Healthy Living

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Slim Down, Tone Up: Quick Tips That Really Work

These tricks from celebrity trainers work the parts that really matter at the gym or anywhere.

SEXY BACK

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J Fit Premium, $20 (8 lbs.) and $34 (15 lbs.); jfit.com

At The Gym

The cable pulley system is one of the best ways to target the back, says Rebecca Kordecki, a trainer in N.Y.C. and L.A. who has worked with Raquel Welch. It's simple: Clip the rope attachment to the lower pulley and set the weight to 15 to 25 pounds. Stand about five feet away, facing the machine with your arms fully extended, and draw the rope handles to your waist, pulling your elbows close to your sides. Do three sets of 15, three days a week.

At Work
L.A.'s Gunnar Peterson, who has toned Kim Kardashian and Penélope Cruz, suggests this back-building move: Stand with a 1-liter water bottle in your right hand. Bend forward from the waist at a 45-degree angle. With one elbow bent 90 degrees and close to your side, pull your arm up and back, squeezing the back muscles. Aim for three sets of 15 reps, then switch arms.

Anywhere
Kacy Duke, a trainer at Equinox in N.Y.C., who has sculpted Julianne Moore and Mary J. Blige, says that whenever you're standing in line or sitting in traffic, contract your upper back, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold the contraction for one long count and release. Do 12 to keep your upper-back muscles firing.

At Home
Tie a 10-foot rope around the handle of a 15-pound kettlebell and place the weight on top of a towel to protect your floor. Holding the rope, walk straight back until the slack is nearly gone. Then pull the kettlebell toward you, grabbing the rope hand-over-hand like a tug-of-war. Repeat 10 to 12 times, every other day.

Fat-Burning Tip! "Exercising for 30 minutes in the morning and evening can have more impact than one hour-long session," says physical medicine specialist Ian K. Smith, author of The 4 Day Diet.

SCULPTED ARMS

Hampton Fitness Jelly Bell, $15/pair (2.5 lbs.) and $30/pair (5 lbs.); hamptonfit.com

Hampton Fitness Jelly Bell, $15/pair (2.5 lbs.) and $30/pair (5 lbs.); hamptonfit.com

At the Gym

"The rowing machine is made for building arms and shoulders," says N.Y.C. trainer Brett Hoebel, who has worked with Karolina Kurkova. Adjust the seat so your legs are bent slightly more than 90 degrees and your arms are stretched out straight, holding the handles. Push with your legs while pulling the handles to the bottom of your rib cage, keeping your elbows near your sides. Slowly straighten your arms and glide back to the starting position. Row 30 to 45 minutes, three days a week. For optimal results, add 90-second high-intensity bursts every 5 minutes.

At Work
L.A. diet and fitness expert Harley Pasternak, who has helped Eliza Dushku and Hilary Duff get buff, likes this office-friendly version of the push-up: Stand about three feet away from your desk and plant your palms shoulder-width apart. Lower down for four counts, pause for one count, then rise up for four counts. Start with 20 and increase as you become stronger. Challenge yourself by moving your hands closer together.

Anywhere
Do you lug around a giant bag all day? Put it to use, says Natasha Kufa, Fergie's trainer in L.A. "Most of us already carry around five pounds of junk," Kufa says. "Add a 1-liter water bottle to your bag and do biceps curls as you run errands."

At Home
To target the muscles in your arms, Michael Olajide Jr., co-owner of Aerospace Boxing Gym in N.Y.C., where Eva Mendes and Adriana Lima train, suggests holding 1- to 3-pound dumbbells as you shadowbox. Holding your fists up to your chin, shoot your left arm out and back. Jab as many times as you can, working up to 100 on each side.

Fat-Burning Tip! Get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Studies say that women who stick to that range are less likely to gain weight.

