In the world of various diets, pills, slimming programs, and other questionable ways to get in shape, exercise is the most obvious and the most effective “medicine”. However, it’s up to your motivation, determination, and consistency how long it’s going to take to reach the body of your dreams.
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- HarperAudio
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No doubt, it’s not an easy task, but if you stick with the basics and regularly do the key workouts listed below, it won’t be too complicated.
So…How can you get in shape fast?
Choose & mix these basic exercises and devote at least 10 minutes daily to training, and you won’t recognize yourself in a couple of weeks!
Ready? Let’s do it.
Plank
A plank is the number 1 exercise as it makes all muscles of your body work simultaneously. It is a static exercise – you don’t need to move while doing it. Just hold your body in the right position: keep your back, glutes, and shoulders in one line, hands under your shoulders, or slightly wider apart, and don’t lift your head.
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Hold the position for 10 seconds. Continuously increase the time up to 5 minutes.
Besides a classic plank, you can play with other, more challenging kinds:
- Spider Lunge
- Plank Tap
- Side Plank
- Plank with Arm Raise
- Plank with Jumps
Squats
Squats are another multifunctional exercise, which is great for everyone (except people with serious musculoskeletal disorders).
You can start from chair squats and goblet squats: place your feet between shoulder- and hip-width apart, turn the toes out, don’t allow your knees to collapse inward as you rise to stand, and keep your chest tall.
The initial task is to handle the technique. Only after you make sure the target muscles are working, you can add weights. Also, to make the workout more difficult, you can opt for front squats or back squats.
The best part is that you can do this exercise at home and no special equipment is required.
Bicycle Crunches
A bicycle crunch is the exercise of increased intensity, as it combines static and dynamic load. It strengthens the abs a lot. When performing the exercise, keep the back rounded, the abs must be in constant tension, and the legs mustn’t touch the floor.
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- Bob Anderson, Bill Pearl, Ed Burke
- Publisher: Shelter Publications
- Edition no. 2 (12/10/2002)
If you’re a newbie, start with a simplified version: alternately raise and put your legs back on the floor.
Squat Jump
By adding the jumping movement into the traditional squats you will get the blood pumping and burn more calories, speeding up the process of getting in shape.
It is essential to land softly and jump as high as you can, remember the technique of doing squats as well. Keep your chest up, hold the arms in front of you during the squat, and push them behind the back when you jump.
Push-Ups
This classic exercise works the entire body, burns a lot of calories, and tightens chest muscles.
The technique is super easy: get down, place your hands in line with your shoulders, and feet close together. The task is to lower your body until the chest nearly touches the floor and after that push yourself back up.
This exercise prepares your body for more complicated gym exercises like deadlifts.
Glute Bridge
If you wanna feel your glutes, the Glute Bridge is what you need.
Lie faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, contract your abs, and push your hips up so that your body makes a straight line from shoulders to knees. Pause in the upper position to increase the difficulty.
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- Robert Davis
- Publisher: AMACOM
- Edition no. 1 (05/11/2017)
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- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co
- Edition no. 1 (01/01/1970)
To avoid injuries and get as fast results as possible, make sure that you don’t bend your back, and both heels and toes are on the floor.
Side Lunge
This exercise makes all leg muscles work as well as stretches them. When doing this basic exercise, remember to keep the chest up and try to lunge as low as your flexibility allows. Fix your knees and don’t let them travel forward past your toes.
Step-Ups
Step-ups are the exercise that is focused a lot on ‘bootybuilding’ – it makes the glutes and hamstrings work a lot, which is a sufficient leg pumping. One of the significant advantages of step-ups is that this exercise doesn’t hurt your knees, while most ‘booty exercises’ do.
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- Publisher: Pilot Communications Group
- Edition no. 1 (08/01/2018)
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- Publisher: Shelter Publications
- Edition no. 3 (11/09/2006)
Stand in front of a step-platform with dumbbells in both hands (you can begin without any extra weights). Put your right foot on the platform and lift the entire body up. Step back and repeat the movement upwards starting with the left foot.
Cardio Intervals
How to get in shape fast? CARDIO!
If your main task is to lose weight, you can hardly do without cardio intervals – they should be an integral part of your routine to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.
There’s a wide choice of cardio options so you can find your favorite: treadmill, cycling, running, jump rope, ellipsis, and even intensive dancing.
Stretching
Stretching and relaxing your muscles for just 10 minutes a day after an intense workout will improve your flexibility, circulation, balance, and help the muscles to recover faster. Also, stretching can be a good warmup before the training.
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- Bantam
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How to Organize Your Workout?
If you’re a newbie who is looking for ways to get in shape fast, do 2-3 sets of each exercise with a minute break between them.
If your level is medium, try to combine each 2-3 sets in supersets – for example, Bicycle Crunches with Push-Ups. This combination must be done without breaks to increase the intensity of the workout.
Experienced sportsmen can opt for circuit training to challenge their bodies and get in shape ASAP.