Fit2Fat2Fit (32 page)
Authors: Drew Manning
STEP | Â | Lie on your left side with your body straight, one foot on top of the other, but angled up from the hip to the shoulder. Support yourself with your left arm, bent 90 degrees at the elbow (your hand and forearm, flat on the floor, pointing directly in front of you). Rest your right arm on your right leg. |
STEP | Â | Push your midsection up so that only your left foot, hand, and forearm are in contact with the floor. |
STEP | Â | When you're in the correct position, the space left between you and the floor should form a triangle. Try not to let your hip sag and touch the floor. |
STEP | Â | Extend your right arm straight up (perpendicular to your body); then use that same arm to push through the triangular hole created by this position. Bring that arm back until it's completely extended away from your body. Repeat. |
STEP | Â | Switch sides and repeat. |
This appendix offers four workouts that combine exercises to strengthen the chest/back, legs/shoulders, biceps/triceps, and abs/core. For each exercise included, I offer three levels of difficulty. Begin where you feel comfortable and gradually work up to “The Breakthrough” level.
Within each workout, I specify how many reps and sets I do. Typically, I like to do my workouts as supersetsâin other words, do two different exercises back to back with minimal or no rest between sets. This is great because you get the benefits of resistance training and cardio all in one.
I always start my workout with a warm-up, which can be anything from walking, biking, jumping, or running in place for a few minutes.
Exercise 1: Push-Ups
With your body prone, place your hands on the floor so that they're about shoulder width apart. Rise up onto your toes so that all of your body weight is on your hands and feet. Bring your body into a straight line and keep it that way throughout the exercise. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor. Once your elbows bend slightly beyond 90 degrees, push off the floor again and extend your arms so that you return to starting position.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with your legs resting on a stability ball (around hip level), which will provide less weight/resistance on your arms and shoulders when doing the push-up. |
THE BALA NCE | Â | As listed above. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but with one hand on a medicine ball and the other on the floor. |
Grip the pull-up bar with palms facing away from you. Extend your arms all the way and hang from the bar. Pull your body up without a swinging motion until your chin reaches above the bar. Then lower yourself back to the starting position.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, using a chair or an “assisted” pull-up machine for support. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but with a 1-count on the way up and a 3-count on the way down. |
Here are the sets and reps I do for these first 2 exercises: 2 push-ups/1 pull-up, 4 push-ups/2 pull-ups, 6/3, 8/4, 10/5. Rest for 60 seconds and repeat 3 times.
Grasp two dumbbells. Lie flat on a bench or lie on a stability ball with your knees bent. Support dumbbells above your chest, your arms slightly bent. With palms facing each other, open your arms from your shoulder joints, until your arms are parallel to the ground. Then contract the chest muscles by closing your arms to the starting position until the dumbbells touch back together. Repeat.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with a light weight. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but with a pulse at the bottom. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but with a 3-count on the way down and a 1-count on the way up. |
With feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent, bend over until your chest comes close to parallel with the floor. With dumbbells in hands and arms completely extended toward the floor, pull one dumbbell up to your side until it makes contact with your ribs or until your upper arm is just beyond horizontal. Return that arm to full extension, the shoulder stretched downward. Now pull the other arm up and back down.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with a light weight. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but on one foot with a slight pulse at the top. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but on one foot with a 1-count on the way up and 3-count on the way down. |
Here are the sets and reps I do for exercises 3 and 4: exercise 3, 15 reps; exercise 4, 15 reps each arm. Repeat this superset 3 times with minimal to no rest in between.
Lie on your back on a stability ball with knees bent so that your body is parallel to the floor. With arms perpendicular to your body and bent upward at the elbow, hold the dumbbells out to the side. Press both dumbbells up until arms are extended. Lower dumbbells to the sides of your upper chest until a slight stretch is felt in the chest or shoulders.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with a light weight. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but doing one arm at a time. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but doing one arm at a time with a 1-count on the way up and a 3-count on the way down. |
Stand straight up, feet shoulder width apart, with dumbbells resting in your hands just in front of you, your arms fully extended downward. Slowly lower the dumbbells while keeping your back straight (though angled forward), chest out, and butt back until the dumbbells
go
below the kneecaps. Return to a fully standing position while keeping the dumbbells close to your body.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with a light weight. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but with a barbell instead of dumbbells, and starting from the floor and coming all the way up and back down to the floor again for each rep. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but with a barbell instead of dumbbells, and starting from the floor and coming all the way up and back down to the floor again for each rep, with a 1-count on the way up and a 3-count on the way down. |
Here are the sets and reps I do for exercises 5 and 6: exercise 5, 12 reps each arm; exercise 6, 12 reps. Repeat this superset 3 times with minimal to no rest.
Exercise 1: Dumbbell Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and with dumbbells in hands, resting at your sides. As you lower your body to a squat, stay back on your heels, keeping your chest out, back straight, and butt back. Go down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and come back up in the same motion.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but leaning your back against a stability ball (positioned between you and the wall), with a light weight or no weight. |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but with a light barbell on the shoulders (right behind the neck) instead of dumbbells. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but with a light barbell on the shoulders (right behind the neck) and doing jumping squats. |
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and hold dumbbells above your shoulders, your arms extended out and then bent upward at a 90-degree angle. Raise the dumbbells straight above your head until your arms are fully extended, then bring them back down to the starting position.
THE BEGINNING | Â | As listed above, but with a light weight |
THE BALANCE | Â | As listed above, but on one foot. |
THE BREAKTHROUGH | Â | As listed above, but on one foot, doing only one arm at a time. |
Here are the sets and reps I do for exercises 1 and 2: exercise 1, 15 reps; exercise 2, 12 reps. Repeat this superset 3 times with minimal to no rest in between.
Stand with one foot way out in front of you and the other back behind you with the back foot up on your toes. Go straight down, with back straight, until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, making sure that your front knee doesn't go in front of your front toes, then come back up to starting position.