Week Eight: The Step Up

Hello everyone, this week’s exercise is going to have you walking funny…

As normal, get warmed up first. You know the score by now. If you don’t, check out some earlier weeks for ideas.

Now all you need is a chair or ledge – just something to ‘step up’ on to – and yourself.

Facing your chair/ledge/stair thing – feet at shoulder-width apart, shoulders back, boobs forward, hips straight – step up with your left foot and slowly stand on your chair and follow through with your right leg, like this:

Be careful not to fall off…

To step down, just reverse the process; swing your raised leg back and gently lower yourself down to the floor. Take your foot from the chair and come back to standing as you began. That’s one. Now for the next, switch your leading foot and do the same again. You’re going to aim for three sets of ten repetitions, remembering to go as slowly as you can to increase the effectiveness of the exercise. Take 60 seconds rest between sets.

Once you can do three sets of ten easily, try three sets of 15, then 20… It will get difficult again quickly!

As I said, you will feel this exercise the next day. You’ll be walking around gently as your bum and thighs will ache – that’s called PROGRESS! Don’t just do this exercise by itself, be sure to try these too:

- calf raises

- bodyweight squats

- swiss ball hamstring curls

- wall squats

-  lunges

As and when I get through describing all these exercises to you, I will link through to them so you can see exactly how to do each one.

See you next time. I’ll be looking out for you all walking gingerly down the street…

Sam.

Tip Of The Week: Don’t cave to peer pressure. It’s easy to say you’re not going to have chips or wine but when everyone around you is having it/them, it can be easy to give in. Just remember, YOU ARE NOT A SHEEP; weak people feel the need to ‘fit in’, strong people find their own path and are admired for it. That means that all those people saying ‘ohhhhhhh come onnnn, just one won’t kill you’ are more than likely trying to make themselves feel better by dragging you into whatever it is their doing. Secretly, they’ll be wishing that they could be like you, whatever they might say to your face. And even more so when you’ve got the perfect body! Stick to your plans and you’ll get there.

Week Seven: The Lying Back Extension

Good morning ladies, apologies for the delayed post this week – I went away for the weekend with a client to prep her as much as possible before a photo-shoot. Working out for eight hours a day is tough!

Anyway, I’m back now and it’s time for another exercise, the lying back extension…

Firstly, get warmed up. You all know how to do that by now, check previous weeks if not. Once ready, all you need is enough room to lie down, nothing else at all.

On your front, all you’re going to do is pull your feet and arms/shoulders up and off the floor like this:

Be sure to keep your head up and eyes forwards to prevent neck injury and really feel that squeeze in your bum and lower back. Hold it for two seconds then slowly lower back down, once down; straight back into rep number two. Do ten reps for one set and then rest for 60 seconds. Do a total of three sets.

As normal, once you find the basic plan easy, you can step it up. Try doing three sets of 15 or 20 and hold for three seconds at the top, not two. Any exercise is variable to be difficult, no matter how fit and strong you get…

This exercise will have your bum feeling TIGHT after just a few sessions and it will help to carve away those love handles too. To really get the most out of time spent working out, try these too:

- calf raises

- bodyweight squats

- swiss ball hamstring curls

- wall squats

-  lunges

As and when I get through describing all these exercises to you, I will link through to them so you can see exactly how to do each one.

That’s it from me this time around. I’ll be back (on time) on Friday… Have a great week.

Stick, you need to call me to plan our sessions this week.

Sam.

Tip Of The Week: Change your eating habits. Little and often is the golden rule. If you can nibble every 2-3 hours on good stuff instead of skipping breakfast, cramming in a quick lunch then gorging at dinner, you’ll help yourself enormously. By eating regularly you train your body to expect regular ‘fuelling’, once trained in this way, it stops storing fuel for later and begins to rely on what you’re giving it (speeding your metabolism). This basically means you take on less fat from whatever you eat and process your food far more efficiently. Good examples of food to graze on throughout the day are; fruit and nuts, ryvita, chicken, salad, tuna… You all know what’s good for you and what’s not, just stock up and get to it!

Week Six: The Plank

It’s a quick one this week ladies, this exercise is ultra simple and ultra effective. The plank is a static or isometric exercise (ie – you don’t move) like the wall squat. It works by keeping the core muscle fibres tensed and under stress for an extended duration thus toning and firming them. To look your best in your shoes, you need to have a nice flat stomach to match the toned legs and you’ll need a strong and supple core to cope with long late nights prancing around on your tip-toes in those ridiculous heels!

Firstly, get warmed up. You all know how to do that by now, check previous weeks if not. This time around, throw in a few stomach stretches and twists to be certain your core is ready to be tested.

Once your good to go, all you need is space to lie down and some way of timing yourself. That’s it.

So, with sight of a clock or watch, lie yourself down on your front like so:

Note the flat line from shoulders to heels, don’t push your bum up or down, just keep it as flat as you can. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then rest for 60. Then do it again, and again.

Once you can do three sets of 30 seconds easily, up your time to 45 and then 60 seconds and so on. Keep holding for longer and longer to make it more difficult (keeping the rest period to just 60 seconds).

To really mix it up, try holding one foot off the floor slightly for half the time and then switch to hold the other one up for the second half of each ‘set’, this is hardcore!

This planking will have your stomach toned and flat in no time at all, but to make sure you’ve got matching sleek legs give these a go too:

- calf raises

- bodyweight squats

- swiss ball hamstring curls

- wall squats

-  lunges

As and when I get through describing all these exercises to you, I will link through to them so you can see exactly how to do each one.

Ciao for now! I’ll see you all again next week. Stick, see you tomorrow at 2pm.

Sam.

Tip Of The Week: Get swimming. Even just once or twice per week, it’s one of the most effective fat-burning, toning and fitness-improving things you can do. And I don’t mean just lolling around trying not to get your hair wet, I mean lengths – proper ones, one after the other. Start easy if you want with five or ten lengths, then add one or two every time you go. You’ll be a fish in no time at all. A slim sexy one to be precise.