Weekly Challenge #9
Warm-up/cool-down
Begin your workout with 5–10 minutes of low-intensity cardio, such as brisk walking or stair climbing. End with stretches for all your major muscle groups (including your hip flexors and lower back), holding each stretch for 30 seconds without bouncing.
Mon. / Wed: Abs and Legs ( 15 reps x3)
# 1 -Sit-up
1 With your feet anchored under a sturdy object, lie with your knees bent. Then, fold your arms across your chest or just hold your hands behind your ears.
2 Use your abs to flex your spine and slowly lift your upper body. Finally, roll back down, slowly and with control. Repeat as desired.
# 2 - Bicycle kick
1 Lie on your back, and bend your knees at 90 degrees so that your thighs are pointing toward the ceiling. Place your hands behind your ears.
2 Pump your legs back and forth, as if riding a bicycle. Simultaneously, rotate your torso from side to side by moving an armpit, but not elbow, up toward the opposite knee.
# 3 - Traditional Crunch
1 Keep your legs straight and extend your right arm along the floor (for balance) while lying on your right side. Cup your left hand behind your head while holding your head a few inches above the floor with your elbow pointing toward the ceiling, as shown. Remember to keep your head still (do not bend it toward your feet) throughout the movement phase.
2 Contract your stomach muscles so that your upper torso curls toward your knees. Then, raise your shoulders off the floor but ensure that your lower back is flat against the floor. Prohibit placing stress on your neck by not pulling your head toward your chest using your hands. Instead, keep your head fixed perpendicular to your upper torso throughout the movement.
3 When you have reached the full phase of contraction, briefly pause and return to the starting position without letting your abdominal muscles to completely relax.
# 4 - Dumbbell Lunge
1 Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart and grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward; make sure that your toes face forward.
2 Slowly inhale and step one leg forward, keeping your knee above your ankle and dropping the knee of your rear leg toward the floor. Stop the movement when the rear knee is 2 to 3 from the floor.
3 Exhale and push yourself back to the starting position off your front leg.
4 Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then repeat the exercise stepping your other leg forward.
# 5 - Sumo squat
1 Stand with your feet roughly twice shoulder-width apart and point your toes outward. With that stance, pick up a fairly heavy dumbbell and hold one end at arm's length with both hands firmly gripping to the inner portion of the upper weight, as shown.
2 Pull your shoulder blades back and lift your torso upward. Bend your knees and slowly lower until the top portion of your thigh is parallel to the floor.
3 Pause, and slowly return to the starting position while making sure that your knees are pointing in the same direction as your toes throughout the movement.
# 6 - Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise
1 With your left hand, hold a dumbbell and stand on a step or block. For balance, place your right hand on something for balance (either a wall or a weight stack for example). Then, cross your right foot behind your left ankle and balance yourself on the ball of your left foot.
2 Lower your left heel to your full extend, pause for a few seconds, then lift it once more as high as possible. Finish the set with your left leg, and then repeat with your right foot while holding the dumbbell in your right hand.
Tue / Thurs. : Chest and Arms (15 reps X 3times)
# 7 - Dumbbell Fly
1 Grasp a light-to-moderate pair of dumbbells, then lie back with your arms extended up over your upper chest. Your elbows should be slightly bent and your arms facing each other.
2 Inhale, then slowly lower your arms out to the sides of your torso in a semi-circle - keep the movement under control with your elbows still slightly bent - until there is a full, comfortable stretch in the area of your chest and shoulders around the level of shoulder-height.
3 Hold the stretch for a second before bringing the dumbbells back in to meet at the top of the movement - exhale as you return to the starting position
#8 - Dumbbell Pull-Over
1 Lie on a flat bench with your head supported and your feet either in contract with the floor or a raised platform. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, encircling it with your palms against the underside of the top set of plates. Raise the dumbbell up in front of your chest, with your elbows slightly bent.
2 Inhale and lower the dumbbell back past your head and back to the limit of your range of motion, keeping your elbows slightly bent at all times. Hold the stretch for a second before exhaling and returning the dumbbell back up to the starting position.
# 9 - Weighted Pushup
1 Go into the standard pushup position, with hands beneath your shoulders. This time though, ask a partner to place a weight plate on your back, between your shoulder blades.
2 Keep your body straight as you lower yourself by bending your elbows until your chest touches the floor.
3 Pause, then push yourself up.
# 10 - Hammer Curl
1. Site on the edge of the bench and hold a pair of dumbbells using a neutral grip
and let them just hang at arm's length.
2. Without changing your wrist positioning, slowly curl the weights up toward your shoulders. Remember to keep your upper arms tucked against your sides as you go through the motion.
# 11- Dumbbell Biceps Curl
1 Stand tall, maintaining good posture, with your feet hip-distance apart, and your knees slightly flexed, leaving your arms by your sides with your palms facing forward.
2 Inhale, then raise the dumbbells slowly toward your shoulders as you exhale, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Make sure that you do not allow your elbows to travel forward.
3 When you have raised the dumbbells to your shoulders inhale and slowly lower them back to the starting position.
# 12 – Shrug
1 Stand upright and hold two fairly heavy dumbbells at your sides, with your palms facing each other).
2 Keep your shoulders relaxed. Shrug your shoulders as if you were trying to touch them to your ears.
3 Hold the top most position, then gradually lower them to the starting position. Do not bend your elbows or shift your head forward during the motion. Repeat.
If you workout with an Exercise ball here some exercises you can add :
Abs: Swiss-ball oblique crunch
1 Lie sideways on the ball, ensuring that you keep your legs straight.
Brace your feet against a wall for support and hold your hands behind your ears.
2 Lift your shoulder and crunch sideways toward your hip. Hold for a second
before releasing. Try not to twist your body.
Jackknife
1 Get into a pushup position with tops of your feet and your shins on the ball and your hands on the floor.
2 Pull your knees close to your chest, letting the ball roll slightly forward. Keep your arms straight, and squeeze your abs hard at the top.
Legs: Swiss-Ball Leg Curl
1 While lying on your back, place your lower legs on a Swiss ball. Then, put your hands flat on the floor next to your hips.
2 Push your hips up so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Without pausing, pull your heels toward you and roll the ball as close as possible to your butt.
3 Pause, then roll the ball back until your body is in a straight line again.
Hamstring Rolls
Lie on the floor and place heels on the ball.
Squeeze gluts and lift hips until your body is in a straight line.
Contracting the hamstrings, press the heels into the ball and roll it towards you while keeping the gluts and abs tight (don't sink in the middle!).
Friday
Last Chance Workout !!!!!!!
# 1 - Sit-up
# 2 - Bicycle kick
# 3 - Traditional Crunch
# 4 - Dumbbell Lunge
# 5- Sumo squat
# 6- Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise
# 7 - Dumbbell Fly
#8 - Dumbbell Pull-Over
# 9 - Weighted Pushup
# 10 - Hammer Curl
# 11- Dumbbell Biceps Curl
# 12 – Shrug
Go through Routine 3 times (10 reps)
Saturday : Weigh in
Good Luck
04-26-2008, 06:42 AM
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