A bikini body is one you are proud to show off on the beach. Firm buttocks, legs and shoulders are important for a bikini body, but the most important is a toned abdomen because a bikini draws attention to the stomach region. Exercising for a bikini body must involve a combination of cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and toning exercise to create lean muscles.
Cardiovascular Exercise
In order to reveal muscle, you must first lose the fat that sits on top of it. To accomplish this, you must engage in cardiovascular exercise, which helps to burn calories needed to lose weight. You can choose cardiovascular exercises like jogging, using an elliptical machine, swimming or riding a bicycle, but include a different type of exercise session with each week to keep your body guessing. Examples include a circuit-training workout where you perform one minute of different activity types, like jumping rope, jumping jacks, kicking or punching to increase your heart rate. Climbing hills also helps to increase your heart rate and burn calories.
Trim Thighs
For toned, sleek legs, perform muscle-toning moves like lunges and squats. These exercises help to build muscle in your buttocks and quadriceps -- two of your major muscle groups. Pilates exercises not only help to tone the abdominal and back muscles, but also the legs. Try moves like the sidekick series, where you kick forward and backward while lying on one side, then the opposite side. You also can lie on your back and make large circles with your leg in a counterclockwise and clockwise position. Then, make smaller circles -- about the size of a kickball -- for 10 rotations clockwise and counterclockwise.
Arms and Shoulders
Toned arms and shoulders help you carry off a number of bikini styles, from halter to bandeau top. At home, exercises like pushups and triceps dips help to tone the arms. A weighted medicine ball -- between 5 and 10 lbs. -- helps you to tone the shoulders. You can perform compound exercises like squats with a ball lift in the air. To develop the chest and shoulders, you can hold the exercise ball while lying down. Recruit a partner to stand over you and drop the ball toward you. Catch the ball, then use your arm muscles to throw it back toward your partner. Repeat 10 times.
Abdominal Toning
Your abdominals are composed of a number of muscles that run lengthwise, crosswise and on the sides of your abdomen. For bikini-ready abdominals, you must tone them from all sides. Traditional exercises like crunches and bicycles can help tone your middle and side abdominals. An exercise to target the lower abs are the toe taps. To begin, lie on your back and lift your legs off the ground, bending at your knees to make your lower legs parallel to the ground. Move your right leg toward the floor to tap the right foot on the floor, then tap the left foot. Repeat until you have performed 10 repetitions on each side.
Member Comments