WHITTLED WAIST

Bosu Ballast Ball Pro, $60; bosu.com

Bosu Ballast Ball Pro, $60; bosu.com

At the Gym

Exercises that include rotation work your obliques, says Shawn McCormack, director of N.Y.C.'s The Body, who has made Julia Roberts sweat. "The rotary torso machine is very safe -- you don't have to worry about stressing your neck," she says. Put your abs to work by setting the machine to 20 pounds. Take four counts to turn 90 degrees, four counts to return to start and four counts to turn 90 degrees in the opposite direction. Do three sets of 15 reps on each side, daily.

At Work
Tighten your middle while checking e-mail. Sit up tall in your chair, straighten your legs, and slowly lift them as you contract your stomach muscles. Once legs are parallel to the floor, hold for three counts and slowly lower. Repeat 12 times.

Anywhere
Brooke Siler, who has trained Madonna and Liv Tyler and owns N.Y.C. Pilates studiore: Ab, tells clients to visualize wearing an invisible corset. Inhale and pull the stomach muscles in toward your spine.

At Home
"A Bosu ball works your abs 100 percent -- and it's difficult to cheat," Kufa says. Place the ball on the ground. Get in push-up position with your hands on the floor and your shins balanced on the top of the Bosu. Pull the ball toward your chest until your chin and knees nearly touch. Push back to original position. Repeat 30 times every other day.

Fat-Burning Tip! Include bursts of high-intensity cardio, says Hoebel, such as treadmill sprints at 7 to 9 mph on an incline of 2 for 30 seconds, then a brisk walk for 90 seconds.

SHAPELY BOTTOM

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Pilates brand, $20/3; overstock.com

At the Gym

Rebecca Kordecki designed this treadmill drill to boost her clients' rears: Set the treadmill on a slow setting (less than 3.5 mph). Turn right, bend your knees and shuffle your feet for 30 seconds; turn again and walk backward for 30 seconds; turn left and shuffle for 30 seconds. Recover and repeat three to five times, three times per week.

At Work
Mark Blanchard, founder of True Power Yoga in L.A., who has trained Jennifer Lopez, suggests leaning your back flat against a wall and stepping your feet out, hip distance apart, so most of your weight is supported by the wall. Slide down until your knees form a 90-degree angle and hold the position as long as you can, working up to two minutes.

Anywhere
Work your backside by walking uphill or taking the stairs, Shawn McCormack says. Too easy? Take two at a time.

At Home
Stand with your feet approximately six inches apart, with a medium resistance band around your ankles (it helps if you're wearing socks). With your knees slightly bent, step two or three feet to the side with your right foot, keeping your left foot in place. Bring your feet together. Walk 20 steps in one direction and 20 in the other. Repeat three times to each side, every other day.

Fat-Burning Tip! Work your thighs when you exercise. "They contain the biggest muscles in the body. The more muscle mass you work, the more calories you'll burn at rest," says Fred DeVito, co-founder of Core Fusion at Exhale Spa in N.Y.C.

-- Liesa Goins

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From the Community…

Comments 11-20 of 55
  • Ask and i might tell's Avatar
    Posted by Ask and i might tell Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:11pm PDT

    More utter trash. Can we stop with the 'celebrity trainers' please?!?! The post regarding the rowing machine was spot on, it was not 'meant to' develop arms. Surely the trainer that said so had at least one anatomy class....I hope. The other good post was in regards to focusing on body wieght movements like pushups and pullups etc, and then progressing on to barbell and dumbbell exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, and presses. This is the information people need to listen to if they actually want results. Moving laterally on the tread mill was about the only thing worth a grain of salt here. I may have to disagree in regards to walking backwards on it to strengthen the quads. Walking on the treadmill normally in the first place already more directly targets the quads because the nature of the belt does the work your glutes and hammies should be doing for you; therefore causing a severe inbalance between the antagonists over time and therefore probably the cause of a certain number of knee injuries. Debatable at least.

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  • precious_lili's Avatar
    Posted by precious_lili Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:34pm PDT

    Wish they would post pictures with these descriptions. I like visualization!

