Autumn has definitely arrived and, let’s be honest, it’s cold, rainy and dark, which gives us the perfect excuse to scribble out the early gym session, curl up with a hot chocolate and stay in bed; and with Halloween around the corner, you’ll want to save giving trick or treaters a fright from a rosy, sweaty face!
This is why it’s good to have a range of exercise regimes that don’t feel like a chore, especially when it’s one of those days when our legs are feeling heavy from twerking a bit too much in Crisis; the step machine and the cross trainer are the last things you want to use. That’s when you turn to the free weights and the machines, a great substitute for burning calories without flying off the treadmill after trying to finish a 5km run.
Here’s a taste of what you can do: for your arms, try bicep curls, which consist of holding a dumbbell in each hand facing forward and bending your forearm, keeping your elbows close to your body, raising the dumbbell to your shoulders before returning it to the side of your body. Repeat this on the right and left side.
Next, try a minute of holding a dumbbell in each hand and raising your arms up to the side – until your arms are parallel to the floor and in-line with your shoulders – before moving them back down to rest beside your body. Can you feel the burn?
Finally, hold a dumbbell above your head in both hands, keeping your arms straight, before bending them behind you to a 90-degree angle, moving the dumbbell to just behind your head. Raise the weight back to the starting position and repeat the exercise. You can either stand or sit to do this.
On the day you’re dragged to the gym by your housemate, you can limit yourself to the weight machines to simply sit down, listen to music and choose an appropriate weight to work with. From muscle building of the back to toning of the hamstrings and calves, you can choose the amount of reps per workout and feel just as exhausted as if you’d done straight cardio.
If you’re a member of a gym with TRX equipment, or as a lot of people would describe it, a frame with dangling ropes, there are some nifty and tiring bodyweight workouts you can do – thank goodness somebody helped me before I replicated a swinging-upside down-bat.
Try these great exercises to get your 4-pack looking like a 6-pack (unless you go out that night)… First hook your feet into the strap at the end of the rope and get yourself into a press up position. Bend your knees and bring them to your chest. Start by doing a set of ten and repeat this three times after a short break in between:
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By staying in this position, you can also work the side of your body. Move your legs from right to left, bending them when you get to your waist, so your legs will swing to one side, then back to a straight press up position, and then repeat on the left side. Again, doing this ten times in a set of three will definitely start to spook your muscles:
To tone your arms, hold the strap at the end and lean back so that your body is at a 45-degree angle. Keep your feet and body still and use only your arms to pull yourself up, bending your arms and bringing them close to your side as you move higher:
Finally, we can’t ignore the legs – a common exercise is to hold onto the strap and do squats. You can do a straight squat, or jump in between; and even try a one-legged squat to create a more concentrated work out. If you’re feeling particularly devilish, try all three in sets of ten and repeat this three times.
So, although you may be feeling the Autumnal blues and fearing the skeletons in your closet, with many options available, you can have a lie in, eat some pumpkin pie and fit in a small workout without feeling guilty. Hop on your broom and discover the avid amount of equipment waiting to be used at your local gym.
Photo sources
http://rollingout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tumblr_lmdscjxpCM1qhnbtd.jpg
http://lateralraises.com/images/Dumbbell-Lateral-Raise.jpg
https://web.transatlantic-fitness.com/uploads/pics/tr_uebg4.jpg
http://www.menshealth.com/trx/images/pendulum-swing.jpg
http://popworkouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/trx-row.jpg
http://imworld.aufeminin.com/dossiers/D20110131/TRX-Suspension-training-system-180732_L.jpg
Edited by Ili Mustafa