To get a sculpted, trim body, weight training and other resistance exercises are important. Aerobic activity, on which most workout plans focus, burns calories well but doesn’t always build and strengthen muscle mass. To get the benefits of both fat burning and muscle building, combine the two elements into one routine, as the Cleveland Clinic recommends.
Fitness Plan
Keep variety a high priority when designing a fitness plan. If possible, don’t repeat the same workout more than once a week, and alternate sessions of weight training with cardiovascular activity. Muscles quickly grow accustomed to the same types of exercise, so seek out new movements in an attempt to challenge your body and sculpt its figure more quickly and effectively.
Weight Training Exercises
With minimal equipment and space, it’s possible to perform exercises at home that are just as effective as those at the gym. With light hand weights or dumbbells, try rows, curls, cleans, presses or dead lifts. Use a fitness ball or medicine ball to encourage proper technique and increase the effectiveness of core work, and try resistance bands for stretching and additional muscle building. Exercises that don’t require any special equipment and work to sculpt the body include sit-ups, abdominal crunches and their variations, push-ups, the plank, the quadruped and the bridge.
Core Work
For overall body sculpting, it’s tough to beat the results that core exercises deliver. According to CNN and the Mayo Clinic, core strength provides improved balance and stability, as well as protection for the back and spine. It also serves to make other exercises easier and make all other body movements more comfortable. In addition to weightlifting and strength training, try adding one or two core workout sessions to a fitness routine. Choose activities that work the upper and lower abdominals, as well as the obliques and inner core muscles.
Guidelines
Aim to work all major muscle groups with the weight training exercises you choose, including the chest, back, arms, legs and midsection, as the American Council on Exercise recommends. When trying to lose weight, attempt to be physically active for at least 45 minutes on four or five days during the week. Otherwise, follow the American College of Sports Medicine’s minimum guidelines of 150 minutes per week of moderate activity or 60 minutes per week of vigorous activity. The ACSM also calls for two strength training workouts per week, with each having eight to 10 exercises and up to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Considerations
Always focus on proper technique when lifting weights and performing strength training exercises. Doing a movement wrong can lead to muscle strain or injury, so it’s important to learn new exercises from a trainer or fitness professional, or watch them carefully before trying them yourself. Finally, especially if you’re overweight, it’s helpful to combine a healthy and varied diet with a weight training routine to lose extra fat and get the body the nutrients it needs. Follow recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid’s five main food groups.
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