|
Sexy
Thighs In 2 Steps From
eDiets - The online diet, fitness, and healthy living resource Its time for you to take advantage of those
cooler temperatures and make the most of an indoor workout, more specifically,
a strength-training regimen. Many weight-loss enthusiasts concentrate on cardio
exercise, letting weight training fall to the wayside. While activities such as
biking, jogging and walking are beneficial to the cardiovascular system
(including the heart and lungs), you need to play the "weighting" game if youre
trying to boost your weight loss and achieve a tight and toned body, says first
lady of fitness, Joyce Vedral.
With more than 14 fitness books and 20
exercise videos under her 25-inch belt, Vedral makes no bones about sharing the
importance of weight lifting. Her mission is to help clients develop feminine
muscularity. In other words, to put small muscles under the skin. She’s
not trying to bulk you up; you’ll look more like Angela (Bassett) than
Arnold (Schwarzenegger) when the buff blonde gets through with you.
If you’ve been longing for a
leaner-looking body, there are countless routines that will enable you to make
the transformation -- and they can all be done in your own home with a basic
set of weights. It’s through these exercises that you’ll reshape your
figure, something that can’t be done with aerobics. You may lose weight,
but without the proper exercise, you’ll be left with loose skin and a
flabby appearance.
“Muscle burns fat 24 hours a
day,” she tells
eDiets. After eight weeks of working with weights, your
metabolism increases by 15 percent. Youll burn fat even in your sleep. Muscle
is the only body material that burns fat 24 hours a day.
The benefits of weight training don’t
end there. Vedral cites recent studies, which show that resistance training
improves muscle mass, strengthens bone, and fights osteoporosis. Vedral herself
is a shining example of the benefits of weight lifting. At 59, her bone density
has doubled, and she’s still going strong.
Vedral's latest offering, which comes from
her Nonstop video, targets one of the bodys biggest trouble spots -- the
thighs -- both back and front. By starting out with two simple moves, youll get
the fat-burning cycle started. Prepare to have that heart rate raised -- there
are no rests for the weary.
The idea here is to burn off maximum
fat by eliminating the rests until you have completed your entire routine. The
exercises were set up, so that you do one exercise with weights, the other
without. By alternating back and forth, you give yourself a sneaky rest without
really resting. The logic of it is so simple. When most people work out, they
do one set of exercises and rest a whole minute. Then they do another set, rest
a minute and so on. Six sets equals six minutes of wasted resting time. By
doing your workout NONSTOP, you save six minutes of down time and burn more fat
in the bargain.
FRONT SQUAT
This exercise
lifts, shapes and tones your front and back thigh muscles.
Stand with your feet a few inches wider than shoulder width apart, with a
dumbbell in each hand, held on each shoulder with criss-crossed arms. Keeping
your back straight and your eyes straight ahead, lower your body to a
comfortable position, feeling the stretch in your front thigh muscles. Flexing
your front and back thigh muscles as hard as you can throughout the movement,
return to start position and give your front and back thighs an extra flex on
the finish. Repeat 15 times. Without resting, move to the next exercise.
REVERSE LUNGE LIFT
This
exercise lifts and tones the front and back thighs, and firms the entire
hip-butt area.
 Stand with your left foot forward and right foot back
-- about two feet between each foot. Your right arm is up, and your left arm is
down at your side. Reversing the position of your arms as you go, bring your
right knee up until your thigh is parallel to the floor and your right heel is
just about touching your inner knee area. Repeat the movement 15 times. Repeat
for the other leg. And without resting, return to the first exercise, the front
squat. Keep going until you have done three full rounds of both exercises.
EDITOR'S NOTE: When it comes to
exercise, there are many viewpoints and beliefs. eDiets has its very own
fitness program. However, from time to time, we highlight programs and
exercises developed by Joyce Vedral and other well-known fitness pros. It is
possible you will see contradictions from one story to another. |
|
