Firm Up Faster!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Firm Up Faster!
8
Sun, 03-04-2007 - 9:56am

Ah......that got your attention- but of course, this WON'T happen without a little work:



Firm Up Faster
6 ingenious ways to double the results of your workout.
By Selene Yeager, Prevention magazine


No woman has to be a slave to her gym shorts to get a slimmer, sexier body. Not now. Not ever. Research proves it: You don't have to work out longer—just smarter. Make these easy tweaks to your routine and spend the time saved enjoying your svelte new shape.



Power Up Your Walks



  • Old thinking: Stretch first
  • New approach: Get moving

A review of 23 studies found that stretching before an activity damages muscle tissue, which reduces muscle strength and hinders performance. Start each workout by moving your limbs through a full range of motion, says certified personal trainer and walking coach Judy Heller of Portland, OR. "You want to get the fluid in your joints flowing, so your ankles, hips, knees, and shoulders are well lubricated and move with ease," she says.


Improve results: Do each of the following moves 6 to 10 times before you start walking. And stretch only after your workout. Studies show this can help keep you limber and prevent chronic injuries such as tendinitis.




  • Heel raise: Lift heels off ground, rising up on toes, then rock back slightly onto heels so toes come off ground.


  • Four-way leg lifts: Shift weight to left leg and gently swing right leg out to side as far as it will go and then back across your body. Repeat with left leg. With weight on left leg again, raise right knee toward chest, then swing and extend it to back. Repeat with opposite leg.


  • Hula-hoop swivel: Rotate hips like you're hula-hooping. Reverse direction.


  • Shoulder swing: Keeping shoulders relaxed, bend elbows and gently swing arms forward and back, stretching through chest and fronts of shoulders.


Burn More Fat




  • Old thinking: Walk long and steady


  • New approach: Do speed bursts

Short pops of energy help your body burn fat both while you work out and long afterward—and in less workout time. In a recent study, exercisers who performed just 2 to 3 minutes of high-intensity, 30-second sprints on exercise bikes (with 4 minutes of easy pedaling in between) three times a week boosted their ability to use oxygen—a key factor in fat burning—by about 30%, says study author Martin Gibala, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario. What's more, your metabolism stays revved longer after a vigorous workout than after an easy one: Researchers from Canada's Laval University found that although participants who did short bursts burned only half as many calories during their workouts as peers who exercised longer, they had burned nine times as much fat after 15 weeks.


Improve results: If you normally walk for 45 minutes, cut it down to 30. After a short warm-up, speedwalk at your fastest pace for 1 minute. Recover for 1 minute, walking at a moderate pace. Repeat about 15 times. Cool down.



Erase Arm, Hip, and Thigh Flab




  • Old thinking: Lift for 12 to 15 reps


  • New approach: Pump out only 3 to 5

Performing just a few reps with heavy weights activates hard-to-tone "fast-twitch" muscle fibers that atrophy (hence the jiggly flesh) as you age. Problem is, many women use 3- to 5-pound dumbbells when they really should be using 10-pound or even heavier weights, says researcher William Kraemer, PhD, a physiology professor at the University of Connecticut. If you amp up your weight-training, you can fire those fibers and regain your strength and shape.


Improve results: Once a week (but no more—your muscles need recovery time), trade in your 3- and 5-pound dumbbells for 10, 15, even 20-pounders or heavier. Think it's too hard?Remember, you routinely pick up 10-pound grocery bags and maybe even 50-pound kids. Shoot for three sets, 3 to 5 reps per set. If you can't maintain good form, the weight is too heavy; pick a slightly lighter one.



Tighten Your Abs




  • Old thinking: Hit the mat


  • New approach: Stand up

Your abs are made of endurance-based muscle fibers, which is a fancy way of saying that it takes dozens of crunches to fatigue (and tone) them. However, many women who do crunches on the floor find that their necks start to ache before their abs begin to burn, so they stop—and never get the firm midsections they want. The secret to firmer, flatter abs: Add rotation—twisting your abs and obliques (side muscles)—to other strength moves such as squats or lunges. These muscles are designed to hold you upright and stabilize your torso, and anytime you twist or turn, they jump into action, says Andrew Fry, PhD, a professor of exercise and sport sciences at the University of Memphis. Activate them throughout your workout and they'll be quicker to fatigue once you hit the floor.


Improve results: When you do lunges, add a twist, rotating from your middle toward the knee that's out in front. Also, when you stand up from a squat, raise one knee toward the opposite shoulder as high as you can and rotate your torso toward that knee. Then, come crunch time, you can cut your repetitions in half.



Do Anything Better




  • Old thinking: Dive right in


  • New approach: Think first

Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found that when men and women simply imagined exercising their little fingers and biceps for 15 minutes a day, five times a week for 12 weeks, their strength increased by up to 35%—without actually moving a muscle. This is a testament to the power of the mind-muscle connection, says Sean McCann, PhD, sports psychologist with the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. "When you visualize an action, your brain develops a model of it that allows you to recruit the muscles you need and perform more effectively and efficiently when you actually do it," he says.


Improve results: Take a few seconds to picture yourself performing a perfect set of squats, executing a smashing tennis serve, or even just briskly walking down your favorite path. Then get out there and do it.



Avoid Drop-Out-itis




  • Old thinking: Take time off


  • New approach: Skip the rest days

Exercise—even a light workout—actually reduces next-day soreness and speeds your body's recovery. The reason? It increases blood flow, which delivers healing nutrients to your muscles and flushes out metabolic waste. Plus, "when you move your body every day, whether it's taking a walk, lifting weights, or simply stretching, exercise becomes part of your daily landscape, which means you're working out more consistently," says Steve Glass, PhD, a professor of exercise physiology at Grand Valley State University. "And that almost guarantees faster results." (Read: You'll burn more calories.)


Improve results: Do some activity every single day, even if it's only for 10 or 15 minutes. This doesn't have to mean more exercise. Simply borrow time from your other workouts and spread it out over the week.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Sun, 03-04-2007 - 12:27pm

Great article IG - of course the lazy person in me is disappointed to see that days off aren't necessarily a good thing! LOL


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 03-04-2007 - 3:04pm
I know.....I was a little disappointed to read that myself Miranda ;-)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2001
Mon, 03-05-2007 - 1:09pm

WOW! That had some great info! Thanks!


The standing for abs REALLY explains the whole "tae bo twisting thing" he does a lot in his dvds!



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 03-05-2007 - 7:58pm

You know Vanessa, Leslie's ab walks (the ones with the 'belt') are just like that- some twists, etc...but also the fact that you are standing and the belt is 'helping' you stay aware of holding your abs, watching your posture etc....


You should look out for them ;-)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2001
Tue, 03-06-2007 - 12:08am

I did try the 1 mile ab walk yesterday but I don't have the ab belt! lol


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 03-06-2007 - 6:32am
~what did you think of it? The one mile is enjoyable to do.....but takes a l-o-n-g time to actually get to the belt- I prefer the 2 mile walk :-)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2005
Tue, 03-06-2007 - 7:50pm

Y'know what I really hate? How they change things on us. I mean, before, it was low weight, high reps, now they changed that. Say that high weight, low reps is the way to go. I read this in my Shape or Prevention magazine and I just rolled my eyes. I said, "of course, I have been doing it all wrong". Just like one day, they'll tell me the way I eat is unhealthy, when it's healthy today. AUGH!!!! lol


vent over. thanks. i needed that.


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2001
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 9:51am

It was just "okay"... like you said it took a long time to get to the actual "belt" part. I'll probably try the 2 mile sometime this weekend ... I've got all these dvd's all over the place that I NEED to get to!