Optimum Fitness Fitness News and equipment reviews
If you want to get in shape for summer and look good on the beach, you need to start NOW!
Why? Because muscle definition is not going to happen overnight.
You need at least 4 – 6 months to see any significant visible improvement.
Where to start
The first thing you need to think about is stripping away body fat.
Let’s be clear – you can have the most amazing six pack, but if there are 2 -3 inches of body fat covering that six-pack, NOBODY WILL EVER SEE IT!
Follow these 5 top tips for burning body fat, and watch it melt away:
- Do 30 minutes of high intensity cardiovascular exercise 4 days per week.
- Quit the excuses. Invest in a good-quality treadmill or exercise bike to use at home – no need to worry about getting to the gym!
- For evening meals, only eat protein (chicken, fish or meat) with veggies – NO CARBS after lunch
4. Weight train 3 times a week (more on this later)
5. Cut out the crap – if you want to lose body fat, the hard truth is that you are going to have to cut out as much alcohol, sugary drinks, processed food, cakes, candy, chips, biscuits, cookies, cakes, crisps and sweets as you can. Many of my clients find that if they can limit their intake of unhealthy stuff to one day a week, they get the results that they want, without feeling cheated.
How to grow bigger muscles
You build strength with high weights and low numbers of repetitions (e.g. 4 – 8)
You build endurance with low weights and high numbers of repetitions (e.g. 15 – 20)
You build BIG MUSCLES with 8 – 12 repetitions using a weight you can ONLY lift 8 – 12 times.
Follow this simple exercise plan, three times a week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) to see great results:
Body Part |
Example Exercise |
|
|
1 |
Legs and Butt | Squats |
|
2 |
Back and Biceps | Lat Pulldown |
|
3 |
Chest and Triceps | Bench Press |
|
4 |
Back and Biceps | Pull Ups |
|
5 |
Chest and Triceps | Press Ups |
| 6 | Shoulders | |
| 7 | Biceps | |
| 8 | Triceps | |
| 9 | Abs | |
| 10 | Back |
As you can see, this plan starts with compound exercises like squats and pull ups. Compound Exercises are great calorie burners! These exercises work lots of big muscles using natural body movements.
The plan then focuses on toning and defining the arms and abdominal muscles to help you look your best and really focus on building a great body that other guys will be jealous of, and girls will
Recovery Breaks
By following this strength training program in this order, you give each muscle group a short recovery break. Recovery breaks are vital! They allow your muscles to recover their strength levels so they can put optimal effort into their next exercise.
TOP TIP: Make sure each muscle group rests for about 45 seconds, before challenging it with another exercise.
Equipment
Supplement your treadmill or exercise bike with the following equipment, and you have everything you need for the perfect home gym:
- One bench
- One set of adjustable dumbbells
- One set of barbells
- One pull-up bar
- One non-slip mat
- One bosu, or Swiss ball
With only 5 items, you will have everything you need to build big muscles and look awesome.
This article was written by Sheona Bird, BSc, MSc, ACSM, Reps Level 4
Sheona is a health, fitness and wellbeing specialist who has been providing expert advice, guidance and one-to-one coaching and instruction since 2005.
