Five-Pound Panic: How to Lose It by Summer
It’s time to take the summer weight-loss program to the next level. Bust your body into bathing suit shape by adding exercise to your plan!
By Nutricise fitness expert Nancy Yumkas
(Nutricise) — This week, you get to start the exercise part of the Five-Pound Panic Plan. Don't worry if you were a little sedentary during the winter. The purpose of this regimen is to reeducate your muscles to proper exercise and increase your metabolism to burn more calories. So take a deep breath and let's get started.
Four-Week Jump-Start Exercise Program
Exercise guidelines:
· You should always exercise with your spine in a neutral position for maximum benefit and minimum injury. To find this position, you should squeeze your abs and glutes and pull your shoulders down and back.
· Don't forget to breathe. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Never hold your breath while exercising.
· Work out at 60 to 75 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) during the entire workout to burn as many calories and as much fat as possible while strengthening your heart. (Find these numbers by using the Karvonen formula in our Fitness Calculator.) If you don't have a heart rate monitor, use the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. This is a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest (you cannot catch your breath) and one is the easiest (you feel as if you can do the exercise forever). Six to 8 on the RPE scale is equal to 60 to 75 percent of your MHR.
· Try to keep the same order of exercise so it will be easier to follow each time you do the program.
· Do this program every other day.
WEEK ONE
Cardio workout
Warm-up for seven minutes. Try a fast walk, jumping jacks or walking up and down stairs. Continue your cardio workout for 20 minutes keeping your heart rate at 60 to 75 percent of your MHR or 6 to 8 RPE. Afterward, slow your pace to lower your heart rate for five minutes.
Stretch
Hold each stretch (except the arm circles) for 10 seconds and repeat twice. You should feel a tension in the muscle you are stretching. Remember to breathe deeply. You will repeat this routine after circuit training.
· Arm Circles: While standing do large arm circles forward and backward, 10 times in each direction.
· Shoulders: Place one hand behind the back of your neck, the other behind your back and try to touch your fingers. Switch sides.
· Upper back: Lock fingers in front of your body and push your arms straight rounding your back while bending your knees. Keep your arms at shoulder height.
· Lower back: Lie faceup and bring your knees to your chest. Clasp your hands behind your thighs pull your knees to your chest.
· Low back and rotation: Keeping your knees to your chest, let both knees rotate to the right and then the left.
· Hamstrings: Still lying faceup, bring both legs straight to the floor. Keeping your knee straight, lift one leg as far as you can toward your chest. Clasp your hands behind the raised leg and pull it closer to the chest. Switch sides.
· Calves: Stand with one foot in front of the other, front knee bent and back leg straight. Keeping both feet facing forward, lean forward as you push the back heel down until you feel the stretch in the back of the calves. Switch sides.
Circuit training
Circuit training is the 'no rest' workout. It is a combination of a cardio and strength training workout. You will do these exercises back to back to burn the most calories possible. Each set consists of three exercises. Repeat each exercise as many times as you can up to 12 reps. Remember to keep your RPE at 6 to 8 and breathe!
Set #1
· Lunge: Place your right foot about three feet in front of your left. Look at your front toe and bend the back knee toward the floor. Go down as far as you can without losing sight of your front toe.
· Push-up on knees: Lie facedown with hands under your shoulders. Push up your upper body while keeping your knees on the floor. Keep your torso as tight and straight as possible. If you start to sag at the hips, stop.
· Bridge: Lie faceup with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your buttocks and abs and push down on your heels to lift your torso up as high as you can. Keep your shoulders and head relaxed.
Repeat set #1
Set #2
· Squat: Stand in front of a chair with feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands in front of your body and go to sit in the chair but right before your buttocks touch the chair, squeeze the glutes, push on the heels and stand back up.
· Shoulder Circle: Stand with arms straight out to the side. Keeping your spine neutral, circle your arms 12 times forward and then 12 times backward.
· Table Top: Lie facedown with elbows under your shoulders. Lift your body straight so you are on your toes and elbows. Squeeze your abs and glutes and hold for 30 seconds.
Repeat set #2
Set #3
· Crunch: Lie faceup with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your hands against your chest. Push your back flat on the floor, squeeze your glutes and lift your shoulders up from the floor. Point your chin toward the ceiling and keep your back flat even when lowering.
· Quadruped: On all fours keeping a neutral spine, lift an opposite arm and leg to torso height. Switch sides and repeat 20 times total.
· Toe Raise: Stand with a chair in front of you and using the chair for balance, raise yourself onto your toes. Push up on your big toes and slowly lower.
Repeat set #3
Repeat the Stretch Routine.
WEEK TWO
Follow the same routine as your week one workout but increase repetitions of the Circuit Training to 15 for each exercise.
WEEK THREE
Repeat week two's workout, however this time add an additional set to your Circuit Training Workout. This time perform 3 sets of 15 reps.
WEEK FOUR
Continue week three's routine but add this wrinkle: Increase the cardio component to 30 minutes plus the seven minute warm up and five minute cool down.
You have just jump-started your metabolism and reeducated your muscles to move onto a more advanced level. Check out our exercise programming for more exercise options. Keep up the good work and always push yourself. That is the only way to see and feel improvements!
