When it comes to building a beautiful body, some prefer home workouts while others like a gym atmosphere. Either way the goal is the same: get the best possible workout in the least amount of time.
Exercise and a fit body are synonymous. A training program that caters to the body’s needs makes a remarkable difference in the overall way that we move or function. It is visible in our posture, our gait and the quality of life that we live.
All this is possible if you invest just 20 minutes everyday! A small price for large dividends. So get moving and get started. NOW.
This 20-minute workout is designed for working out at a gym. The gym has a wide range of equipment options, which you can use to your advantage. Besides, the gym machines allow you to add resistance until you reach a point of muscle fatigue and they also provide more control than free weights.
The aim is to exercise 6 days a week for 20 minutes each day. The three workouts, A, B and C described below, work the upper, mid and lower body, plus challenge your cardiovascular abilities.
Stretch: After each workout, do static stretches of all your major muscles that you have worked, holding each stretch for 30 seconds without bouncing.
Progress: As you get stronger, add resistance so that your muscles stay challenged.
- DAY 1: WORKOUT A
- DAY 2: WORKOUT B
- DAY 3: WORKOUT C
- DAY 4: WORKOUT A
- DAY 5: WORKOUT B
- DAY 6: WORKOUT C
- DAY 7: REST
- TREADMILL (WARM-UP) FOR 4 MINUTES
- 2-MINUTE STATIONS
- PEC DEC FLYS
- LAT PULL DOWN
- CHIN-UPS
- PREACHER CURLS
- PUSH DOWNS
- ONE-ARM DUMBBELL PRESS
- BALL SIT-UPS
- BACK EXTENSIONS ON THE BALL
(REPEAT SEQUENCE)
- TREADMILL (WARM-UP) FOR 4 MINUTES
- 2-MINUTE STATIONS
- LEG PRESS
- LEG EXTENSIONS
- BARBELL SQUAT
- BARBELL LUNGES
- GOOD MORNINGS
- SEATED CALF RAISES
- INCLINE BENCH SIT-UPS
- BACK EXTENSIONS ON A BALL
(REPEAT SEQUENCE)
- 5-MINUTE STATIONS
- TREADMILL
- CROSS TRAINER
- CYCLING
- STEP-UPS
EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS
Sit on the machine’s seat and press your elbows into the pads, relaxing your forearms and wrists. Now bring the pads together until they come in front of your pectorals, then return to starting position.
Sit facing the machine and place your knees under the restraint pad provided. Take a wide overhand grip on the bar and pull the bar down to your upper chest; angle your back slightly so that it goes back. Now slowly return to starting position.
Extend your arms and take a wide, overhand grip on the chinning bar. Pull yourself upward until your eyes are above the level of the bar. Return to starting position.
Stand or sit with your arms resting on the bench. Now curl the bar; then slowly return to starting position.
Stand facing the machine with your hands on the bar and your elbows against your sides. Now straighten your arms, but don’t separate your elbows from your sides. Return to starting position.
Sit on a bench, grasp the dumbbells with an underhand grip, and then lift them to your shoulders. Alternately press your arms to an extended vertical position, rotating your wrist so your palm faces forward. Return to starting position.
Lie on a stability ball positioned under your lower back, your hands crossed over your chest and your feet flat on the floor. Curl your body up slightly, until your abs are tight. Slowly return to starting position.
Lie on your stomach on a stability ball. Place your hands on your lower back. Slowly lift your torso up and then slowly return to starting position.
Sit on the machine, lying back against the angled pad, and place your feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend your legs as much as possible while making sure your knees travel to the sides of your chest. Return to starting position.
Sit on the machine. Grasp the handles or the edges to the seating platform to steady your body throughout the movement. Bend your knees and place your ankles under the set of roller pads. Slowly raise your legs until they are almost parallel to the floor. Return to starting position.
Place a barbell on a squat rack. Duck under the bar and position it across your shoulders. Hold the bar as you squat down and return to starting position.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift a light barbell up to a position across your shoulders, behind your neck. Now take a comfortable step forward keeping your torso upright; your legs should form a 90-degree angle. Return to starting position and switch legs.
Stand with feet slightly apart. Place a barbell on your shoulders. Now bend forward at the waist until your torso is approximately parallel to the floor. Make sure that your back is straight. Return to starting position.
Sit on the machine’s seat and place the restraint pads tightly across your thighs. Place your toes and the balls of your feet on the foot bar. Stretch your heels as far below the level of your toes as possible, then slowly come up as high as you can under resistance on your toes.
Sit on the bench and hook your feet under the roller pads. Place your hands behind your neck. Incline your torso less than 20-degres. Lift your torso up, contracting your abs as you do this, slowly return to starting position.
The treadmill offers two of the most convenient methods of increasing caloric burn: speed and incline. Since this is the first cardiovascular station, begin with a 2-minute warm-up, and then increase intensity level for the next 3 minutes.
The cross trainer is a great cardiovascular machine offers upper-body as well as lower-body resistance. To optimize benefits from your workout sessions, it is important to learn to recruit core stabilizer muscle groups while using this machine.
The recumbent bike’s ability to work more than one area of your lower body has made this machine a cardiovascular favorite. In addition, individuals with lower back problems, find the seating arrangement comfortable and less taxing on the back. Since balance isn’t much of a concern on the recumbent bike, more focus can be placed working the muscles and increasing the speed of the pedaling.
Use a 6-inch platform or step and do alternate knee ups on it. Make sure your full foot is on the step while getting on the step.
- Benefits of Exercise
- Exercise and the Heart
- Exercise and the Bones
- Exercise and Hypertension
- Exercise Excuses and how to beat them
- Over Exercising is bad for you
- Kids gotta Exercise too!
- What is Obesity
- Fitness Triangle
- Running, Skipping and Cycling
- Walking
- Swimming
- Common Fitness Myths
- Evaluate your Fitness Quotient
- Wellness Tools and Charts