Simple Exercises That Will Transform Your Body In 4 Weeks

A new year is upon us, which means for many folks it's also time for a new fitness regime. Unfortunately, these new routines don't usually last very long for most people. Between the time commitment and the actual effort to work out, it's easy to get discouraged.

Keeping that in mind, we've put together a list of some simple exercises that can help you transform your body in just ten minutes a day over four months. Now, all you have to do is stick to it.

1. Plank

The plank is one of the most fundamental exercises to do regularly as it helps tighten and strengthen your core, leading to increased overall strength and stability. Perform the exercise as shown above, propping yourself up on your forearms and feet and keeping your back perfectly straight. Keep your core tight and hold for intervals between 10 seconds and a full minute, depending on your fitness.

2. Push-Ups

This is the granddaddy of upper-body strength training. The push-up has been around pretty much forever, and is a great way to build up your chest, shoulders, and triceps (plus your core). Start in a plank, then bring your body down, before pressing back up. Keep your body straight throughout.

3. "Bird Dog"

This yoga-inspired exercise is perfect for toning your thighs and glutes. Start on all fours as seen in the photo, then extend one leg and the opposite arm straight out in front of you. Repeat on the other side.

4. Squats

Just as push-ups are the essential upper body exercise, squats are the ultimate lower body move. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and then start squatting down/back as if you were going to sit in an imaginary chair. Keep your back straight, and extend your arms outwards for balance if needed. Then, slowly raise yourself back up.

5. Ab Crunches

Lie flat on your back, raise one leg and bend at the knee, then touch your hand to your knee. Repeat on the other side.

6. Downward-Facing Dog Ab Crunch

First get into a triangular position with your body, keeping your back and your legs in straight lines to create a "V." Then, raise one leg to the air as seen in the photo, then slowly bring it in towards your chest. Try to touch your nose to your kneecap. Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg.

7. Oblique Twist

The Four-Week Plan:

Week 1:

Do the following for six days:

• 2 minutes plank
• 1 minute push-ups
• 1 minute bird dog
• 1 minute ab crunch
• 1 minute down-dog crunch
• 1 minute oblique twist
• 2 minutes plank

Rest for 10 seconds between the exercises.

Week 2:

Alternate the following sets for six days.

Set 1:

• 3 minutes plank
• 3 minutes ab crunch
• 3 minutes bird dog

Take 15-second breaks between the exercises.

Set 2:

• 3 minutes oblique twist
• 3 minutes push-ups
• 3 minutes down-dog crunch

Take 15-second breaks between the exercises.

Week 3: Repeat Week 1 exercises.

Week 4: Repeat Week 2 sets.

Source: wimp.com

4 Minutes Fat Burning Exercises

20 Best Home Cardio

No need to join gym membership, no need to buy expensive workout equipment. All you need is descent space at home and allocate time for yourself to commit to this routine.

Build Body Core The Correct Way

Are you tired of endless crunches, leg lifts and side bends? That's a good thing! Those exercises are far more likely to cause back pain than carve a solid core.

Finishing your workout with four to five sets of traditional ab exercises, often termed "isolated movements," used to be considered good core training. In reality, though, your body doesn't work in isolation.

Instead, think of your body as a single chain. Movement is created through the coordination of multiple muscle groups. So when you train your core, focus on integrated movements, not on trying to isolate a particular muscle or muscle group.

Another issue with performing a high volume of crunches and sit-ups is that they can leave you with bad posture, shortened hip flexors and lower back pain. So here's what you need to know to better sculpt your midsection.

What Is the Core?

Before you can understand what's meant by integrated movements, you must first know the definition of core.

"The core really encompasses everything from your head to your toes, as every segment of your body is intimately linked, both structurally and functionally," says Eric Cressey, certified strength and conditioning specialist and co-founder of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Mass. 

While there are many exercises that train the torso, the most effective (and the most functional) are often similar to what you're already doing — squats, deadlifts, lunges — but with asymmetrical loading and optimal trunk positioning.

Your abs aren't just your "six-pack muscles" (rectus abdominis). You have your transverse abdominis (musculature below the rectus abdominis), multifidus (deep lying stabilizer), and internal and external obliques (muscles in your sides that aid in twisting and hip flexion).

Stabilizing the torso and engaging in movement is a collaboration among these muscles and the antagonistic engagement of the entire posterior chain — the lats, spinal erectors, glutes and hamstrings.

Build Functional Core Strength

Joe Dowdell, certified strength and conditioning specialist and founder of Peak Performance in New York City, says true core training is about selecting appropriate core exercises. That means those that will challenge your abilities while safely and effectively progressing you toward your goal.

"The ultimate goal is to develop a core that is both strong and stable and will allow us to be able to either resist and/or transfer significant amounts of force in any given movement pattern," he says.

