Hi everyone!! Fall is on, and it is going to get harder to exercise outside as it gets colder. One of my favorite ways to stay in shape and toned in fall and winter is to add some weightlifting to my routine.
To be fair, I do some lifting daily year-around, because it is a quick way to target muscles I need for my sports. But in the winter, my workouts get longer and more intense, because so does our time on the couch playing games and watching TV!
Here are some of the exercises my weightlifting friends and I do, as well as some steps to make sure you stay safe:
Low weight/High rep routines – use hand weights (dumbbells or filled plastic milk cartons – something easy to grab and hold for a long time)
Weight size – from 5-15 pounds, depending on how much practice you have had and how comfortable you are to safely do the exercise
Reps – start with 20 and increase by 5 each week until you get to about 50 (if you can)
Exercises:
- Curls – hold the weights with your arms down and lift from the elbow till your bent arms touch your chest. This works your biceps.
- Butterflies (this one is hard…) – hold the weights with your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, then bring your arms in front of you, keeping the weight level the whole time. This one is for your pectoral (chest), deltoid and shoulder muscles.
- Raises – Hold the weights close to your body at shoulder height and push them over your head till your arms are straight. Good for your triceps in your upper arms.
- Sitting curls – sit in a chair where you can easily move your arms, and raise the weights from your lap to your chest. Again, this works the biceps, but more from the side.
- Wrist curls – while still in the chair, lift the weight ONLY using your wrist. This will make your forearms much stronger for holding a bat or throwing.
If you have the energy, add a series of push ups and crunches right after you do this workout, and you will see a big improvement in endurance and muscle tone.
You should work on about six areas of your upper body and alternate every other day with squats while holding the weights to increase resistance and strengthen your legs for running.
These are really good for increasing endurance and strengthening your “slow twitch” muscles.
If you swim, run track, or play a sport like soccer or basketball with a LOT of running involved, these exercises will make it easier to play for the full time or complete your race with energy for the finish.
High weight/Low rep routines
Weight size – from 25-100 pounds, depending on how much practice you have had and how comfortable you are to safely do the exercise
Reps – start with 6 and increase each week by 2 until you get to about 12; then increase the weight by 10 pounds
This kind of lifting is for developing muscle bulk and strength. It is usually done at a gym, but you can start at home with a few of the exercises to get used to a rhythm. There are lots of websites to show you how to do these lifts. BUT you should have a partner nearby, since the heavier weight can sneak up on you.
Don’t have weights around at home? You can make some…
Like I said earlier, plastic milk jugs make a great hand weight. Just fill them with either water or sand, and you are all set. If you need more work for your core muscles, you can also hold the weights while you are doing your crunches, and you will get stronger fast!
Hope you have fun getting in shape! Talk to you next quarter,
