Sometime I just don’t feel like going to the gym or I don’t have the time. This is a workout I do that works very nice. This could also be used by someone who doesn’t want to go the gym or use free weights. It works all the major muscle groups. It won’t get you huge because that would take a free weights, but it will keep you tone.
There a couple of accessories you will need.
1. Workout bands. They look like a jump rope with handles at ethere end but are made up a stretchy elastic material.
2. A six seconds ab crunch device. I have the old one, they have a new one now. I also got my workout bands from the six seconds ab shipment.
I like to start with my abdominals. I crunch 10-50 reps. In each position.
For Abs I do the following positions:
- Sitting on the couch and laying back I crunch my knees to my chest with the six second abs device.
- Sitting up on the couch I do the left side
- Sitting up on the couch I crunch the left side
- Then I do a traditional crunch center
- Now I go to the floor and work the love handles. The ab machine goes under your arm like a crutch and you laterally crunch down on it and concentrate on the muscle on the love handle area.
You’ve probably seen the six second ab commercial and thought it was just another crappy gimmick. Well it’s a gimmick that is great for working the abs, as it ads resistance to crunches and gets you off the floor. It will tighten up your mid section quick and really is genius for working the love handles away. Just as always though, don’t be fooled. If you have a lot of fat on your body ab muscles won’t show unless you lose the fat. However that having strong ab muscles is very good for your regardless if you can see them or not.
The next thing I do is a couple of back exercises. The first one is simply to lay on your belly and arch your back up. So, you are arching up your head and your legs and balancing on your belly. Splay your hands out forward above your head. Now just hold the position for a count of 100-300. When you feel a good burn or get to tired to hold it you are done. This exercise really helped me with some back problems I had. Often times back problems are due to a part of the back being weak and if you just stenghten it a little the pain goes away.
The second exercise is for the lower back. This is also an exercise done in the gym with free weights. But, works very well without them.
Stand with feet shoulder length apart. Keeping your back slightly arched back pivot at your hip and dip forward until you can touch the floor just in front of your feet. Bend the legs just slightly through the motion. Now slowly return to a standing position. You can do anywhere from 20-50 reps. It is important that you do this exercise very slowly, as it works the lumbar region and you can really hurt your back if you strain this area.
The next exercise is simply push-ups. 25-100 of them. To get a full benefit from pushups it’s important to do them somewhat slowly and to concentrate on the chest muscles. Often times you will see people doing push-ups, maybe in gym class, very quickly. This is bad for the joints and you are jerking your weight around and using momentum more that working the muscles.
You basic proper push up should work like this. Hands placed roughly wider than your shoulder width. Back and legs straight. Legs should be locked straight at the knees. The head should be up and straight as well.
As you do the push-up go slow enough where it is a 3 count up and 2 count down. As push up concentrate on your chest muscles working. As you get to the top of the movement flex your chest inward and arch your upper back out slightly. You should feel a strong flex in your chest muscles and really feel them working.
With the next exercises we move on to the workout bands.
With feet shoulder width apart and holding a band handle in each hand, stand on the center of the bands. From this position you can do bicep curls either with both hands or one at a time. As always go at a slow pace working the muscle. 20-30 reps until you feel a good burn.
The next exercise is from the same position working the shoulders. simply raise your arms forward and laterally, 20-30 reps until you feel a good burn.
The last two exercises are for the back muscles by the shoulder blades and the lats.
Sit flat on your but on the ground. Torso up and legs out in front of you spread out. The bands are going to be braced on your feet. Gripping the bands lean back until you feel a good amount of tension. Raise your hands and elbows to shoulder level and pull the bands back working the muscles just under the back of your kneck by the shoulder blades. For the arms this is similar to the push-up position.
The lat exercise is almost the same, except you are going to lower your elbows until they are at your sides. Pull back arching your back and concentrating on pulling with the lat muscles.
The last two exercises are for the legs.
This one is borrowed from martial arts and is a squat of sorts. Since we don’t have weight on our shoulders we don’t have to worry about messing up our back so the stance is different.
If you have ever been in a martial art it is the horse stance. Feet double shoulder width apart. Toes pointed forward, an knees point outward from yourself. As if you were riding a horse. Now keeping the back straight simply squad down until your hips are even with your knees. You can do this one anywhere from 20-50 times. Do this slowly. If you have never worked your legs or hips before be careful and take it slowly. Remember, 3 down, 2 up.
The last exercise is for the calves. Feet together simply raise up on the balls of your feet as high as you can until your calves flex. Repeat this 20-50 times.
