Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Bikini Workout

Having a baby killed any chances I ever had of wearing a bikini, but it is time for a change up in my strength training regimen, so this looks like a good overall workout to get me back in the groove, and hopefully looking GREAT by the end of summer. I need to tone a LOT, and I plan on wearing sleeveless and halter tops this summer, so I should do something! Plus, it's about time to start changing things up anyway to avoid plateauing given that it's been about 6 weeks on the program I'm currently using (even if I haven't been terribly consistent on the exercise).

The chart, like most of the resources I use, comes from SparkPeople. For the rest of the article, click here.

Muscle Group
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Abs Crunches Straight Leg Raises Kneeling Roll Out
Obliques Crunches with Twist Bicycle Crunches V-Sit & Twist
Lower Back Back Extension Swimming Back Extensions with Swiss Ball
Biceps Concentration Curls Alternating Biceps Curls One-Arm Side Push Up
Triceps Seated Tricep Extension Skull Crushers Dips
Shoulders Upright Rows Shoulder Press on Ball Lateral Raises
Back Boxer Seated Rows Reverse Flys on Ball
Chest Chest Press Push Ups Chest Flys on Ball
Thighs Forward Lunge Wall Squat with Ball Single Leg Squat
Hips Bridge Ups Skater Squat Genie Sit

1 comment:

Susan Beth said...

Funny, I've been thinking along the same lines. I've got a couple of workouts with pilates and the big giant ball. Each one is focused on a different area - upper body (upper abs, chest, shoulder, back) lower abs, and lower body (hips, bottom, legs). I may have to start doing that in the afternoons, in addition to stepping in the morning. Sure seems like a lot of time to dedicate to exercise (well over an hour a day!) But, I guess I have to choose my priorities!