The At-Home Workout (1 of 2)

Even if you have access to a health club, a set of dumbbells and a weight bench ought to be part of your home furnishings.  Dumbbells are not only convenient;  they’re a great way to challenge your muscles in new and demanding ways.  They allow you to do hundreds of exercises using only two pieces of equipment and very little space.

■  Buttocks, hamstrings, lower back, inner thighs

Opposite Extension:  Lie face down with your forehead resting on your left hand and your legs straight, toes pointed out slightly, heels together.  Tighten your abdominal muscles and try to create a space between your stomach and the floor.  Lift and extend your right arm forward as you squeeze your buttocks muscles and lift and extend your left leg back.  Don’t lift your limbs vey high.  Instead, concentrate on maximizing the extension of your arm and leg.  Hold the extension for 2 counts, then slowly lower your limbs to the floor.  Do 8 to 12 repetitions in this position, then switch arms and legs and do 8 to 12 repetitions with the opposite limbs.

■  Buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings

Bench Lunge:  Stand about 2 feet from one side of your bench.  Extend your right leg and rest your right calf across the top of the bench.  Hold on to a chair or other sturdy object for support or place your hands on your hips.  Bend your left knee until your thigh is almost parallel to the floor.  Return to the starting position, taking care not to lock your supporting knee.  Complete the set, then switch positions to work your right leg.

■  Biceps

Stationary-Elbow Biceps Curl:  Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides, palms facing forward, the inside of your elbows resting lightly against your sides.  Your feel should be hip-width apart.  (You may want to use a slightly lighter weight than usual for this exercise, since strict form is important.)  bending at the elbows, slowly curl both weights toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows still (don’t allow them to move upward or forward).  Return to the start and repeat, keeping your elbows stationary.

 

The GYM Workout (3)

■ Chest

Range-Limited Bench Press:  Lie on the flat bench with a rolled towel across your chest.  Grip a barbell so your upper arms are parallel to the floor and your forearms are not quite perpendicular to it.  Plant your feet squarely on the floor and tighten your abdominal muscles.  Lift the bar off the stanchions, then slowly lower it towards your chest.  As soon as you feel the bar lightly touch the towel. Push the weight up until your arms are almost fully extended.  Repeat.

■ Buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings

Wide-Stance Leg Press:  Lie on your back in the leg-press machine with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart and your toes and knees angled outward about 45 degrees.  Bend your knees and lower the weight until your thigh are almost parallel with the foot platform.  Now use your heels to lift the weight.  Push upward until your knees are almost straight.  Once you reach the top of the movement, bend your knees again and lower to the starting position.

■ Back

Front Pull-Down:  Grip the pull-down bar so your hands are slightly more than shoulder-width apart.  Sit, wedging the center of your thighs snugly under the leg pads.  In a fluids, even motion, pull the bar down past your face until it reaches the top of your chest, and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull.  Hold for a moment, then allow the weight to slowly pull your arms up. - Liz Neporent   

The GYM Workout (2)

■ Triceps

One-Arm Cable Triceps Extension:  Stand facing the base of the cable machine and attach a handle to the high pulley.  Hold the handle in your right hand, palm up.  Bend your elbow and rest it lightly against your right side [1].  Rest your left hand on your hip or the machine.  Now without locking your elbow or allowing it to move out to the side, straighten your right arm [2].  Slowly allow the weight to pull your arm back to the starting position.  Complete the set, then work your left side.  Keep your back straight throughout the exercise.  Hunching over when pressing the weight down lessens the impact on your triceps and negates the benefits.

■ Hamstrings

Two-Up/One Down Leg Curl:  Lie facedown on the leg-curl machine so the edge of the padding touches your thighs just above the knees.  The backs of your heels should rest against the ankle bar.  Bend your knees, curling your feet toward your buttocks without allowing your hips to lift off the machine allowing your hips to lift off the machine [1].  Once you reach the top of the movement, hold the bar up with your left leg and lower your right leg until straight.  Now slowly lower the weight with your left leg.  Use both legs to raise the ankle bar again.  Hold  the bar up with your right leg, then lower your left leg all the way.  Now use your right leg to slowly lower the weight.  Alternate right and left legs to complete the set.

■ Biceps

Negative Arm Curl:  Sit  straight in the arm-curl machine with your arms out-stretched and the center of your elbows aligned with the machine’s  pulley.  Grasp the handles with an underhand grip.  Bend your elbows and curl the weight toward your shoulders. [1].  Hold a moment, then slowly lower the weight [2].  Taking a full six seconds to straighten your arms [3].  Mae sure you keep breathing as you go. – Liz Neporent

Six Ways to Get Stronger!

Muscles get stronger every time we demand them to do something tha makes them work hard.  Lifting weights is want some people do to get stronger.  But lifting weights is not a good idea until you’ve stopped growing.  Weight lifting must be supervised very carefully by an adult.

So here are some ways to get stronger by using your own body and the force of gravity.

1. LEGS

90-degree angle.  Don’t bend any farther.

Hold for 1 seconds; repeat 3 times.

2. SOUPER CURLS

For this you’ll need two tins of soup.  Make sure you put them back in the cup-board when you’re finished with them.

Knees slightly bent.  Keep arm out slightly in front of you.

Do 15 curls on each arm.

3. LOWER BACK

1. Press back against floor.

2. Tilt pelvis up; tighten buttocks.

4. STOMACH

Lift head and shoulders off the floor and reach to past knees.

Do 10 times; hold for count of 3.

5. PUSH-UPS

Only do this kind if you’re already pretty strong.

It’s very important to keep your back straight.

 

If you’ve never done push-ups before, you should try them this way, on your knees, until you build up strength in your arms.

Do 10 times.  Knees on floor. Back straight.

AS YOUR STRENTH INCREASES, YOU CAN DO MORE REPETITIONS OF EACH EXERCISE.

 

Ten Ways to Stretch (2)

6.    BACK OF LEGS STRETCH

Try to push your ankle to the floor on you leg that is straight.

Alternate to do 10 on each leg.

Do the cat stretch

7.    UPPER BACK STRETCH

1.  Start on hands and knees with back flat.

2.  Pull stomach in and arch back up; head tucks in.

3.  Then sit back on knees; hands reach out in front to stretch buttocks.

8.    BACK LEG STRETCH 

Sit up straight, back against the wall.

Keep back straight.

Lean forward.

(It’s OK if your knees bend a little!)

9.     INNER THIGH STRETCH

Behind against the wall.

Let legs fall apart.

Hold for count of 10.

Repeat 5 times.

10.   ANKLE CIRCLES

Slowly, both directions, 5 times each ankle.

WRIST CIRCLES

Slowly, both directions 5 times each wrist.