Fit Or Fat: Nutrition and Exercise

Covert?s Home Weightless Weight Lifting Program

Posting Date: 07/17/2001

NO more excuses! You can do these four weight lifting exercises right at home. You don?t need any fancy equipment and, except for a couple of these, you don?t need weights. Try out the three different levels for each exercise to find the level best for you. For each exercise do one to three sets of 10.

Push-ups

Level 1: Wall push off. Stand facing about two feet away from a wall with your feet apart and your hands flat on the wall. Bend your elbows so your body falls towards the wall. Then slowly straighten your arms to push yourself back to the original position. To increase difficulty, move farther away from the wall.
Level 2: Bent-knee push-up. Do this like a regular push-up, only with your knees on the floor. Moving hands closer together or farther apart works different muscles.
Level 3: Straight-leg push-up. Keep feet 10-15 inches apart. To increase difficulty, elevate feet on a stool.

Tips: Keep back flat, not arched; keep arms bent, never locked straight; place hands slightly farther apart than shoulder width.

Squats

Level 1: Squat using table assist. Place one hand on a table to help balance yourself as you squat.
Level 2: Regular squat. Squat with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Level 3: Squat with added weight. Put a couple of heavy books into a plastic bag with handles. Use both of your hands to hold the bag in front of you as you squat.

Tips: Place feet shoulder-width apart. Squat as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Just when you reach the edge, stand back up. Reach hands out in front for balance. Caution! Don?t let your knees extend in front of your feet.

Sit-ups

Level 1: Crunch with arms across chest. Keep neck relaxed.
Level 2: Regular crunch sit-up. Rest head lightly in hands. Don?t pull on neck or head. Keep elbows out to sides.
Level 3: Crunch with added weight. Keep weight high on chest.

Tips: This is a very small movement -- you aren?t trying to touch your knees. Just raise your body four or five inches off the floor. Make sure you look up towards the ceiling.

Dips

Level 1: Sit-to-stand dip. Use a chair that has arms on either side. Sit on the edge of the chair and use chair arms to push yourself up and out of the chair.
Level 2: Bent-knee dip. Place hands on the edge of the chair with finger tips face forward. Place feet a minimum of 24 inches away from chair. Keep rear end close to chair as you dip down.
Level 3: Straight-leg dip. Place hands on the edge of the chair with finger tips face forward. As you dip, keep your legs straight, with a slight bend in the knees.

Tips: Keep the focus on your arms. It?s easy to cheat and let your legs do the work. The farther your feet are from the chair, the harder the exercise.

Adapted from The Ultimate Fit or Fat by Covert Bailey and Lea Bishop. Copyright 1999 by Covert Bailey, published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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