Stretching is to exercise as dessert is to dinner. It’s the icing on the cake. It’s the feel-good part of both exercise and dinner. After a great workout, be sure you are stretching every muscle that you worked. This is one of the best stretches for the tricpes, the back part of your upper arm. Place arm up and behind your head, as shown below, and slightly push the elbow back with your other hand. Stretch and breathe into the movement. Take your time. Hold the stretch from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes. When you feel like you can’t go any further, take a deep breath and stretch just an inch more. Toned tricpes look gorgeous in a cute summer dress or bikini. Lose the giggle and get your arms looking hot.
Professional yogis don’t use yoga mats just to keep their feet on a soft surface during yoga postures, they use yoga mats because they are incredibly beneficial to help you stretch further. Yoga mats, sometimes called sticky mats, are thick rubber-like surfaces, about 4 feet wide, designed to be under foot while you are doing yoga or Pilates workouts.
When you place your hands and feet on a yoga mat, they almost stick (and sink) into the soft mat, keeping your hands and feet securely firm, with no worry of slipping out of your posture. They are also fabulous for doing stretches, enabling you to stretch deep into your stretches with your feet and/or hands essentially glued to the mat. It truly makes a difference in your workouts.
Also great to stimulate the spine. How to: Lay on your back, hold your bent legs to your chest, wrapping your arms around your bent legs, and rock in a boat pose from head to feet. The thickness of the yoga mat keeps it comfortable for your spine. It will feel like a back massage!
Kiss the carpet goodbye, and try using a yoga mat during your next yoga/Pilates/stretching session. It increases your flexibility by 25% to even 50%. (Those aren’t scientific percentages…it’s just what I can feel in my own workouts.)
If you zoom through your repetitions when strength training, you’ll be using momentum instead of muscle power. You won’t get the same stimulus for muscle building, and you won’t burn as many calories. You’ll also be more susceptible to training injuries such as torn muscles.
Take 6 seconds to perform each repetition: 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. Experts agree that slowing down is the single most significant change you can make to get better results from strength training.
“Women should never use more than 2 or 3 pound weighs because it bulks you up too much.” Tracy Anderson (fitness trainer to Madonna) on the use of weights in the gym.
(ed. note): It appears that 2-3 pound weights do a good job at bulking you up as well. Exhibit A: Madonna’s arms.
Do we like, or is this too bulky? You make the call.
Fat burning Pilates is my secret weapon in the morning. Pilates makes your body feel so good when you wake up…it’s the ultimate good morning stretch. It also feels great to break a sweat by 6 a.m.! I love the Crunch series workout videos. I’ve also seen them at the library (an excellent source to try before you buy.)
Not only will Pilates in the a.m. make you feel completely stretched and strong, it boosts your energy all day long. It makes you want to eat better throughout the day. It also keeps your fitness goals at the top of your list. And knowing that you have already worked out for the day is such a feeling of reward. It feels incredible. Try it!
What I’m loving now: Gilad’s Express Workouts. Gilad gives you 15 express workouts that are under 10 minutes each. He gives you fat burning cardio workouts, calorie burning strength workouts, core workouts, and sculpting workouts that target every muscle group in your body. Now you can customize your results by focusing on the body parts you need to work on the most. Complete workout charts are available on Gilad’s website for download. Gilad is the host and producer of the award-winning fitness shows Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt and has been voted FitTV’s fitness instructor of the year 4 years in a row. In 2007, he was inducted into the national Fitness Hall of Fame (a well-deserved title.)
I’ve been working out with Gilad since 1989 and always count on him to wear me out during every workout. He’s tough, but keeps you motivated every step of the way…not to mention, the boy is extremely easy on the eyes. Check your library to see if they carry this DVD and try it for yourself. Your body will look better because of it!
This is what strength training does for you…it gives you amazing, well-defined muscles. So many women shy away from strength training/weight training, fearing they’ll develop body builder-type arms. The reality is, women who are body builders not only train to extremes and discipline themselves religiously in their diet, but many also take additional supplements and drugs to achieve a female body builder physique.
Exercises, such as lateral lifts, biceps curls, and triceps extensions with weights, are what’s needed to achieve the kind of muscles that our First Lady has. She’s gorgeous and healthy. It’s a beautiful look. The only way to achieve such lean muscle definition is to use resistance (weights or bands.)
Don’t reach for the 3 pound weights unless you are just starting out. Challenge yourself. You can lift a lot more than you think you can. Biceps and triceps are load-bearing muscles, they can take the challenge.
Try these three exercises to achieve arms like our First Lady.
