Exercising hard and not getting in dream shape. You should try these 8 exercises to get in shape fast.
Pull Ups
Pull-ups are one of the most beneficial exercises around since you can do them everywhere. All you need is a bar! Pull-ups engage your upper body and build muscle in your arms and back with increased intensity. Not only are you targeting your core, shoulders, and forearms, but you’re gaining wrist and grip strength too!
Even though pull-ups don’t burn as many calories as jogging on a treadmill, it does boost your metabolism and makes your back stronger. Doing pull-ups builds your functional strength and leaves you in a better mood by releasing serotonin.
Even if you can only do one or two pull-ups, for now, remember that practice makes perfect. Before you know it, you’ll be executing ten to even 15 pull-ups in a routine with no hassle.
Plank
Here’s an easy exercise you can do without even breaking a sweat. With exercise, sometimes it’s the simplest of all movements that are the greatest gain to your fitness. To do a plank, all you have to do is hold up your body off the ground and keep it stationary in a straight line.
This type of exercise is increasingly popular for strengthening your core and for several good reasons too. It engages your deep core muscles that build the groundwork for that six pack look. So as your abdominal muscles grow stronger, your midsection will tighten as well. Planks also increase flexibility.
The muscles around your shoulder blades and collarbone will expand as well as your hamstrings. In addition, the arches of your feet and toes will even out. To increase stretching benefits, you can also try a rocking plank. Once you get into form, rock your body back and forth by moving your toes a few inches up and down.
Boxing
Never undermine the power of a punch! Boxing is, in fact, an incredible full body workout. It’s both an aerobic and anaerobic workout that incorporates speed, strength, powers and improves your metabolism.
Boxing is a high impact exercise and includes training methods that can work for anyone who’s looking to get in shape and it’s good cardio. If your primary goal is to shed some weight, take into consideration of how many calories you want to burn.
According to Nutristrategy.com, a 155-pound person will burn anywhere from 420 to 650 calories in an hour boxing workout, depending on the activities given in a session. In comparison, it’s relative to the burn of moderate rowing or jogging.
Side Crunches
If you want to burn off a little belly fat and banish those love handles, incorporate some side crunches in your routine to get a flatter stomach. Side crunches work the external and internal oblique muscles, and they’re easy to do. Start by lying down on your left or right side of your yoga mat with both knees bent and your body in a straight line.
Your head should face forward aligned with your shoulders. Curl your arm up to your head and bring your elbow as close to your hips as you can, while lowering and repeat.
Do two sets of 10 to 15 at a time. Fitness experts recommend small amounts of crunches performed a controlled and slow pace to engage and target those abdominal muscles. Just ten minutes of crunches can potentially burn 54 calories if you’re a 160-pound person!
Bicycle crunches
Bicycles crunches are another great way to flatten and tone your tummy. However, this type of crunch is a little tougher than side crunches. But it’s proven to be one the best ab exercises that’ll be sure to get your blood flowing. Aside from targeting your abs, your glutes and thighs come into play too.
Start off by lying flat on the floor with your lower back flat and contract your core muscles. Gently with your hands, lift your knees to a 45-degree angle and start pedaling like you’re on a bike. Start off slow at first and alternately touch your elbows to the opposite knees back and forth.
Remember to breathe evenly through this exercise as most people tend to hold their breath when they first start off. If you start feeling the burn immediately, then you know you’re doing something right!
Biking
What better way to shape up and tone your body than a nice bike ride outdoors? It’s an effective way to shed body fat, improve cardiovascular health and burn extra calories. The motion of bicycling especially high-intensity cycling and going uphill is a great way to develop muscle leading which strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings and your calves.
Cycling is very beneficial if weight loss is your primary objective. Assuming you burn approximately 500 calories on a 60 minute bike ride so a daily ride would equate to a one pound weight loss after just one week! In addition, bicycling tighten your abdominal and back muscles.
A strong core is crucial for proper posture and balance. Once you have established a regular cycling routine, you can also build on more intense bike rides, and in time you’ll feel stronger and leaner too.
Walking
Getting fit is a lot easier and enjoyable than you may think. This is good news for people who don’t like to work out, but walking is an awesome aerobic activity. A combination of healthy eating and walking is a good way to tone your body and be fit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week, so about twenty-two minutes a day or thirty minutes five days a week. The Center also suggests this is the minimum amount of time you should walk if you want to maintain your weight. Now if you want to lose a couple of pounds, then you walk for a minimum of 250 minutes a week.
Of course, your body will adapt with every workout, so you will need to change the mileage or intensity to get better results. You can start off by walking a moderate speed, usually about 145 steps a minute and increase your pacing after a few miles. Speed walking is a good workout that boosts your cardiovascular strength and your legs. If you want to improve your metabolism, you can also add in some weights or opt walking on a treadmill or Stairmaster for a challenge. But nothing beats a nice brisk walk and the smell of fresh air.
Swimming
Swimming is proven to be a great activity for the mind and body. First off swimming is an excellent way to manage weight, in fact, you can burn around 367 calories after just thirty minutes of breaststroke- that beat cycling, walking and even running! The opposition of water can be forty-four times greater than air, so this means that you have to work even harder to move through it.
So think of it as working out machines or weights without the use of expensive equipment. Plus it’s an affordable and great alternative to strengthen your muscles, and it’s a low impact exercise! It has less strain on your bones, and with greater ease of movement, swimming has a lower risk of damage than other many forms of activity.
Swimming is also a great mood booster. It supplies serotonin, which is a feel-good hormone responsible for happiness. In a survey conducted by Speedo based on 4,000 participants, 70% of them felt mentally refreshed after taking a swim, 68% said being in the water helped them to feel good about themselves while 74% agreed swimming released tension and stress. So take a quick dip in the pool to help clear your mind and lose a couple of pounds!
