that yoga and Pilates are strong medicine, and you can reap their benefits even if you don’t have the time or the inclination to sign up for a regular class. The workouts here will improve your posture, eliminate muscle aches and soreness, and leave you with a lean, lithe body all in just 15 minutes.
Begin with the basics...
Most of the moves you’ll find in this chapter are considered dynamic stretches, meaning they stretch your muscles in various positions while your body is in motion. Dynamic stretches wake up your central nervous system and boost blood flow to your tissues. That makes them ideal warmup exercises for any physical activity. But you can do them anytime to stay strong, limber, and injury-free.
FIND IT QUICK:
YOUR 15-MINUTE STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN CIRCUIT PLAN
STRETCH INTO A HOT BOD
After a strength-training workout, you should:
A)
take a shower
B)
stretch
C)
down a protein drink
All three are great post-exercise ideas but only one is likely to triple your muscle strength. That would be stretching. In a study reported in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
, volunteers followed a strength-training regimen three times a week. Half of the group added two stretching sessions to the back end of their workout. After 8 weeks, the group that ended workouts with stretch routines almost tripled their muscle strength. Why? Because stretching, like lifting weights, causes tiny tears in your muscle; as your body repairs them, the tissue becomes stronger, explains study coauthor Jason Winchester, Ph.D., of George Mason University. That’s a good reason to tag one of the stretch routines in this chapter onto your strength workouts when you have the time.
YOGA METABOLISM WORKOUT
Get ready to rev up your fat-burning muscle fibers and sculpt a sexier shape with this superfast yoga routine.
START HERE:
Complete the moves in order, first on your right side, then on your left. Hold each pose for five to 10 breaths. Then do the series again, holding each pose for one breath. Repeat the one-breath series for a total of six sets. Finally, return to the long holds (five to 10 breaths), alternating sides for three sets.
Down Dog Split
A
• Start in a pushup position, then lift your hips and move into the downward-facing dog pose, keeping your legs straight and pressing your heels into the floor.
B
• Lift your right leg straight back and up, keeping your right foot firmly flexed.
• Imagine you are pressing your foot into the ceiling. This will be the position you return to after each move.
Half Crow Lift
• From down dog split, lower your right leg and bend your knee in to the outside of your right arm as you raise your chest and shift your weight forward.
• Keep this move slow and controlled.
• Make it harder: Move your shoulders in front of your wrists, bend your elbows, and try to lift your left foot off the ground as much as possible.
TIP:
To lift your left foot off the ground, press your right knee into your right upper arm.
Knee to Forehead