By Nutricise fitness expert Nancy Yumkas
(Nutricise) — This week, you get to start the exercise part of the Five-Pound Panic Plan. Don't worry if you were a little sedentary during the winter. The purpose of this regimen is to reeducate your muscles to proper exercise and increase your metabolism to burn more calories. So take a deep breath and let's get started.
Four-Week Jump-Start Exercise Program
Exercise guidelines:
· You should always exercise with your spine in a neutral position for maximum benefit and minimum injury. To find this position, you should squeeze your abs and glutes and pull your shoulders down and back.
· Don't forget to breathe. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Never hold your breath while exercising.
· Work out at 60 to 75 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) during the entire workout to burn as many calories and as much fat as possible while strengthening your heart. (Find these numbers by using the Karvonen formula in our Fitness Calculator.) If you don't have a heart rate monitor, use the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. This is a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest (you cannot catch your breath) and one is the easiest (you feel as if you can do the exercise forever). Six to 8 on the RPE scale is equal to 60 to 75 percent of your MHR.
· Try to keep the same order of exercise so it will be easier to follow each time you do the program.
· Do this program every other day.
WEEK ONE
Cardio workout
Warm-up for seven minutes. Try a fast walk, jumping jacks or walking up and down stairs. Continue your cardio workout for 20 minutes keeping your heart rate at 60 to 75 percent of your MHR or 6 to 8 RPE. Afterward, slow your pace to lower your heart rate for five minutes.
Stretch
Hold each stretch (except the arm circles) for 10 seconds and repeat twice. You should feel a tension in the muscle you are stretching. Remember to breathe deeply. You will repeat this routine after circuit training.
· Arm Circles: While standing do large arm circles forward and backward, 10 times in each direction.
· Shoulders: Place one hand behind the back of your neck, the other behind your back and try to touch your fingers. Switch sides.
· Upper back: Lock fingers in front of your body and push your arms straight rounding your back while bending your knees. Keep your arms at shoulder height.
· Lower back: Lie faceup and bring your knees to your chest. Clasp your hands behind your thighs pull your knees to your chest.
· Low back and rotation: Keeping your knees to your chest, let both knees rotate to the right and then the left.
· Hamstrings: Still lying faceup, bring both legs straight to the floor. Keeping your knee straight, lift one leg as far as you can toward your chest. Clasp your hands behind the raised leg and pull it closer to the chest. Switch sides.
· Calves: Stand with one foot in front of the other, front knee bent and back leg straight. Keeping both feet facing forward, lean forward as you push the back heel down until you feel the stretch in the back of the calves. Switch sides.
Circuit training
Circuit training is the 'no rest' workout. It is a combination of a cardio and strength training workout. You will do these exercises back to back to burn the most calories possible. Each set consists of three exercises. Repeat each exercise as many times as you can up to 12 reps. Remember to keep your RPE at 6 to 8 and breathe!
Set #1
· Lunge: Place your right foot about three feet in front of your left. Look at your front toe and bend the back knee toward the floor. Go down as far as you can without losing sight of your front toe.
· Push-up on knees: Lie facedown with hands under your shoulders. Push up your upper body while keeping your knees on the floor. Keep your torso as tight and straight as possible. If you start to sag at the hips, stop.
· Bridge: Lie faceup with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your buttocks and abs and push down on your heels to lift your torso up as high as you can. Keep your shoulders and head relaxed.
Repeat set #1
Set #2
· Squat: Stand in front of a chair with feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands in front of your body and go to sit in the chair but right before your buttocks touch the chair, squeeze the glutes, push on the heels and stand back up.
· Shoulder Circle: Stand with arms straight out to the side. Keeping your spine neutral, circle your arms 12 times forward and then 12 times backward.
· Table Top: Lie facedown with elbows under your shoulders. Lift your body straight so you are on your toes and elbows. Squeeze your abs and glutes and hold for 30 seconds.
Repeat set #2
Set #3
· Crunch: Lie faceup with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your hands against your chest. Push your back flat on the floor, squeeze your glutes and lift your shoulders up from the floor. Point your chin toward the ceiling and keep your back flat even when lowering.
· Quadruped: On all fours keeping a neutral spine, lift an opposite arm and leg to torso height. Switch sides and repeat 20 times total.
· Toe Raise: Stand with a chair in front of you and using the chair for balance, raise yourself onto your toes. Push up on your big toes and slowly lower.
Repeat set #3
Repeat the Stretch Routine.
WEEK TWO
Follow the same routine as your week one workout but increase repetitions of the Circuit Training to 15 for each exercise.
WEEK THREE
Repeat week two's workout, however this time add an additional set to your Circuit Training Workout. This time perform 3 sets of 15 reps.
WEEK FOUR
Continue week three's routine but add this wrinkle: Increase the cardio component to 30 minutes plus the seven minute warm up and five minute cool down.
You have just jump-started your metabolism and reeducated your muscles to move onto a more advanced level. Check out our exercise programming for more exercise options. Keep up the good work and always push yourself. That is the only way to see and feel improvements!
