When it comes to fitness, longer is not necessarily better. For instance 40 minutes of slow walking is not as effective as 15 minutes of high impact cardio. It’s best to workout smarter not longer. Finding a fitness regimen that works for you is very important to maximizing your workouts. If you’re just getting started, it’s best to consult with a personal trainer to find out what you should focus on to achieve your fitness goals. Different issues require different workouts. For instance if you’re just looking to tone up and not necessarily lose weight, your fitness regimen should be more focused on strength and core training. Or if you’re looking to shed excess pounds, you’ll need to do more cardio combined with weight training. The first step is to identify your fitness goals and tailor a workout regimen to your specific needs.
Regardless, time is usually a constraint for many of us. Luckily, thanks to highly targeted workouts available online, you can get a great workout in 30 minutes or less. It’s all about working the right muscles with the right repetitions. One of our favorite sites for snagging up effective, quick workouts is Fitness Blender. They have a TON of videos to choose from. Whether you want to do pilates, yoga or target specific areas like your abs, legs, or arms, they have a video for you. We love their 10 minute butt workout so much that we’ve memorized it. We think you’ll love it, too. Best of all, it takes just ten minutes a day! Enjoy.
Exercises included in this routine:
Side Lunges + Reach – You will feel this one in your quadriceps and glutes. If you focus on reaching to the opposite foot on each side lunge, you will also engage your obliques.
Swinging Bridge – Really concentrate on a nice full range of motion on this movement and make sure that you get a good upward squeeze of the glutes on each side of the “bridge”.
Squats + Alternating Lifts – If you have coordination or balance issues that need working on, it’s going to be evident when you start doing this exercise. If you need to, you can hold onto a wall or chair to help steady yourself, but only do so lightly so that you can see improvements in both categories.
Pulse Lunges – These hurt! Make sure that your pulsing is slow and controlled and that you are not bouncing without any attempt to exert control over your own body. Try to keep your bodyweight so that it is dropping right between your feet, rather than forward over your toes or too far backward.
Shoulder Bridge – Pilates exercises like this one make for toned legs that have that always sought after “long and lean” look. You may find that your hamstrings limit your range of motion for this one; stretch if you need to and know that with practice your flexibility will increase.
Side Plank Leg Lifts – Good for the entire core, and the outer thighs, this one is a multi-tasker that works great for toning you up quickly.
