Cut your workout time with our pick of the best body moves to work every muscle and burn fat faster.
Your time is too valuable to spend ages in the gym. It’s simple maths. Add some weight to your workout to subtract fat and multiply your workout gains. Here are the PT-approved moves to fire up every single bit of your body for total-body conditioning. No weights of your own? Use tins or large bottles of water…
For: Legs
Do: Goblet squat
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell vertically in front of your chest, elbows pointing toward the floor before pushing your hips back, and bending your knees to lower into a full squat.
- Pushing through your heels, return to the start position. That’s one rep. Keep going for one minute, then repeat three times with a one-minute rest between each set.
Benefits: Using weight in this awesome bum-sculpter forces you into proper form so you’ll get the most benefits from every squat says Fitness First trainer Anthony Murray.
For: Arms
Do: Palms up and down pulses
- Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise your arms to the side making sure that they are dead straight. Then with your palms facing upwards pulse your arms up and down for 30 seconds.
- Flip your palms down and repeat for 30 seconds. Do four sets with no rest.
Benefits: A bingo-wing destroyer it uses micro-pulses to work the whole arms for longer without needing rest says personal trainer Georgie Spurling.
For: Core
Do: Bicycle crunch
- Lie on your back with your knees bent holding a dumbbell horizontally in front of your chest then curl your upper body off the floor bringing your right knee up and into your chest rotating at the top to make your left elbow meet your right knee and extending your left leg.
- Return to the start position then repeat on the other side. Keep going for one minute, then repeat three times with a one-minute rest between each set.
Benefits: Targets upper abs, lower abs and obliques. Hold each crunch for a second to up the ante says Murray.
For: Back
Do: Supermans
- Lie face down on the floor with your arms fully-extended in front of you holding a dumbbell.
- Squeeze your back to simultaneously raise your arms, legs, and chest off of the floor and hold for 30 seconds. Then return to the start position. Do four sets with no rest.
Benefits: Strengthens the lower back to prevent back pain while linking to and toning your entire midsection says Spurling. Double whammy.
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