Fitness

 

Try this quick warm-up before every exercise sash.

1. Want to know the secrets to getting a fit-as-hell body in record time? We did too, so we went straight to research, personal trainers, exercise physiologists, and fitness instructors to round up the best workout tips to kick a fitness routine into high gear.

Put a few of these moves, motivation, and mantras into action each week and you're guaranteed to see faster results!

The Best Workout Tips: Why You Should Exercise

2. Repeat 4-6 times. If you can't speak a sentence or two with each breath, you're pushing too hard (unless you're purposely doing high-intensity interval).

3. Use the talk test. As you improve, work up to doing 4-minute sets," says Michael George, trainer and author of Body Express Makeover.

4. High-intensity activity, like jumping and running, is most beneficial for preserving bone mass.

The Best Cardio Workout Tips

5. Do eight reps total, rest for one minute, and repeat."

. Tone up on the treadmill. The same applies for the biceps and triceps, chest and back and lower back and abs. Lean against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat until your knees are bent at 45 degrees. This exercise tip will help you maintain your mobility and flexibility and prevent injury. Bend your arms up so that the ball is at eye level over your right shoulder. Watch the clock to lose weight. It can save your life—really! Regularly doing cardio and strength training reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and endometrial, colon, and breast cancers. "A side-step squat with wood chop works your arms, torso, abs, back, legs, inner thighs and butt," says David Kirsch, trainer and author of The Ultimate New York Body Plan. Increase intensity by doing intervals: After a warm-up, alternate 1-2 minutes of activity at a rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, of 7 or 8 with 2-4 minutes of lower-intensity periods (RPE of 3-4). Exercise increases bone density, helping prevent osteoporosis. (Just in: Weight-lifting can do remarkable things for your mood, too!)

6. Always give muscle groups 48 hours of rest between resistance workouts to allow them time to adapt to the stress you put on them. Power up your runs. (See: How to Use Running for Weight Loss)

7. As you bring the ball toward your left knee, step out with your left leg and bend it no further than 90 degrees, keeping your right leg straight. Try mixing things up more often. "Squeeze in 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls, overhead presses, and ab crunches; aim for two or three sets of each. Hold for 30-60 seconds; work up to doing 10 sets. "Save time at the gym with this 10-minute cardio/sculpt session: Hop on a treadmill holding a three- to five-pound dumbbell in each hand, and set the speed to a brisk walk. Add a few 10- to 60-second sprints to your run, slowing down just long enough to catch your breath between them," says Stephen Holt, ACE personal trainer. Find a sturdy box that's at least one foot high [like a j/fit Plyometric Jump Box, $71; amazon.com]. "From a standing position, bend down, put your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, and jump your feet back into plank position. Exercise has been proven to improve your mood and decrease anxiety. Return to the starting position. (Ex: Here’s what a perfectly balanced week of workouts looks like.)

8. According to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, subjects who varied the number of sets and reps from workout to workout saw greater strength gains—even at the same intensity—than those who stuck to the same routine.

9. "Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a three- to four-pound medicine ball in your hands. Always warm up and cool down. Intensify your push-up. The American Heart Association recommends exercising for 30-60 minutes on most days to reduce your risk of heart disease. To head off injuries, build good posture, and ensure you have strength for your favorite activities, do exercises for opposing muscle groups. Then, blast off butt flab with cross-country skiing, bleacher running, and stair climbing," says Steve IL, author of Total Body Transformation.

10. This gives you more free time to fit in fun workouts like biking or tennis."

11. Those who accumulated fewer than 150 minutes reduced their weight by less than 5 percent.

12. This takes timing, patience and power. Try this all-in-one toner. But you'll get in great shape just by working at it." (Once you’ve mastered that, up the ante with our 30-minute jump rope workout.)

13. "The best cardio workout is the jump-rope double-turn maneuver," says Michael Olajide Jr., former number one world middleweight contender and cofounder/trainer at AEROSPACE High Performance Center in New York City. Repeat 20 times," says George. Work out during your workday. Use our handy guide to help determine your RPE during any workout.

14. "It's intense: You'll burn about 26 calories per minute! Do a basic jump for 5 minutes, then jump twice as high and turn the rope twice as fast so it passes under your feet twice before you land. "Squat-thrust push-ups get you in great shape because they work your upper body, core, and lower body and improve agility, strength, and endurance all at once," says Keli Roberts, personal trainer in Los Angeles. "Get great glutes by targeting the muscles and connective tissues buried deep in your body. Get a jump on weight loss. This push-up test might be able to predict whether you’ll have heart disease later in life.)

15. Balance your body. "Unless you're training for a marathon, skip long, slow, distance running—sprinting builds more muscle. Don't cruise through cardio. To continue to make sculpting gains, this exercise tip is crucial: Change the moves, order, weight, sets, reps and/or rest periods you do at least every four weeks. Jump your feet back to your hands and stand up. It's an amazing upper-body challenge that also gets your heart pumping. Take this jump-rope challenge. In a Journal of the American Medical Association study, women who racked up at least 200 cardio minutes a week for 18 months lost nearly 14 percent of their total body weight. Starting from a standing position, explosively jump to the middle of the box, then jump back down. Studies show that the fitter you are, the better you'll be at handling the long-term effects of stress. Your last 1 or 2 reps should always feel tough, but doable.

16. Do this series two or three times each week. Make over your running routine. "Sit on a stability ball to strengthen your core, and keep dumbbells or exercise tubing at your desk," says Gregory Flores, personal trainer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Do 10 to 15 reps and repeat on the other leg."

17. Take 5-10 minutes to gradually raise your heart rate at the beginning of a workout and lower it afterward. Super-sculpt your butt. Do a 60-second set each of shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions, side laterals, front laterals and standing triceps kickbacks one after another as you walk. Don't let your routine become rote. You'll feel less stressed and happier. If you can't complete the minimum number of suggested reps (usually 8), reduce the weight in 10 percent increments until you can. "Adding wall sits to the end of every run will strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, improving your speed and endurance. If you're strong, cross your ankles; otherwise, jump your feet wide apart. "Add plyometric box jumps to your workout to improve your cardiovascular stamina and leg strength — you'll really sculpt your hamstrings, quads and glutes. Lift like you mean it. Take a day off between weight-lifting sessions. Add a challenge by including heel raises: Lift your left heel, then the right, then lift both together twice," says Mindy Silkin, owner and head coach of The Running Center in New York City.

18. One moderately intense 50-minute aerobic workout has been shown to significantly lower anxiety levels. (Whoa. It strengthens your bones. If you can do the maximum number of suggested reps (usually 10-12) without feeling fatigued, add pounds (10-15 percent at a time). (Related: Ploy Box Workout for Your Upper and Lower Body)

The Best Strength Training Workout Tips

19. And a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that exercise may be more effective than drugs in treating mild to moderate depression. To hit them, do high-intensity squats, such as jump squats. Do a push-up, then jump your feet together or uncross your ankles. During your weekly routines, if you work the quads, for example, do exercises for your hamstrings as well. If you must lift every day, don't target the same muscles in back-to-back sessions.

20. Before strength training, do low-intensity cardio that recruits larger muscle groups like your legs, back, and core.