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My new fitness goals have moved from just losing weight to focusing on building muscle. We all should know that building muscle helps burn fat more quickly right??? If not now you do…. So my question is why do I spend more time on the treadmill rather than focusing on exercises that help me get stronger???And why do I get so caught up in the watching the scales instead watching our body transform. So as of late I have been trying different exercises to focus on building muscle. I am still a beginner at all this muscle toning workouts but I came across Top10lists.org and they have collected a few of my favorite moves. So thought I would share my favorite muscle-building workouts…
With each exercise there are so many variations; as you feel you master one particular one change it up to a more difficult variation. E.g. starting with squats then day 5 changing it to squat jacks. I also would recommend doing 10-15 reps of each exercise and repeating the circuit 3-4 times.
1. Squats: Sumo squats, pistol squats, jumping squat, pulse squats etc 10-15 reps each
- Stand with feet wider than shoulder width, toes splayed 30 degrees, your chest up and butt back. Weight should be on your heels, not your toes.
- Squat by pushing your butt backward, not by bending your knees forward.
- Knees should track directly over the feet, never caving inward or outward.
- Bring your thighs parallel to the floor while keeping your weight on your heels and your spine straight and solid.
2. Lunges: walking lunge, side lunge, curtsy lunge, 10-15 each leg
- Plant your lead foot far enough forward that, as you lower into each lunge, your shin bone remains nearly perpendicular to the floor and the kneecap never extends over your foot.
- Do not rock back and forth with your upper body. Instead, remain perfectly upright with good posture, using abdominal muscles to keep your spine neutral.
3. Push Ups: knees, standard, shoulder tap, leg raise, elbows etc 10-15 reps
- Start in a plank position, holding the spine neutral, no sagging.
- Stabilize the shoulder joints by pulling shoulder blades down toward your heels (this is fundamental to all push-and-pull exercises).
- Place hands so that when you drop, your nipples line up with the base of your palms. Lower until your chest touches the ground.
4. Planks: standard, knee plank, side plank, reverse plank etc Start 30 seconds and build from there
- Start laying flat on the floor lift up onto your hands and toes and full extension of arms
- Your body is parallel to the floor Holding your spine neutral and no sagging or butt in the air
- Hold for 30 seconds and rest
Don’t forget stretches before and after! Have fun building muscle and losing fat at the same time!!! Check out top10lists.org for more fun exercises and other lifestyle tips you won’t want to miss on!