Infinite Ideas - Instant Workout: Fitness and Conditioning Ideas for Health and Vitality

Contents

Instant workout

Fitness and conditioning ideas for health and vitality

Infinite Ideas

Introduction

Welcome to Instant workout . This handy guide brings together more than 150 wonderful exercises from Infinite Ideas bestsellers, Instant body conditioning, Instant ab workouts and Instant dance workouts.

While a few of these exercises do require equipment youre only likely to find at the gym (unless youre a real fitness fanatic) there are plenty you can do in the comfort of your own home with little or no specialised equipment. While the ideas from Instant body conditioning and Instant ab workouts will help you tone up, those from Instant dance workouts will help you get fit and fight the flab in a way thats more fun than slaving away on the treadmill or cross-trainer.

The Instant body conditioning ideas aim to get you toned all over without giving you bulging muscles like Arnie (unless you want them). Of course you want to look great as quickly as possible but you probably dont really want to injure yourself in the process. So if youre new to an exercise take it gently and only increase the number of reps you do once youre confident that youre performing it correctly.

You probably dont realise it but theres more than one set of muscles to your abs and many more ways of working them than spending hours doing punishing crunches in the gym. The ideas from Instant ab workouts will help you vary your abdominal exercise routine, work the whole of your midsection, and make you leaner and stronger in the process.

For a complete workout you really need to complement your toning with some cardio work. This is often the most gruelling and potentially boring part of any fitness regime but the ideas from Instant dance workouts will show you that exercise really can be fun! Dancing can lift your spirits as well as firming your bottom, toning your thighs and flattening your tum. There are many different styles from salsa to street, Bollywood to ballet, so find the dance and music that does it for you and youll never be tempted to skip a session.

We just have a few words of caution before you begin. If youre new to exercise its a good idea to take the advice of your doctor or attend an induction program at your gym and follow any recommendations given. When you start any new exercise its best just to do a few reps and focus on getting the movement right rather than pumping away feverishly and trying to do as many as possible that way lies injury. Most importantly listen to your body if an exercise is painful then stop straight away.

Have fun shaping up!

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Instant ab workouts

Meet your abs

You probably dont realise it but theres more than one set of muscles to your abs and many more ways of working them than spending hours doing punishing crunches in the gym. The rectus abdominis is your potential six-pack and the muscle most people are thinking of when they talk about abs, but your abs are made up of three sets of muscles. As well as the rectus abdominis there are the obliques in your side, which come into play when twisting and bending, and the transversus abdominis, which goes all the way across your stomach, behind the rectus abdominis. For maximum toning you need to work all three muscles individually and together rather than just focusing on the easily worked and dominant rectus abdominis. The good news is that there are plenty of exercises you can do without even needing to go to the gym so your workout can be varied and interesting rather than the gruelling tedium of endless crunches. Heres to flatter stomachs!

Safety first

Ever wondered why you do abs exercises at the end of combination workout classes (like BodyPump or Hi Lo)? The idea is that if you did them at the start youd run the risk of working out with tired ab muscles which could lead to bad posture. Thats a lesson worth taking into your own individual workouts too, especially if you are going to be doing anything like squats, lunges or free weights where proper posture is what you rely on to prevent putting your back out. Stomach muscles dont have the ability to bulk up like other muscles so dont worry about working them too hard. You can work them too often though light abs work can be done daily but after a hard session they need a day off just like any other part of your body if they are to repair damage and grow stronger. Remember that its while you rest that you get stronger.

Finding your muscles

Your abdominal muscles are essential for keeping your whole body strong but of course what most of us want to achieve from working our abs is a flat stomach or possibly even a six-pack. The bad news is that the prominence of your six-pack is genetic so no matter how hard you work, unless youre predisposed to have defined abs, you may never get the chiselled stomach you desire. However we can all have tauter, flatter stomachs. Bear in mind though that just working out your abs is not enough if your toned muscles are hiding beneath many years worth of beer and pizza then your sculpting efforts will be in vain. For the most impressive results you need to get down to 15% body fat if youre a man or 25% body fat for women. So make sure that you complement your toning work with regular cardio workouts (such as running, swimming or aerobic exercise classes) and sensible eating. This means more lean protein (such as fish, chicken or tofu) and vegetables and less of the refined carbohydrates (like sugar, crisps, white bread and rice) and alcohol. That Greek-statue look will then be well within your grasp.

Work that transversus 1

A toned transversus abdominis muscle will help keep your stomach flat it should produce the same effect as wearing Bridget Jones-style gripper knickers but without the potential embarrassment factor. We all use our rectus abdominis more naturally for strength and support so its important to be able to isolate the more neglected transversus muscle and work it without the help of the rectus abdominis. In order to do this stand straight and aim to pull your navel towards your spine. Focus on the lower part of your abdomen, below your belly button rather than the part immediately below your ribcage. If you find that youre clenching your buttocks, tipping your pelvis forward or pulling your ribcage down then youre involving the rectus abdominis too much. To feel for the right muscle contraction, put your hands on your hips and imagine a line drawn across your abdomen between them. Place your hand at the centre point of this imaginary line as you pull your navel towards your spine if youre doing the exercise correctly you should be able to feel the muscle contract. Once youve mastered this you can move on to more demanding exercises.

Daily toning

The key to tautness is keeping your abs contracted throughout other exercises, such as running, walking or dancing and as you go about your day-to-day business. You can be working your abs while waiting for the train, sitting at your desk or queuing in the post office. It can be hard to remember to keep taut at all times so try this simple prompt. Keeping your stomach muscles pulled in tie a piece of ribbon around your waist, under your clothes make sure its comfortable, not tight. If you let your belly relax too much it will touch the ribbon and that will remind you to tuck your stomach in again. After a while this should become subconscious so that you pull your muscles in without even thinking about it when you feel your stomach touch the ribbon. Eventually keeping your stomach muscles pulled in will become second nature and youll find you no longer need the ribbon. This will not only help you in your stomach flattening mission, it will also improve your posture and can be particularly helpful if you suffer from back pain through spending most of your days seated at a desk.