Who doesn’t want a lean and fit body? We all dream of flaunting a slim and trim body, just like our favorite stars. But do you think they got those washboard abs without putting in any effort?
No, they put in a lot of effort and spend hours at the gym to gain that lean body. So, how can you achieve that? The solution is not killer diets or rigorous workouts. You don’t need to go that far.
All you need is the perfect exercise routine that can ensure you have a lean, muscular body in no time.
Here are some of the best workouts that will help you shed that body fat. You can first start with cardio and strength training to shed those extra pounds and then move on to muscle building to become properly toned. Keep reading to learn more.
Running Or Cycling: As mentioned above, starting off with cardio is the best way to kick start a workout. It gets your heart rate up and boosts blood circulation. You could either run on the treadmill or head out for a jog/cycle every morning.
The benefits of cardio are that it increases metabolism and also enhances heart health.
By setting aside 20-30 minutes every day for cardio, you can ensure that those extra inches from your waist vanish. Running and cycling are the most efficient cardio workouts as they burn calories the fastest. Post cardio, you can switch over to muscle training to tone those flabs into abs.
Dumbbell Squats And Lunges: Using dumbbells in workouts can help you tone up. Two such effective techniques are squats and lunges. They tighten the muscles in your lower body and also tone your arms. All you need to do is hold two lightweight dumbbells in each hand, do two sets of squats, and follow up with one round of lunges.
Ensure your back is straight throughout. You can even flex your arms to tighten your biceps. Do 15 repetitions each.
Barbell Exercises: Barbell exercises tend to be a bit intense, but if done effectively, they can tone your body within a short span. Barbell exercises include bench press, shoulder press, deadlift, and again, lunges.
You can start with light weights and longer sets of 20 reps and then cut down to 10-15 reps with heavier weights.
They work great in building shapely muscles and improving the overall strength in your body. Do more reps for major muscles and less for minor muscles. Don’t go for heavy weights in the beginning as it may end up ruining your exercise. Gradually increase the weights, and you will see a gradual and steady improvement.
Push-ups And Pull-ups: While training to build your muscles, don’t skip the basics. Push-ups and pull-ups are integral to strength training. While push-ups build up the shoulders, chest, and triceps, pull-ups can efficiently work out all the big pulling muscles of the body, such as the back muscles, shoulders, and arms.
The combination of these two with 10- 15 reps of 2 sets each can be an excellent way to firm and strengthen various muscle groups. They are also one of the most effective exercises to burn fat and assist quick weight loss.
Bicep Curl: How would it appear if your entire body is nice and toned but your arms are flabby? It ruins the entire picture, doesn’t it? The best workout to tone those arms is a simple bicep curl. By using a pair of dumbbells, you can effectively work the upper body muscles, which can also build your stamina.
The best part about the bicep curl exercise is that you can do longer reps of 15-20 with 1-2 sets. You can also do a trip train with the same dumbbells by swinging your arms backward while holding the weights.
Plank Raise Or Crunches: One can tell how fit you are by looking at how toned your stomach is. These exercises are ideal for your abs and back too. Imagine the amount of satisfaction you’ll feel when you finally see those abs surfacing!
For that to happen, these workouts are very integral to diminish the fat around the waist and only leave back traces of abs. They may be simple but can be strenuous. Do at least 15-20 reps of 2 sets to get good results.
All these workouts will ensure that you end up with a lean and fit body. You can even include variations of each so that you can do something different each time.
When combined with a good diet plan, these workouts can help you achieve top-level results. Try it to see for yourself.
References :
1. http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/the-get-lean-workout
2. http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-workouts-to-get-a-lean-and-fit-body/
3. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/isometric-exercises
Author Bio: Nisha Baghadia is passionate about writing and loves to share her thoughts with the world. She has written many articles on yoga, fitness, wellness, remedies, and beauty. She keeps herself updated by going through interesting blogs every day. This fuels her passion and motivates her to write appealing and engaging articles. S
he is a regular contributor to StyleCraze.com and a few other websites.