Countdown To Bikini Season
By: Sara Koonar
It’s that time again! Now that spring has arrived, most of us are thinking about summer. The thought of summer brings the beach, warm weather and the bikini to mind. Thoughts of bikinis tells us that it is time to start shedding those few pounds we held on to after the holidays and start preparing for our bikini body. With the help of people in the know, I have put together a simple work out routine (for results do it three times a week) so that by the time summer rolls around you will be ready to bare all poolside with confidence.
Tip: Start by doing 2 reps of 12 for each exercise and as you feel stronger increase that to 3 reps of 10-12.
If you are unsure of any of the instructions take to youtube.com or ehow.com where you can find videos showing you the correct movements of each exercise.
1) Shoulder and Arms:
Shoulders: Start with the basic push up: Lower yourself down to the ground keeping your back and butt straight and hands firmly on the ground under your shoulders, slowly lift yourself up extending your arms and keeping your body in line. Lower yourself slowly back into your starting position.
Triceps and Biceps: (The bigger the weight the more muscle you build. I tend to use 5-pound weights so that I tone more than build.)
Tricep kickbacks for the backs of your arms: Grab your dumbbell with one hand and put your other hand on a flat bench. Bend your arm at the elbow creating a 90 degree angle, slowly extend your arm until it is as straight as it will go, without lifting your elbow up. Pause for a moment and lower back to your first position. Repeat this with both arms.
Bicep curls for the fronts of your arms: Stand up with your knees slightly bent and your feel hip distance apart. Hold your dumbbells in both hands with your palms facing upwards. Slowly lift the weights up to your shoulders; hold for a moment and then slowly lower both arms to your starting position.
2) Core and Abs:
The plank for strengthening your core: Lay face down on the ground, lift your body up with your toes and your forearms, hold your body in a straight position and you will feel your abdominal muscles contracting in an effort to keep your body up. If this is your first time doing a plank try holding for 30 seconds. As you get stronger, each time try holding this position an few seconds longer.
Side planks for obliques: Lie on your side and have your left arm resting in front of you. Pull yourself up on your right forearm and try to lift your hips off the floor balancing yourself using the edge of your right foot. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
3) Butt and Thighs:
Squats: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your body as though you are ‘sitting’ in a chair until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Push yourself up slowly back to where you started.
Lunges: Stand with feet together holding a weight. Slowly lower your body into a lunge position, keeping the front knee and back knee at 90-degree angles. Push yourself up slowly back to the first position and repeat on the other side.
Buy a skipping rope. Remember skipping at recess back in elementary school? This is a fantastic workout. Get a weighted skipping rope and see how long your can go without tripping. It is a fun way to burn calories and re-live those days when you were just a kid.
Remember: Exercising is only half the battle; it has to go hand in hand with eating healthy too. Indulge in more fruits and veggies and leave the greasy foods out of your meals.
Special thanks to Shannon Hogan who helped me design this work out routine.
If you need help learning some exercises try one of these DVD’s at Amazon:
I will most definitely be trying these out!