DAYS 1-7
DAYS 1-7
You start the program by building a base this first week. This goal is especially important for those who haven’t exercised in the past three months.
FLEXIBILITY The first two weeks of flexibility work are dedicated to total body stretches. Warm up by marching in place for two minutes while pumping your arms. Then begin your stretches. The routine: Do twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. All the stretches should take 10 minutes. Calf stretch: With feet flat on floor and knees bent, bring one foot in front of the other and lean forward, pushing against a fence, your racquet or any other solid object. Hold for 15 seconds, then bring other foot forward. Quadricep stretch: Standing, hold your left foot at the ankle and pull it toward your buttocks. Hold for 15 seconds; switch feet. Balance your weight either by lifting right arm paralll to floor or by touching a wall. Shoulder roll: In slow motion, roll your shoulders backward then forward five times in each direction. Seated hamstring stretch: Sitting with your legs straight out in front of you so they form a V, lean forward from the waist while attempting to hold your toes. Seated back twist: Sitting with legs crossed over each other, lock your hands behind your neck with a broom handle or barbell. In slow motion, rotate as far to the left as you can without straining; hold. Then rotate slowly to the right. Repeat 10 times in each direction. |
CARDIOVACULAR TRAINING Besides burning calories and reducing fat, cardiovascular work increases endurance and strengthens the heart. Limit yourself to more general exercises such as running, bicycling and stair-climbing for the first 14 days. You can pick one exercise or switch off between several. Pro Aaron Krickstein (left) prefers the stationery bike. The choice is yours. The routine: Do some sort of aerobic activity for 45 minutes five times a week. Warm up by slowly jogging in place for a few minutes; cool down the same way. |
STRENGTH The object of all strength training is to give muscles carefully graduated work. The workout below is for the entire body. Some of these exercises require machines available only in a gym or fitness center. The routine: Do this workout four times a week. Follow a day of strength training with a day of rest. Aim for two sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. If you need to do less that’s O.K. The entire workout will take you 45 minutes to complete. Seated row: The machine you need for this exercise resembles a rowing machine. While seated, you pull a cord attached to a weight toward you until it is almost touching your chest. Lat pull-down: Sitting with your legs under the harness of the lat machine, pull down on the weight. Assisted pull-up: Getting a partner to give you a lift, grasp a chin-up bar with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart and palms out. Bending your legs at the knees and crossing your feet, pull yourself up until the bar touches the back of your neck. Pause, then lower yourself down. Bench press: Lie on your back on a bench with feet flat on the floor while holding a barbell at the top of your chest (refer to the guidelines on page 66 to determine the weight of the barbell). Press the weight straight up, pause, and then return it back down. Incline bench press: While sitting on an inclined bench, press a barbell overhead. Hold, then return to start. Military press: Sit holding a barbell or dumbbells behind your neck, with hands a few inches wider than shoulder-width apart. Press weights upward until your arms are straight but not locked. Hold, then lower slowly to start. Flat fly: Still lying on your back with feet flat on the floor, hold dumbbells out to the side, arms slightly bent. Make a semicircular motion to bring the weights overhead until they touch. Hold, then return to start. Incline fly: While sitting on an inclined bench, hold dumbbells wider than shoulders-width apart and press upward as high as is comfortable (see photo below). Tricep push-down: On the lat machine, push the weight down until your elbows almost lock. Hold, then return to start. Bicep curt: Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, hold barbell or dumbbells with your palms facing up. Curl barbell or one dumbbell up until chest level. Lower, then repeat. Sit-up or abdominal crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Exhale and slowly curl your neck, head and shoulders up of the floor. Lower to floor, inhaling as you do. |