We all know that it takes a lot of time and effort to get in great shape, so it’s no surprise that there are tons of products on the market that promise to help you shed unwanted body fat with little to no effort. And if they actually worked we’d all have the perfect bodies that we dream of, but the truth of the matter is that they aren’t very effective- or healthy for that matter.
However, there are ways that you can speed up your fitness results without having to buy into an extreme diet or purchase unhealthy diet pills. Focusing on exercise, these four secrets will help you to get the most out of your workouts for faster results. Read on to see what the Long Island City boot camp has to say.
Start with a Dynamic Warm-Up
Warming up your body before you exercise is a great way to help you get the most out of your workout, but a couple of light stretches won’t do the trick. You need a more dynamic warm-up that takes your body through a range of different movements so you can increase circulation to the muscles that you’ll use during your session.
Here’s a quick and easy warm-up: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and hold onto a 5-6 pound medicine ball. Push your hips back and start squatting as you bring the ball down to touch your right foot, shin, or knee (depending on how far you can go). Rise up and out of the squat as you simultaneously rotate and raise the medicine ball up and across your opposite side, as if you were throwing it over your opposite shoulder. Do a total of 2 sets of about 10 lifts to each side, and don’t forget to alternate sides after each set.
Bust a One-Legged Move
Incorporating one-legged moves into your workout helps to strengthen your nervous system and muscle coordination. By forcing your body to stabilize itself on one foot, you’re not only lifting the same upper body weight, you’re carrying the other limb’s weight which will help you develop more strength overall.
Quick tip: During your next workout, try incorporating a couple of unilateral single-legged moves like the one-legged squat or deadlift. You can also try to stand on a single leg for half of every set of upper body moves, then switch it up to the other side. You’ll quickly start to gain more strength in each leg.
Twist and Shout
A lot of beginners who want to carve out the perfect “six pack” usually focus too much on the rectus abdominis and not enough on the other muscles that comprise about 85% of your core. Crunches and situps do a good enough job in getting rid of some belly fat, but in order to get a lean stomach and fast- you’ll have to start incorporating rotational moves into your workout or boot camp session. These type of moves work your entire core, instead of just the “six pack” muscle because they mimic real life activities like bending and twisting to tie your shoe or loading and unloading groceries.
Try this: Reach for a medicine ball the next time you do some front lunges. Rotate your torso while holding the medicine ball during your lunge- which requires a lot more stability than without. Also, try switching out your regular crunches for bicycle crunches.
Off Center Moves for On Point Abs
Movements that are off-center are ones that involve an unequal weight distribution that forces your core muscles to kick into overdrive. There are plenty of everyday activities that fall into the off-center moves category, such as carrying a child or suitcase or swinging around a tennis racket. The boot camp in Long Island City says that practicing these types of movements in a controlled and focused manner will help to strengthen core stability necessary to keep good alignment when performing off-center moves in real life.”
Quick tip: Try performing a squat or lunge with a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand, then switch.
Check back soon for more expert fitness and diet tips from Fit Body Boot Camp.
