Men: On your mark…

You wish to start training but don’t know where to begin? Here’s a complete training program addressed to men who wish to take charge. Do these cardiovascular and strength training exercises three times a week and you’ll be on your way to achieving better health.

Ladies, an exercise program will be available on this blog next week. Be ready!

Perform one set of 12 reps for each of the following exercises.

Strength training exercises:

1- Wall squat: Hold the ball against the wall at lower back level. With the feet slightly forward and hip-width apart, bend knees to a 90^o angle. Then fully straighten the legs without locking the knees.

2- Leg curl: Wedge the ball between the heels and the back of the thighs and squeeze the ball hard with the heels (leg curl). Hold the contraction for 20-30 seconds.

3- Seated row (hammer grip): Anchor the tubing around the feet and grasp the tubing handles with a hammer grip. Pull the elbows backwards keeping the forearms parallel to the floor. Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Return slowly to the starting position.

4- Chest press: Rest the shoulder blades on the ball and hold the dumbbells with a overhand grip. Keeping the elbows wide, pull them down until the dumbbells are 1 cm from the chest. Fully extend the arms without locking the elbows.

5- Standing arm curl: With the tubing under your feet, hands shoulder width apart holding the handles with an underhand grip, curl the forearms keeping the elbows close to your sides. Return the arms slowly to the starting position. Avoid leaning backwards.

6- Triceps kickback: Keeping the elbow high, fully extend the arm without locking the elbow. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position with a 90^o angle at the elbow.

7- Half crunch: Contract the abdominal muscles and raise the upper torso with a range of motion of about 30^o. Avoid pulling the head forward. Repeat 1 to 2 times.

Cardiovacular exercise:

15 to 20 minutes of continuous fast walk at 9-12 on the Perceived Exertion Scale. This means you must adjust your intensity to feel like your making a light effort and begin to breath faster (no more, no less).

By Karine Larose

Men: On your mark... is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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