COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER: SETTING FITNESS BENCHMARKS

If you use these spring months right, you’ll be able to lose the holiday pounds, firm up your muscles and be ready to rock that swimsuit by June. Follow these tips from Life Fitness to pace yourself, set realistic goals and get ready for a great summer!
Cardio:  Step away from the comfy couch and get your heart pumping by taking a dance class, running on the treadmill and hopping on an elliptical, or get some fresh air by lacing up for an outdoor walk/run. Keep tabs on your heart rate and never skimp on the warm-up.

• During March: Concentrate on building a base and improving your cardiovascular endurance.  Start walking now and work up to jogging by week two. Aim for 20 minutes a day, five days a week for the first two weeks of March. Add 10 more minutes a day when you reach week three.
• During April and May: Continue with 30 minutes of heart-pumping activity five days a week.  Increase your intensity as you feel stronger – try extending your cardio session by one minute each day you workout.

Strength Training: Begin with building your core strength. Try some body planks and balance exercises like standing on one leg with your eyes closed for 20 seconds. Then, start sculpting your muscles with a mix of machines and free weights. Aim to incorporate 30-minute strength training sessions into three of your five weekly workouts.

• During March: Focus on buns and legs. During your three weekly strength workouts, perform two sets of 10 squats using your body weight as resistance. During those same workouts, use the leg extension machine to isolate and firm up your quads by performing two sets of 10 extensions. Don’t let your calves be the forgotten leg muscle – perform two sets of 10 to 12 calf-raises to finish off the strength training portion of your workout.
• During April and May: Use these months to tone your arms and abs. During the first week of April, build up your biceps with two sets of 10 seated curls and shoulder presses – try a cable machine to really challenge your shoulders.  

To tone up the mid section, use the Dual Adjustable Pulley machine for weighted crunches three times a week. Try four sets of 12 crunches during each workout, increasing the number of sets as you feel stronger.

Stick to your plan, and in three months you’ll be able to sport that swimsuit with confidence!

Fit Tips are provided by Life Fitness, the leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality exercise equipment for fitness facilities and homes worldwide. For more information on Fit Tips and other fitness advice and expertise visit http://www.lifefitness.com/