Tighten, tone, tantalize!

Having spent many years in the beauty industry, I found that whether I was working with a client at Lancome, Mac, or Trish, the common thread that most women shared was “lack of time”. Whether a career in law, a career in fashion, or a career as a stay at home mom, women everywhere felt  applying a “full face” of makeup and taking it all off at night was just too much! So I quickly adapted skincare programs and makeup looks to accommodate these busy ladies.

 Years later after leaving the cosmetics arena and entering the world of fitness, health, & wellness, I heard it again, “Not enough time”! I recently opened my own facility and I am constantly trying and testing various exercises, programs, and ideas in classes and on personal clients to come up with time saving, and results oriented routines. 

Today we are going to start off with three simple (yet very effective) exercises, that truly can be done anywhere at any time (just about!).And P.S. brides to be – these are perfect for you because they will hit all the target spots (butt, gut, tris, & thighs!). I’ll ad some tips to help with form, or to give some challenge.

Do 12-15 reps of a particular exercise before moving to 12-15 of the next. When all are completed, begin the series again. You want to do 4 sets (rounds) total.  Rest 30 seconds between each exercise and one  minute  after each completed set.  More cardio? Intermediate? Go from exercise to exercise and only do the one minute rest between set…and add another set or two!

Exercises

Hi-Low! (core, glutes, legs): Reach high as you can and while at the same time going down into a squat position. Feet should be no more than shoulder width apart, arms parallel with your ears. Come up to a stand, (arms are always reaching upward), and go down again this time stepping backward with the right leg into a rear lunge position, step up again and then squat squat, come up, and go down again this time stepping back with the left leg into a rear lunge. Come up again and squat, then come up again and begin the alternating lunges with squat in between again. Each combo of step back right/squat/step back left = 1rep! Tips: Reach high as if fingers were being pulled to the sky, and when squatting try to get thighs parallel to the floor (like sitting in an invisible chair), and when lunging, try to get rear shin parallel to the floor (like a hieroglyphic picture!).

Creepy Crawlers!(core, triceps(arms), legs, glutes): Stand with feet shoulder width apart, drop down into  a squat, fall forward and crawl out with the hands until body is fully extended into  a pre-pushup position, and then immediately push back with the hands and reverse crawl back to the feet stand and repeat! This one is a doozy! Tip: For more upper body and core toning and tightening, at the end of the crawl out stay in push up position for a count of 10, then crawl back. OR, do a push up, then stay in upward push up position for a count of ten, then crawl back!

Twist it! (triceps, core): Go down into a pushup position. Fingers pointing forward, shoulders directly over wrists. You should look like the number 7 that has fallen forward. Or an upside down check mark. Alternating, bring the opposite knee to the opposite elbow. Each left and right twist is one rep! Squeeze the core and obliques as you twist. Tip: To get the glutes involved, after your twist set, remain in push up position and lift each heel (leg stays straight!) toward the ceiling 15 times each, working the glute only! Don’t swing the hips or bend the core! It’s a tiny movement of about 6-8 inches only.

And there you have it! Quick, effective, and fun! Comments or questions? Contact me (Jack Gordon) at info@triomph.us. And visit Triomph’s website: http://www.triomph.us!