7 Most Effective Exercises

Does Your Workout Really Work If done right, these 7 exercises can give you results that you can see and feel. You can do them at a gym or at home. Watch your form that was shown by a trainer, as good technique is a must. If you're not active now, it is a good idea to check with your doctor first--especially if you have health concerns; for example, advanced osteoporosis, as these exercises may be too aggressive. Walking Winner: You can walk almost anywhere or anytime. You can use a treadmill or hit the streets. All you need is a good pair of shoes. How to: Walk for fitness--begin 5 - 10 minutes per time. You can add a few minutes every time you walk until you are at least 30 minutes per walk. After you've master that, you can quicken your pace by adding hills. Interval Training Winner: Interval training boosts fitness levels and burns more calories to help you lose weight. The basic idea is to vary intensity within the workout instead of going at a steady pace. How to: Whether you walk, run, dance, do another cardio exercise, push up the pace for a minute or two, by backing off every 2-4 minutes; how long the interval lasts depends on the length of the workout or how much recovery time is needed; the trainer fine-tunes pacing; and repeat intervals throughout the workout. Squats Winner: this works several muscle groups: quadriceps ("quads"), hamsrings, and gluteals ("glutes") at the same time. How to: Keep your feet shoulder-width apart; your back straight. Bend at the knees; lower your rear as if sitting in a chair. Keep your knees right over ankles. Add dumbbells once you can do 12 reps with good form. Squats Done Right Practice with a real chair until you master the move. First, sit all the way down in the chair, then stand with your back up. Next, barely touch the chair's seat before standing up. Work up to doing squats without a chair, while keeping the same form. Lunges Winner: Like squats, lunges work all major muscles of the lower body, while improving your balance. How to: Take a big step forward, while keeping your back straight. Bend your front knee about 90 degrees. Keep your weight on back toes and drop back on your knee toward the floor. Don't let back knee touch the floor. Lunges: Extra Challenges Try stepping not just forward, but back and out to each side with each lunge. Add dumbbells to the lunges once your form is down pat. Push-Ups Winner: this strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps and core muscles. How to: Facing down, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart: place toes on floor; (if too hard, start with knees on floor); keep your body in a straight line from the shoulders to the knew to the feet. Keep your rear-end muscles and abs engaged. Bend your elbows to lower down until they almost touch the floor. Lift with your back by pushing through your elbows, keeping your torso in a straight line throughout the move. Push-Ups: Too Hard? Too Easy? If you're new to push-ups, start by leaning into the kitchen counter. Until you get stronger, go lower by using a desk or chair. Move onto the floor, starting with your knees bent. Challenge: put your feet on the stair, bench, or couch while keeping good form. Crunches: Method A Lie on your back, with your feet flat on the floor, and your head resting in your palms. Press your lower back down, while contracting your abdominal muscles (abs) in one smooth move, as you raise your head, then your neck, shoulders, and upper back off the floor. Tuck your chin in slightly as you lower your back and repeat. Crunches: Method B These can also be done with your feet off the floor or knees bent, and keeps you from arching your back and uses your hip flexors (the muscles on your upper thighs below your hip bones). Master Crunches Keep your neck in line with your spine, tuck your chin in (don't stick out); breathe normally while keeping neck and shoulders open--while keeping your elbows off your line of vision. Bent-Over Row Winner: works your major muscles like your upper back and biceps. How to: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend at your knees, and bend forward at your hips. Enlarge your abs without hunching your back. Hold weights beneath your shoulders, with hands shoulder-width apart. When bending elbows, lift both hands toward the sides of your body. Pause, by slowly lower hands to a starting position. Can be perform with a barbell or dumbbells. Mastering Bent-Over Rows First, do the moves without the weights to learn the right moves. If you have trouble doing bent-over rows while standing up, support your weight by sitting on an incline bench, facing backward. Source www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-7-most-effective-exercises.