Putting off fitness goals until bikini season is standard practice, but with prom just around the corner, you may have to step it up a few weeks in advance. Don't sacrifice buying the strapless dream dress you've been eyeing because you're conscious of your less-than-toned physique. Mixed with a healthy diet, a fitness regime of cardio and weight training can provide you with Rihanna-worthy curves and toned, sculpted arms à la Leighton Meester, just in time to make your grand entrance.
"Leaning out is what most people are after, and that is a simple case of choosing the right workout to reach this goal," says Peter Varun George, personal trainer at Totum Life Science, a sports-medicine clinic in Toronto. Cardio workouts such as rowing will develop muscular tone in the biceps while combining lower- and upper-body workouts is ideal for fat loss and building muscle.
Combine the below exercises, recommended by George, to reach your goal - at the gym or at home in front of your favourite TV show.
Click here for Oh-So-Toned Arms
Click here for a Fabulous Core
For Oh-So-Toned Arms...
Perform the below exercises with a 5-20 lb. weight bar, depending on ability.
1. Squats combined with military press (3 sets of 15 reps)
Grasp bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder width. Position the bar in front of your neck and perform a squat. After performing a squat, press the bar until arms are extended overhead. Lower to the front of your neck and repeat the squat and press combination.
2. Close Grip bench press (3 sets of 10 reps)
Take a narrow shoulder width grip of the bar and lie face up on a bench or on the floor. Keeping your elbows close to your body and always pointed forwards, press the bar up in a straight line.
3. Squat thrust (3 sets of 15 reps)
From standing position, drop to a squat position with your hands on the ground and on the balls of your feet. Throw your feet back, putting yourself into a push-up position. Reverse the motion and begin again.
4. Rest 60-90 seconds
5. Row or skip for 5 min. at a moderate intensity level
For a Fabulous Core...
There is no rest between the following three exercises. Perform them in a circuit fashion, resting 60 seconds between circuits, until three full circuits have been completed.
1. Planks
Lie face down on the mat, resting on your forearms with your palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto your toes and resting on your elbows while keeping your back flat in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold 30-60 seconds and try to increase by 5 seconds each week.
2. Stability ball crunches (30-60s seconds)
Place the ball on your lower back; cross your arms over your chest; look to the ceiling; curl up your core and exhale through the mouth. Try to get all the air out of your lungs by the time you reach the top; exhaling stimulates the muscles of the abdomen further, which increases the efficiency of the exercise. Aim to fatigue yourself by 12 reps.
3. Russian twists (30-60s seconds)
Sit down on the floor with your knees bent and heels grounded. Angle your torso at 45 degrees relative to the floor; keep your back perfectly straight and focus on rotating your shoulders from one side to another. Don't just move your hands from side-to-side, but twist your core.
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