| The four-week bikini body plan
If you're off on holiday soon, chances are you’re in a bit of a panic about how you’ll look in your bikini. But even if you only have a few weeks before you jet off on holiday, the good news is you can give yourself a makeover in as little as a month Fitness expert Josh Salzmann has put together an intensive four-week workout plan to help you look and feel your best. ‘You will have to work pretty hard over the next few weeks, but bodies are quick to adapt to exercise,’ says Josh. ‘If you follow the programme properly, after four weeks you should see a reduction in body fat and look more toned,’ he adds. Each week, Josh introduces a new element of keeping fit, allowing you to build up an effective cross-training programme. As he points out, looking good and feeling healthy in the long term involve following a healthy diet, drinking a lot of water and continuing to work out regularly. Although the next month is important, don’t just stop after the four-week plan is over – this programme is a great way to help improve your fitness level and get your routine back on track, not just for summer but throughout the year. Week 1 Interval training is one of the best ways to burn fat. It involves changing the intensity or level at which you are exercising for a couple of minutes during your workout. For instance, during your 30-minute workout, try running (or walking) at your normal pace for three to five minutes, then run (or walk) at a faster pace for three to five minutes, and slow down to your normal pace again. If you’re working out on the step machine in the gym, step at a normal pace for three to five minutes, then take the resistance up for three to five minutes, and so on. Build up the intervals, so with each high intensity burst you’re working harder than the one before. By working hard for short periods of time and allowing yourself time to recover, you can push yourself harder than if you tried working at a high intensity for an extended period of time. In working yourself harder, you push your muscles, lungs and heart to their capacity, thereby improving your overall fitness level and, consequently, your body’s ability to burn fat. Josh recommends doing your interval training sessions in the morning if possible, as this will kick-start your metabolism for the rest of the day and ensure you burn as many calories as possible. This is because by working out in the morning you raise your metabolism and keep it elevated throughout the day. However, if you work out in the evening and then go to sleep, your metabolism slows down, so you don’t benefit as much from the increase in your metabolic rate. Week 2 Cellulite is like any other fat in your body, but the difference is in the way it’s stored. In women’s bodies, the connective tissue that runs between the layers of skin is tighter and closer together than in men’s bodies and, as a result, forms several bucket-shaped chambers. Fat is then stored in these chambers and, once they fill up, the fat protrudes over the top of the chamber, creating lumps and bumps that appear through the skin. Marja Putkisto, author of The Method Putkisto (Headline Books, £12.99) has pioneered deep stretching to help eliminate cellulite. Her method actually alters the length of your muscles and the shape of the fat storing chambers, so that the fat is spread more widely across the tissues and is less likely to protrude over the top and produce dimply-looking cellulite. So how does deep stretching work? Marja explains that it begins where a normal 30-second stretch ends. This kind of stretching involves lengthening the stretch for two to three minutes, using visualisation and deep breathing. The idea is to start by taking the stretch to the point where you feel the muscles resist, then hold it, breathe and focus your mind on relaxing and lengthening the muscle. When the feeling of resistance stops, stretch further and do the same thing again until you feel you can’t go any further. The result is increased flexibility, longer muscles and cellulite-free skin. You can start with the following lower body stretches, but don’t push yourself too hard. If any stretch feels extremely painful, stop immediately. Hamstring stretch Gluteal stretch Inner thigh stretch Week 3 So far, you’ve been burning fat and getting rid of cellulite, but if you want your body to have that super-sculpted look, you need to do some strength training. Aside from making you look more toned, strength work also speeds up weight loss. This is because muscles require more energy than fat to function. While fat is simply stored energy in your body and doesn’t require fuel to maintain itself, muscles are active so they need to be fueled in order to function. Even when they are not being used, muscles require fuel to recover from exertion. Consequently, the more muscle you have, the more fuel they need and the more calories you use, or burn. It is important to do strength training or resistance exercises for your whole body. Start with your larger muscles and then do more specific exercises to target the smaller muscles as well. For instance, to tone the area around your buttocks and thighs, start with exercises such as squats and lunges that use all those muscles together. Then move on to exercises such as leg curls and leg raises that isolate smaller muscles. Week 4 Cross-training refers to a programme that involves combining strength work, aerobic work, stretching and relaxation. You’ll be using different muscles each day, which means you’ll be able to work out at an intense level without overstraining your body. It also means you’ll see quick results. From this point on, you need to take all the exercises you have done for the past three weeks and alternate them so you do different workouts every day. Here’s a sample weekly plan: Monday: do your strength training and deep stretch workout By the end of the four weeks, you will notice a change in the way you look as well as the way you feel. |