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  • JoeyR's Avatar
    Posted by JoeyR Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:42pm PDT

    Umm I am an elite rower and I can tell you that the rowing machine is not made for building arms and shoulder. Its great for burning calories and a cardio workout, but if you consider that rowing is 70-80% legs than you can see that its not about building arms and shoulders. Its actually really annoying when you are at a gym on the rowing machine and you here someone say its great for your arms.

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  • James's Avatar
    Posted by James Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:37pm PDT

    Just buy a portable infrared sauna from eloofaimports.com and sit and lose weight instead.. haha...

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  • Brian's Avatar
    Posted by Brian Wed Jul 1, 2009 12:39am PDT

    This might be fine for injured, obese or frail elderly people, but if you're young and healthy, or even old and healthy get your ass in the gym and lift some weights.

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  • tux's Avatar
    Posted by tux Wed Jul 1, 2009 4:24am PDT

    Those celebrities have surgery. All of them are plastic an their teeth are so fakes looking it takes it looks as if they had a nuclear bleaching. Hahhaha

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  • Kungfuhero's Avatar
    Posted by Kungfuhero Wed Jul 1, 2009 4:39am PDT

    From what I can tell these "trainers" really didnt want to give us their secrets to getting in shape. Doing a one arm row with a water bottle will pretty much do absolutely nothing unless you struggle to lift that water bottle to begin with. In fast I did a lecture on intense training two weekends ago.

    The reason why 85% of the US is overweight or obese is because they dont work hard enough to cause a change in their body. People are under the impression that just by walking the dog, walking on the treadmill, going through the motions on the Cybex or Nautilus machines that they will be doing themselves a big favor and lose extra fat. The science shows us that if you are doing more than 15 reps you are pretty much wasting your time. Most exercise studies are done with the increments of 8-12 reps and 2-3 sets. Simply stopping at 8,12, 15 or whatever reps isnt enough either. You have to be struggling to get there and not stopping because your brain says you've done well enough.

    Bare minimum gets you no where folks. Also, here's a tip most of you may not know. You should be taking in protein with in 30 minutes if exercise. Studies show it shows the largest gains with in 30 minutes of weight training or hard interval cardio training. Just 20 grams of protein is fine. Preferably whey protein if you dont have any allergies. Otherwise soy or even hemp protein are both good too.

    Are you a cardio queen hoping to lose weight? Wasting your time! Strength training is where you want to be. Spend the extra couple of bucks and have a QUALIFIED trainer (not your meat headed friend) show you a routine you can do on your own. Have them write it all down so you understand it and you can go over it for 8 to 10 weeks or so. Change your program up after 8/10 weeks because your muscles get used to it by then and you start to plateau.

    Any questions email me at Ptrainer78@yahoo.com

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  • 's Avatar
    Posted by Wed Jul 1, 2009 5:09am PDT

    I agree with many of these people here. All of the above is crap. You don't put 15 pounds on a cable row machine and expect to tone your back!!! What is toning anyway? You focus on either building muscle or burning fat. You don't do both at the same time and you definitely don't do either with the pure crap listed above. If the trainers listed above really recommended that crap, they are worthless trainers who have no idea what they're doing. Stop feeding lies to the general public. I'm sick of seeing useless crap like this all over the Internet. If you want real advice that works, go to Weight-Lifting-Complete.com

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  • Darrell J's Avatar
    Posted by Darrell J Wed Jul 1, 2009 5:26am PDT

    Is this really the best the "Experts" have to offer? lol

    For Amazing transformations view my blog www.wetwolf.blogspot.com

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  • Linda's Avatar
    Posted by Linda Wed Jul 1, 2009 5:31am PDT

    I agree these are no tips at all. Someone who is seriously wanting to shed some weight won't doing this unless they eat clean, lift heavy & do 30 min or more of hiit cardio 5-6 times a week. I like the waist twists which I do alot of sqeezing my muscles as I'm doing it but it's got to be done along with the other that I listed above. Hope these comments help more than that article.

    Linda

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