Showing posts with label Shape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shape. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Get Shapely Arms

Exercises To Tone Up Your Arm Muscles:

Exercise 1.
a.Stand with your back about one foot from the wall.
b.Placing your palms flat against the wall press hard against it.Hold the contraction to a count of 10.
c.Relax.Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 2.
a.Repeat with your arms in front and pressing against the wall.
b.Repeat 10 times.

Arm Curl Machine

This machine targets the biceps muscles of the upper arm.When seated,grab the handle loosely and curl it up until your thumbs nearly touch your shoulders.Let the handle return,and repeat the movement.

Keep your shoulders low.Without thinking,most of men slowly lift themselves off the seat during a set,allowing the shoulders to move toward the weight stack until,by the last repetition,they're practically vaulting over the bench.With your shoulders meeting your hands as the weight comes up,you've shortened the distance the arms must travel,letting the biceps off the hook.Instead,adjust the seat low enough to keep your shoulders from creeping over the bench.Keeping your butt planted firmly in the seat also prevents you from lifting your torso.

Keep your head still.By moving your head forward, backward or sideways,your neck muscles are muscling in on the exercise,again letting your biceps off easy.If you find that you can't keep from moving your head,then lighten the weight until you can comfortably keep your head still for 10 to 12 repetitions.

Exercise Your Legs

Exercise 1:

a.Stand in front of a chair, holding the edge.
b.Raise yourself on your toes until you are standing on tip toes.
c.Slowly lower the heels.
d.Relax.Repeat 20 times.
e.Repeat with ankles far apart and toes together-20 times.
f.Repeat again with ankles together and your toes far apart-20 times.

Exercise 2:

a.Lie flat on your back on the floor.
b.Extend your left leg up and bend your right leg sharply from the knee.In a pedalling motion, then stretch your right leg up and bend your left leg down.
c.Make sure that your arms remain beside your body and your hips stay firmly on the floor.
d.Repeat 25 times.

Exercise 3:

a.This exercise shapes the front and back of the thighs.
b.Lie on the floor, on your back.
c.With your right leg raised straight up in the air, clasp the thigh with your hands.
d.Pull your thigh towards your face, while you keep your back and head on the floor.
e.Repeat with each leg 5 times.

Exercise 4:

a.Lie on your belly.
b.Elevate your right leg up straight behind you as high as possible.
c.Repeat with each leg 10 times.

Exercise 5:

a.This is to shape heavy legs.
b.Lying on your right side support your head on your right hand.
c.With your legs perfectly straight, raise your left leg to a count of 5.
d.Hold this position for a count of five.
e.Slowly lower your leg to a count of five.
f.Repeat 10 times on each side.

Exercise 6:

a.This exercise is to streamline thighs.
b.Use a chairback for support and stand sideways.
c.Move your leg outwards in a large semi-circle.
d.Repeat 10 times for each leg.

Neck Exercises To Keep You Going

Got A Stiff Neck?Here are 2 good remedies

1.Sit Upright on a chair.Put your palms against your forehead and apply a little resistance.Try to bend your neck forward.Release.Now put your palms against the back of your head and apply a little resistance.Try to bend your neck backwards.Continue the same way on either side of the head too.

2.Gently try to rotate your neck.Do not overdo.First in a clockwise direction,similarly in an anti-clockwise direction.Rest.

Do you have a pencil thin neck that you wish to build up:

Lie faceup on a flat bench.Put your palms against your forehead and apply a little resistance.Lift up and down until your neck muscles are fatigued.Flip over and reverse the move.

Dos and donts

1.Do not strain your neck too much by sitting or lying in the wrong postures.

2.For persistent and severe neck pain consult a doctor before performing any of the above mentioned exercises.

Exercises For Your Back

Exercise 1:

a.To easy tension and relax the spine do this exercise.
b.Sit on the bed with your back straight and the legs apart.Rest your hands in front between your legs.
c.Bend your knee inwards and curl your body forward.Relax your head and arms between your legs.

Exercise 2:

a.This exercise will firm your lower back muscles.
b.Lie on your belly on the floor with your hands beneath you, palms pressed down and the finger tips pointing towards each other.
c.Raise your body off the ground, by straightening your arms and arching your spine.
d.Twist around to look at your feet over the right shoulder.
e.Repeat 5 times for each side.
f.Lower your body and relax to a count of 10.

Exercises For The Waist And Midriff:

Beware that the profile of your waist and midriff is being presented all the time-so do not slouch or stick your tummy out;instead straighten up with your shoulders back and your seat tucked in and stomach pulled in-this will keep your tummy muscles stretched, firm, flat and elegant.

Exercise 1:

a.Stand with feet apart, back straight and your hands clasped behind your head.
b.Twist from the waist upwards round to your right.Return to the original position and twist round to the left.
c.Repeat 20 times.

Exercise 2:

a.Rest on your hands and knees.
b.Raise your right leg to the side keeping it straight and perpendicular to the body.Make 8 forward circles and 8 backward circles with your legs.
c.Repeat 5 times with each leg.

