Fit Or Fat: Nutrition and Exercise
Weight Lifting Jump Starts Your ProgramPosting Date: 06/26/2001 You can help yourself lose body fat and become fitter by adding weight lifting into your exercise routine. Not only does weight lifting strengthen your muscles, it also helps stimulate your metabolism to help you burn more body fat. You'll also become stronger and help prevent injuries in other physical activities.
Women are often worried that they will "bulk up" if they lift weights, but this is rarely the case. It takes a lot of lifting pretty heavy weights to add bulk. Think of body builders -- if it was that easy to get so big, they wouldn't spend all day working out!
Below is a list of weight lifting moves to help you get started. They are geared to target the main muscle groups. Do two sets of each of the exercises listed below for a maximum of 10-12 repetitions. Keep the first set pretty light ?- it?s more of a warm up. Make the second set heavy enough so that you can only do 12 (or maybe one more?).
You?ll notice that many of these lifts can be done right at home with either a set of hand held weights or no weights at all. So, there is no need to feel intimidated or overwhelmed. If there is more than one variety listed, just pick one. Alternate your exercise choice every couple of weeks for variety. Switching exercises will help to work different parts of each muscle group, thus enhancing effectiveness.
LOWER BODY EXERCISES
- Squat (glutes, "buns")
Toes forward -- Standing with feet shoulder width apart, squat as if sitting into a chair. When you get to chair height, stand back up. Be sure to keep your knees over your toes, not out in front of them.
- Lunge (legs, glutes, "buns")
a. Stationery, legs split, one front/one back, dip down and back up. All on one side then switch.
b. Moving lunge, alternating sides, lunge forward with one foot, step together and then lunge forward with the other foot.
- Leg curl (hamstring)
a. Standing with chair, raise leg behind and curl heel toward buttocks. For extra resistance use exercise tubing or stretch bands.
b. Lying with feet on chair, squeeze hips and buttocks off the floor.
c. Hamstring curl machine (at gym).
- Calf raise (calf)
a. Stand with toes on board to lift heels off floor, raise up heels (together or one at a time).
b. Calf press or calf raise with machine (at gym).
ABDOMINAL EXERCISES
(Do one or two of the abodominal exercises listed)
- Regular crunch
Lie flat on floor with knees up, feet on floor, curl shoulders and chest up towards ceiling.
- Reverse crunch
Lie flat on floor with knees tucked in towards chest. Curl knees toward nose with a half crunch.
- Cross crunch
Lie flat on floor, cross one foot and place ankle on bent knee. Cross opposite elbow to knee with a curl.
UPPER BODY EXERCISES
- Biceps (front of upper arm)
a. Regular curl. Standing or sitting, curl hand toward shoulder.
b. Concentration curl. Sitting, curl arms in towards chest, slightly diagnol.
- Triceps (back of upper arm)
a. Kick backs. From a bent over position, press hand, pinky finger to sky, up and back.
b. French press. Standing, hand over head, bring hand down towards body with elbows pointing up. Press hand back and up.
- Chest
a. Chest press. With a pillow behind back, press arms from sides to ceiling.
b. Push ups. Can be done against wall, with knees bent, or legs straight.
c. Bench press machine (at gym).
- Upper back
a. One arm bent-over row. Standing with legs split, bend over so one arm is hanging towards floor. Pull this arm up and towards the side. Squeezing shoulder blade towards opposite side.
b. Pull-back machine (at gym).
c. Overhead press. Hold weights at shoulders and press over head.
d. Military press machine (at gym).
- Upright row (shoulders)
a. Standing, hold a weight with both hands. Slide the weight up the front of the body -- from waist to just above nipple line.
- Lats (the triangular muscle located on both sides of your back starting at your arm pit and attaching near your hip and spine)
a. Use resistance tubing to pull arms from overhead down and back to sides of hips.
b. Lat pull-down machine (at gym).
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