Beat Holiday Weight Gain

By Lisa Kovalovich

Get through the party season without adding pounds by focusing your workout on the most effective toning moves. Try this full-body routine by Alycia Kluegl, a trainer at New York Sports Clubs in Hoboken, NJ, three times a week.

BELLY BLASTERS
Crunches: Lie on your back, legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Place hands behind your head and focus on a point on the ceiling. Use your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body several inches, then lower back down to the floor. Repeat 15 times.

Oblique crunches: Begin on the floor in the same starting position. Lift your shoulder blades up while twisting so that your right elbow touches your left knee. Return to starting position, then switch sides. Repeat 15 times on each side.

LOWER-BODY SCULPT
Cardio warm-up: five minutes

Weighted squats: Stand with feet hip-distance apart, arms at sides, holding 10-pound weights. Squat as if sitting down in a chair. Stop when thighs are parallel to the floor, then return to standing. Repeat 12 times.

Weighted lunges: Stand with feet together, arms at sides, holding 10-pound weights. Step forward with left foot and lower body until left thigh is parallel to floor. Straighten your left leg, then step back. Repeat with the right leg, alternating sides 12 times.

UPPER-BODY-SCULPT

Bicep curls: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at sides, holding 8-pound weights. Keep elbows close to your body. Curl hands up toward shoulders for four counts, pause, then lower down for eight counts. Repeat 12 times.

Push-ups: Lie on your stomach, knees bent, feet in air, palms on the floor by shoulders. Keeping abs tight and back straight, push your body up until arms are straight. Lower back down, keeping elbows close to your torso. Repeat 12 times.

post a comment