Exercise 3:

a.With your feet apart and your arms outstretched to the side.Twisting from the waist, bend and touch your left toes with your right hand.
b.Return to straight position and repeat with left hand touching right foot.
c.Repeat 10 times.

Exercises For Shapely Breasts

Exercise 1:

a.Lie on your tummy with the elbows bent, and fingertips facing inwards.Rest your forehead on the floor.
b.Slowly raise your head and body, pushing down with hands, arching your spine and bending the neck backwards.
c.Pull in your stomach muscles and lift your stomach off the floor.
d.Slowly lower upper back and shoulders to floor to the original position.Relax.
e.Repeat.

Exercise 2:

a.Hold your arms straight in front of you, at shoulder level.
b.Bring your hands slowly, towards your shoulders clenching your hands as though you are pulling something strenuously.
c.Repeat 5 times.

What Can Exercise Do For Your Breasts?

Breasts contain no muscle but only fat cells, milk-ducts and glands, held together in a web of soft connective tissue.So by exercising you cannot increase your bust size.Neither will exercising directly reduce a heavy bust.This is especially true if your breasts are large but your body weight is what it should be.If, however you are over-weight, a weight reducing diet combined with regular exercises, will help you to reduce your weight as well as your bust size.

Exercising, however has several other advantages as well; it tones up the muscles on which the breast tissue lies.So, if your bust-line measures less than what you would like, exercising would give you a firmer and a more prominent line, making your bust appear larger.Similarly, if a heavy bust is your problem, you would lose some of the droop(which can spoil your shape) and gain a firmer contour, though there would be no loss of inches.

Apart from the exercises which we have already mentioned, swimming is a superb exercise for bust shape.It exercises the " breast muscles" considerably against resistance of the water- this really can do wonders to your shape.

How To Build Firm,Healthy Hips & Thighs

People conscious of their physiques resort to different kinds of exercises to reduce the "stubborn bulge" commonly known as cellulite which is nothing but the extra fat around thier hips and thighs.To win this battle against cellulite,we need to employ strategic forces,such as regular exercise,proper nutrition,and a healthy lifestyle.There is an agreement that improving circulation can improve the health and appearance of our skin.And a healthier,more elastic skin can reduce the appearance of cellulite.

A low-fat diet and regular exercise are especially effective.Muscle-building exercises have more impact because muscles are metabolically more active than fat.We may not be able to eliminate the "stubborn bulge" completely,but we can certainly reduce it.

Nutritional Solutions Nutrition plays a vital role in supporting the anti-cellulite programme.A lot of women are convinced that they have to starve themselves to lose fat.It is hard to convince them that they need proper diet to get results.It is not that hard to follow a healthy nutrition programme.

Exercises Health researchers and gyms nowadays suggest various exercises to stave off buidt-up of fat around hips and thighs.Here are 2 great gluteus and thigh exercises which we can incorporate into our full-body exercise programme.

1.The Lunge Position your legs about shoulder width apart,with your feet pointing straight ahead.Pick up a pair of dumbbells bending at knees to make sure that you do not strain your back.Step your left foot forward,keeping your forward leg centred over your ankle.To help maintain balance,remember to push off your heel and not your toes.Stay focussed on the front leg even if you start to feel tension in your back leg.Your front leg is the primary mover.Do either 3 or 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps,to feel the burn.Work on one leg at a time rather than alternating between one leg and the other.Lower your body for 2 seconds,without pause and then take 2 secs to stand back up in 2-0-2 beat.

2.The Squat Position yourself under the bar,placing it on the upper portion of your trapezious(the triangular muscle below your neck).Squeeze your shoulders together and place your hands on the bar.Choose a comfortable stance with your feet about shoulder width apart or slight;y wider.A wider stance allows you to squat deeper without bending too far forward.Slowly squat as low as you can,stopping before your hips begin to roll forward.Once you reach the bottom,slowly press the weight up.Knees and hips will move back in line with one another simultaneously.Your knees should not wobble as you squat.Perform 3-4 sets of 10 to 15 reps and take about 3 minutes to fully recuperate between sets if you are really working hard.

As we can see,there is really a solution to the problem of lower body fat-fat below the belt.Only diets and aerobic exercises are not enough.The right way to build better body fat is through a complete programme of proper weight training(lunge and squat especially)and optimal nutrition.Following a proper strategic force will help women build firm,healthy hips and thighs.

Three Abdomen Exercises That Really Work

1.Standing Stabilizer: This forces your core muscles to keep your body balanced as your centre of gravity shifts.

A.Stand with your feet parallel,hip-width apart.Place hands on hips.Inhale as you raise right knee in front;stop at hip level.Pull belly button in an hold.Use a wall or chair for stability if necessary.

B.Holding abdomen tight,extend leg to straight and make a quarter-circle with toe to bring leg out to side.Lower;repeat 10 times.Switch legs.Do two to three sets.

