Thirty minutes three times per week is what's required to maintain your physique.
So you're quite the athlete year-round and you'd like to maintain your physique all the while making the most of your vacation? Here are four simple exercises, put together by fitness coach Yakisan Cagdas, which will work out your entire body.
Thirty minutes three times per week is what's required to maintain your physique. This series of simple exercises that will work out your thighs, back muscles, arms, abs and pecs.
Before you start, it's vital to warm up a bit. A 15-minute jog will allow you to avoid injury and prepare your body for the upcoming effort.
Strengthen your thighs
The starting position for this exercise is standing with your feet spread to the width of your hips. Keeping your back straight, lower yourself to create a 90° angle at the knees. Inhale on the way down, always through the nose, and exhale on the way up, always through the mouth. Do five sets of 15 reps, at a medium pace, and recuperate for 45 seconds in between sets. This will work out your thighs, but also your glutes.
Strengthen your upper body and pecs
We're going back to the basics with traditional push-ups here. The ideal positioning of the hands is at shoulder width. Your body needs to be as straight as possible for this exercise to be effective. Focus on keeping your abdomen muscles contracted as well.
Do 2 sets of 15 reps, going down as near to the ground as possible. It does not matter how fast you do each push-up, but always inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up. Make sure to give yourself 45 seconds to recover in between sets.
This exercise will work all the muscles in your arms (biceps, triceps, deltoids, flexors, etc.) and the inside pectorals. Should you set your hands wider than shoulder width, you will work out the wider pectorals and triceps more.
Strengthen your back
For this exercise, pull-ups, you'll need to find some kind of bar to use. Your body should remain straight, your hands gripping the bar at shoulder width. It's important that you grip the bar with your palms facing you in order to maximize the efficiency of the exercise.
Now all you have to do is pull yourself up until your chin reaches the bar. Two sets of 15 reps with 45 seconds in between will do the trick. This exercise will work out your arm muscles but also your upper back (trapezoids). Here too you can switch things: widening your grip on the bar will work out your shoulders a bit more.
Strengthen your abs
To begin, you'll want to start in your basic push-up position, on your hands and toes facing the ground. Keep your body straight and your abs tight. The idea here is to bring your knees up to your chest, one after another, over and again as fast as possible. Do 3 sets of 25, breathing with each movement. This simple exercise will work out all your abdomen muscles.
