Must for a fit lower body (2 of 3)

Good morning friends.  This is the second part of my article and I hope you are still following me.  Let me continue here …

Exercises for a strong lower body

Seated knee extension : Works the quadracep muscle

Extend your leg at the knee and bring your foot to knee height. Take it down. Perform two sets of 12 reps on each leg, thrice a week. Add ankle weighs later.

Hamstring curl : Works the hamstrings (back of your thigh)

Lie with your face down. Flex your leg at the knee and bring your heel close to your hip. Extend and bring your foot down to the floor. Perform two sets of 12 reps on each leg, thrice a week.

Lunge : Works the hamstrings, quadraceps and gluteus muscles

Stand with feet at hip distance. Take your right leg backwards to a comfortable distance. Flex at your knee and bring your hip to the height of your left knee. Get back to starting position. Do two sets of 12 reps on each leg, thrice a week.

Supine Pelvic tilt : Works the hip muscle

Lie down facing the ceiling. Keep your knee flexed, and feet on the floor/step/ gym ball. Bring your hip one inch off the floor. Now, raise your hip up to 12 inches and bring back to starting position. Do four sets of 12 reps each.

Plea squat : Works the adductor muscle (inner thigh), quadriceps & gluteus muscle

Stand with feet at more than hip-width distance. Your feet should be facing out forming a 45 degree angle (say, facing the two corners of the room). Squat and bring your hip to knee height. Go back to earlier position. Perform four sets of 12 reps each, thrice a week. – The Times of India

End of Part 2

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

The Ultimate Body-Weight Workout (2)

Before:  Lunge

After:  Lateral Reaching Lunge

How to do it:  From a standing position, take a large step to the right with your right leg.  Reach both hands toward the right foot, bending right knee and keeping hips facing forward; straighten and return to starting position.  Your left leg remains straight throughout move, and most of your body’s weight should be on the right leg.  Next, take a large step to the left with left leg, and reach hands toward left foot.  Repeat, alternating legs; do 10 reps per leg. 

Why it’s better:  Reaching to the ground puts more weight on your working leg, targeting your butt, hamstrings, quads and outer thighs.

 

Before:  Squat

After:  Staggered-Stance Squat

How to do it:  Stand with your left foot about 6 inches in front of the right, feet about shoulder-width apart.  Squat down (your right leg will be bent more than the left), keeping weight in heels.  Reach to the right side, touching your right hand to the floor as if picking something up.  Return to standing position.  Do 1 set; switch sides and repeat.

Why it’s better:  Putting more body weight on your back leg intensifies the workout for both your thighs and butt.   Reaching to one side also challenges your balance, forcing your muscles to work harder in order to stabilize your body.

 

Before:  Push-up

After:  Lock-Out Push-up

How to do it:  Using a step or stair, start in push-up position, hands shoulder-width apart with both feet on ground.  Place your right hand on the step or stair and the left on the ground. Bend elbows, lowering chest toward floor, and slowly straighten.  Switch arms after 1 set

Why it’s better:  This move is like a modified one-armed push-up—at the top of the move, the arm on the ground straight before the one on the step, so all your weight is briefly on that arm.  This provides a greater challenge for both your upper body and core muscles. – Megan McMorris