2.Foot Push: Since legs and hips are heavier and harder to lift than your upper body,this move is more challenging than a crunch.

>>Lie on back,hands at sides,holding legs in the air straight out from hips.

>>Exhale and contract abdomen by pulling belly button toward spine while pushing feet to the ceiling.Hips will tilt forward slightly and legs will lift up a few inches.Hold;then inhale as you lower and repeat 15 times.Do one to two more sets of 15.

3.Reverse Rotation: A variation on the elbow-to-knee crunch,this move works the obliques(the muscles that cover your ribs and sides) and back muscles.

>>Lie on stomach with elbows out to the sides and chin resting on both hands.

>>Keeping abdomen tight,exhale as you raise chest a few inches off the floor and rotate chest to the right;hold.Rotate back to centre and then to the left;hold.Inhale as you lower;repeat 10 times on each side.Then do one to two more sets of 10.

Fitness Walking


Even in this age of high-tech exercise machines of every kind,there is still a great deal of interest in a form of exercise that is as old as the human race.
This form of exercise i.e walking is one of the best physical exercises for people of all age groups.
Walking tones up all the body muscle groups and keeps the body flexible.Moreover,it is inexpensive,safe and easy to carry out.When you walk you will notice that more than half the body muscles participate in the exercise.The foot,leg and hip muscles and many of the back muscles along with those of the tummy are operative in actively supporting the weight of the upper part of the body,while the shoulder and neck muscles work harder to hold your head erect as you stride along briskly for a fitness walk.

It promotes good posture which conveys an impression of alertness,confidence and a magnetic personality.Besides these perceptible gains,a number of not-so obvious benefits accrue automatically when you become a regular fitness walker.These are:

  • Safe Exercise.

  • Much convenient.

  • Low cost.

  • Aerobic workout.

  • Burns some calories.

  • Arrests oesteoporosis.

  • Stress fighter and mood enhancer.

  • Your insurance against diabetes.

  • Reduces skin problems.

  • enhances stamina.

  • Suits all age groups.


Now it must be abundantly clear that the simple exercise of walking has a magical effect on your mental or physical health.Let us delve into the finer points of the walking procedure as well.This versatile exercisehas several styles to choose from;strolling,everyday walking,hiking,fitness walking and race walking.It is fitness walking which is recommended as an excellent form of exercise for professionals.Accelerated leg and arm movement combined with the correct walking technique is defined as fitness walking.There is no hard and fast rule about the speed with which one walks.It could be anything between 4 and 6.5 km per hour,depending upon your age and physical condition.In the process,you should try to set as the target,getting your pulse rate up to 80% of the projected maximum and sustain it for 10-20 minutes,depending on your endurance.
Calculating the maximum heart rate (MHR)is easy.Subtract your age in years from 220.If you are 40,220-40=180 is your projected maximum heart rate.80% of 180 is 144.This is your target.Remember to work upto the target slowly evenif it takes months.One should set apart about an hour daily for the purpose.It is not uncommon to feel mild muscle soreness a day or two after you start the regimen.But if you progress slowly into the programme,you should not experience any extreme pain.
However there are several things to be followed while carrying out this form of exercise:

1.Most important is to schedule your walking and to maintain that schedule everyday.
Regular brisk walking helps lower the arterial pressure.It eases stress and lowers hypertension to a considerable extent.
Walking burns up calories and therefore is ideal for the overweight.It also arrests oesteoporosis and is also considered a component of treatment of Diabetes.

2.Walk with an erect and good posture holding your back straight and head high.

3.Begin slowly and build up the stamina.In the first week, 20min a day should suffice.Then increase gradually by 10 min every week to make it an hour a day.
You must carry on for atleast 5-6 days a week.Always warm up for about 5-10mins. by gentle stretching and slow walking.
After the hectic workout,it would be easier to walk the last 5-10min at a slower pace.

4.The shoes must neither be too tight nor too loose.They should fit your feet comfortably without causing soreness and discomfort to any of part of your feet even if you put on for a few hours at a stretch.

5.Clothing for fitness walking should also be comfortable allowing complete freedom of movement.

Flabby chin...

In case anyone is interested, here is something for flabby chin .

STEP 1 Lift chin slightly upward.

STEP 2 With flat point of index and middle fingers press against indentation (hollow) formed by the two upper nodules of the larynx located at the curve
from chin to neck. Do not be concerned in the beginning as to the precise location of pressure which you will discover through practice. Regard
finger pressure as the resistance against the working muscles.

STEP 3 Now press your back teeth firmly together * and while maintaining this position.

STEP 4 Press the tip of your tongue against the inside of lower front teeth (gum line) increasing pressure with the tip of tongue ** in 10 or more gradual
and definite steps (Count to 10).

STEP 5 Hold end position of pressure for 6 seconds (count slowly to six).

STEP 6 Release muscle work for 10 gradual steps (count to 10).

STEP 7 Remove finger resistance.
Repeat 4 more times.