Incinerate Fat and Build Muscle With This Kickass Workout
Add some dumbbells to your fitness routine and build some metabolism-boosting muscle while toning your entire body. We leave no muscle untouched with this workout| so grab a set of dumbbells between five and 25 pounds. Better yet| grab two sets u2014 so you can challenge yourself on a few of the moves with heavier weights. The more often and consistently you lift| the more you will be able to lift!
Directions: Warm up with five minutes of light cardio| then repeat each three-exercise circuit three times. Start with 10 reps of each exercise| building up to 15 reps of each move as you get stronger.
Click here for a printable poster of this workout.
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Plank and Rotate
Twisting in a plank position fires up the core and works those love handles.
- Begin in a plank position holding a five-pound dumbbell in each hand| keeping your wrists stiff to protect the joints. Open your feet a little wider than hip distance.
- Lift your left hand to the ceiling| twisting through your entire torso. Your pelvis will rotate| but keep it level.
- Bring your left hand back to the floor| and repeat this action on the other side to complete one rep.
- Do 10 to 15 reps to complete a set.
Use five- to eight-pound dumbbells.
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Single-Leg Scarecrows
Challenge your balance while working the small muscles that support your shoulder| known collectively as the rotator cuff. This move also makes for shapely upper arms.
- Stand on your left leg| and lift your right knee up until it is level with your hip. Holding a dumbbell in each hand| raise your arms out to the side until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees.
- Maintaining a strong sense of balance| rotate your upper arms forward to bring your fists to the floor; then rotate the upper arm backward to bring the fists up. Do not lower or raise your upper arms; keep them parallel to the floor. This completes one rep.
- Do 10 to 15 reps| then switch legs lifting the left leg up| and stand on the right foot for another 10 to 15 reps to complete the set.
Use five- to eight-pound dumbbells.
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Squat| Curl| and Press
Moving from a squat to an overhead press gets the heart rate going (read: more calories burned) while building shapely glutes and gams.
- Stand with your feet directly under your hips holding a dumbbell in each hand. Sit back into your squat| keeping the weight in your heels| bringing your thighs parallel to the floor without letting your knees go beyond your toes.
- Push through your heels to return to standing while bringing the weights to your shoulders| performing a bicep curl.
- Stabilize your torso and keep your arms moving upward performing an overhead press with the palms facing out.
- Lower your arms back to your side to complete one rep.
- Do 10 to 15 reps.
Use Use five- to 15-pound dumbbells.
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Lying Chest Fly
Work your pecs to give your chest a little lift while toning your low abs u2014 what is not to love about this multitasking move?
- Lie on your back with your hips and knees both at 90-degree angles. Using your low abs| press your lower back into the mat. Raise your arms toward the ceiling| palms facing each other| keeping the elbow joint slightly bent.
- Keeping your torso stable| open your arms out to the side until your elbows are about two inches from the floor.
- Raise your arms back to the ceiling| bringing the weights together over your chest. This completes one rep.
- Do 15 reps to complete a set.
Use five- to 10-pound dumbbells.
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Lying Overhead Reach
Work your shoulders and your abs with this exercise.
- Lie on your back with your hips and knees both at 90-degree angles| using your low abs to press your lower back into the mat. Raise your arms toward the ceiling| keeping the elbow joint slightly bent.
- Reach your arms overhead| bringing the dumbbells to tap the dumbbells on the floor above your head. Do not let your back arch away from the floor as your lower the weights.
- Raise your arms back to the starting position to complete one rep.
- Do 15 reps to complete a set.
Use five- to 10-pound weights.
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Seated Russian Twist
Work your muffin top and tighten your core with this simple move.
- Sit with your heels about two feet from your butt| holding a dumbbell at your chest. Keeping your back straight| lean your entire torso back a few inches. You should feel your abs working to keep you upright.
- Without rounding your spine| rotate your ribcage to the left| then return to center to twist to the right. This completes one rep.
- Do 15 reps to complete a set.
Use five- to 15-pound dumbbells.
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Reverse Lunge and Press
This full-body toner gets the heart rate going| too!
- Stand with your feet together| holding the weights at your shoulders with your palms facing out.
- Step your left foot back coming into a lunge| making 90-degree angles with your front and back knee.
- Push off your left foot| bringing your left knee forward so it is even with your left hip while raising your arms above your head. Do this motion with control.
- Without touching the floor with your left foot| step back into the lunge to start your second rep.
- Do 15 reps| then switch legs.
Use five- to 10-pound weights.
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Plank and Straight-Arm Kickback
Work your arms and abs together with this plank variation.
- Start in a plank position holding a dumbbell in each hand. Open your feet wider than hip width for a stronger base of support.
- Lift your left arm behind you as high as you can. Bring the left arm back into plank to complete one rep.
- Do 10 to 15 reps with each arm.
Use five- to 10-pound weights.
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Weighted Squat
Increase the your weighs for this final exercise| and work up to using a 25-pound dumbbell.
- Stand with feet a little wider than your hips| with toes pointed slightly outward| holding one dumbbell in both hands.
- Sit back to squat| keeping the weight in your heels and your chest lifted. The bottom of the dumbbell should lightly tap the floor.
- Push through your heels to return to standing to complete one rep.
- Do 15 reps.
Use a 15- to 25-pound dumbbell.
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