One example of a highly effective core exercise is the cable chop/lift sequence. From a kneeling split squat, set up perpendicular to the high or low attachment on a cable machine. From this position, rotate your locked arms across your body in various patterns — diagonal up, straight across or diagonal down — while keeping your torso fixed and braced.

Incorporate Compound Movements

 

Compound movements and variations of many conventional upper and lower body exercises can develop high levels of torso strength, stability and balance. When you change the loading, base of support or plane of movement, you're required to stabilize or resist movement for the duration of the exercise.

When performing exercises such as squats and deadlifts, you often hear the term "braced." It essentially mean tensing and contracting the core as if you were bracing for a punch. It's a skill that can be developed, and it'll keep your spine safe and allow you to build and transfer power.

Conventional core training has given way to a more intelligent, integrated program design. When you better understand the function of the core and how the body works, you'll be able to structure your workouts to eliminate weaknesses and improve your lifts or your performance. 

The introduction of integrated core movements, unilateral upper and lower body variations and static postures will help re-enforce bracing and improve your torso stability under load.

Source: Live Strong

Gal Gadot Trained To Be Wonder Woman

Much to the delight of women everywhere, Wonder Woman has been a box office hit the world over. The film's success means that the core messages of feminism have been delivered to the masses. 

The breakout star? None other than Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, and her very sizeable biceps.

Getting in shape for the role couldn’t have been easy for Gadot who had to train like an athlete for the part. Here, we look at the method behind the actress’ physique.

It took six months of preparation

A body like that doesn’t happen overnight. To prepare for the film, Gadot started an intensive health and fitness routine six months out from filming.

Prior to training, the actress was built more like a beanstalk than a fearless warrior. Despite having Hollywood’s finest trainers and nutritionists at her disposal, Gadot’s transformation still took six months of hard work.

She worked out for six hours a day

Gadot hit the gym for six hours over a six month period. (Meanwhile, we’re over here trying to get through six hours of work without eating a doughnut…) “I did two hours gym work, two hours fight choreography, and two hours horseback riding. Which is super hard,” she said on Live with Kelly and Ryan.

“When people used to tell me, ‘Yeah I do sports I ride horses,’ I was like, ‘That’s not sport. The horse does everything.’ No! No! You’d be surprised—it’s sooo painful.”

Initially, this routine would have been quite taxing for Gadot who isn’t usually much of a gym junkie. “In my ordinary life when I don't work, I like to paddle board and do TRX,” she told Harper’s BAZAAR .

She balanced each meal with half protein half greens

By the sounds of things, Gadot’s diet isn’t rocket science. Instead, she focused on whole foods. The actress’ trainer, Hayley Bradley told InStyle, “Poor nutrition and inadequate sleep reduce the effectiveness of training by 20 to 30 percent.”

To follow the Wonder Woman routine, Bradley says: “Balance each meal with equal amounts of protein and greens, and to be wary of seemingly healthy choices like green juice, which can be highly caloric thanks to the large amounts of natural sugars in some fruits and veggies.”

She didn’t restrict herself too much

Gadot is an unapologetic foodie so she doesn’t like to restrict herself too much. “I love to experience food, but at the same time I look at food as fuel and I want to give the best to my body,” she told BAZAAR. “So of course I have my bad things that I eat like burgers or ice cream with chocolate. I don't restrict myself, I can eat everything.”

“It's all a matter of measurements and quantity of the food; just enjoy your food and don't eat while you drive and don't eat when you talk on the phone,” Gadot continued. “Just give the food the respect and give yourself the respect to enjoy it.”

Source: Elle Australia

Biceps Workout Video

Eat Like The Rock

Dwayne Johnson is the highest-paid actor in the world. He’s also one of the most shredded.

The Rock may not have much time to sleep between shooting major movies like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Baywatch, and Rampage, not to mention his TV work (the HBO series Ballers) and YouTube videos (via his Seven Bucks Productions digital channel). He also, y'know, works out a ton.

But no matter how busy he is, Johnson certainly makes time to eat. (He also really loves his cheat meals—including one with French toast and apple pie.)

Johnson fuels his gains and makes sure he has the size he needs for his film roles by sometimes eating up to 5,000 calories per day. That can change depending on the movie role, but, either way, Johnson is all about eating right and getting the right amount of protein.

Johnson shared one of his favorite meals with his fans on social media, preparing to get a day off for the first time in “weeks.” The superstar actor chowed down on “spinach salad, baked potato, and a big sexy hunk of dead cow.”

Muscle & Fitness broke down Johnson’s diet, which sometimes can consist of up to seven meals per day, including portions of steak, cod, chicken, salmon, rice, vegetables, and potatoes.

Grilled chicken with dry herb rub

Grilled skirt steak with pepper slaw

Glazed salmon with stir fried vegetables

Grilled honey and lemon chicken

Foil packet lemon and herb cod

Flank steak with chimichurri sauce

Grilled butterfly leg of lamb

Source: Men's Fitness