5 Day Workout Schedule to Tone and Lose Weight

5 Day Workout Schedule to Tone and Lose Weight
Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

If you want to tone your body while reducing body fat, begin a regimen of aerobic activity and strength training exercises. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense activity every week, along with at least two full-body strength training sessions a week. Tone your muscles with light weights for two to four sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Target every major muscle group twice a week, including your chest, back, shoulders, arms, abdomen and legs.

Day One

Begin with at 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity do warm up. Choose from walking, jogging, riding a bike or using a stationary bike or elliptical machine. Move on to your full-body workout. Use dumbbells to perform dumbbell curls, concentration curls, triceps kickbacks, triceps extensions, shoulder presses, front raises and bent-over rows. Use a barbell to perform dead lifts to target your lower back. Strengthen your chest with bench presses on a flat weight bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand or place a barbell across your lower shoulders while performing squats and lunges to target your lower body. Finish your full-body workout with crunches performed on a declined bench and oblique twists. Perform a basic crunch, but twist your torso from side to side as your chest approaches your knees.

Day Two

Give your muscles a rest from strength training on day two of your workout schedule. Instead, concentrate on performing more aerobic exercise to burn fat from your body. Try a more intense aerobic activity, such as running, in-line skating or swimming laps to burn hundreds of calories per hour. Complete at least 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity.

Day Three

On the third day of your five-day workout schedule, concentrate on your abdominal muscles and burning calories with aerobic activity. Abdominal muscles are more resilient and recuperate faster than other muscles in the body. Begin your workout with an aerobic activity session that utilizes multiple muscle groups at the same time. For example, swim laps in a pool or participate in a high-impact aerobics class. Move on to abdominal-strengthening activities. Use a Roman chair to perform knee raises. Suspend your legs below you as you hold your body weight with your elbows and forearms resting on the arm rests of the chair. Bring your knees to your chest and hold this position for one count. Perform front and side planks, which are static exercises that require little movement to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. Lie prone on the ground with your upper body resting on your forearms. Lift your abdomen, hips and legs off the floor and hold this position for five to 10 seconds. Perform a side plank by lying on your side and lifting your hips and legs off the floor and holding this position.

Day Four

On the fourth day of your workout schedule, perform another full-body toning session, but begin with 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise to warm up your muscles while burning calories. Use an aerobic workout machine in the gym or in your home, or go for a bicycle ride or brisk walk outside. Use free weights or strength training machines to strengthen your chest, shoulders, back, arms, abdomen and legs.

Day Five

On the last day of your five-day workout program, concentrate once again on performing aerobic exercise. This is the last day of your weekly workout sessions, so make it count with vigorous aerobic activity. If you have access to a fitness facility, split up your hour-long aerobic workout session among several different machines. For instance, spend 20 minutes running on a treadmill on a steep incline, then move to a stair-stepper for 20 minutes and finish your workout at a fast pace on an elliptical machine. Remember to cool down after all aerobic workout sessions. Use the next two days to rest and recover from your workouts.

References

Article reviewed by V. Mac Last updated on: Aug 2, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments