The ELLE Best Body Bootcamp Week 2
Perform 10-20 of each move
Start each exercise session with these warm up exercises to prepare your muscles for the work out and avoid muscle stiffness and injury. A good warm up session will increase your blood flow and will even boost your metabolism.
Hamstring 90/90
Tight hamstrings will have a negative impact on your posture and movement. This move will limber up and engage the muscles so you can get the most out of your exercise.
Lie on your back, head on the floor, with one leg extended straight out resting on the ground. Ensure you engage your stomach muscles by sucking your belly button in towards the floor.
With your other leg, bend the hip and knee to 90 degrees. If you find this difficult you can extend the stretch by holding your leg with both hands. Use this as the starting position for the move.
Extend your leg straight into the air at a 90 degree angle and hold this positio
Hip Extension
Lie on your back with your head resting on the floor. Keep your arms stretched out by your sides with your palms facing the sky. Bend your knees and put your weight on your heels, toes off the ground.
Now it’s time to lift your bum to tone the gluteus muscles, abdominals and thighs. Lift until your body is straight from knees to chest, hold and then resume position one.
4 Point Chest Rotation
Kneel on your mat with your toes curled under for support. Face down and put one hand on the floor and the other to your temple. Make sure your back is straight and keep your stomach muscles tensed.
With the arm that is against your temple begin to rotate your body so that your elbow reaches for the sky and your chest is stretched out.
From this position return to stage one and repeat the stretch.
Lunge to Instep (repeat on each leg)
Brace the lunge position so that you are kneeling with one leg in front resting on a flat foot and one leg behind resting on the ball of your foot, heel to the sky. Start with your back straight before you begin the stretch.
Bend forward and try to get your fingers to the floor, spreading them out for balance.
Now lean back into the stretch so that your bum goes towards the back heel and your front leg stretches the back of your leg muscles and thigh muscles. Keep your hands on the floor for an extra stretch up the arms.
Bend forward again before straightening out pose and repeat the stretch.
These are your exercises for your second week and will focus on all over toning. Dalton suggests doing these exercises three times if you are a beginner, moving up to everyday for those with more experience.
Reverse Lunge with Row
Take a resistance band (Nike resistance band £16) and loop it around a strong object at chest height. Take a handle in each hand, palms facing inwards. Keep your arms extended straight in front of you. Step back with your right foot and bend both knees in to a classic lung position.
Pull the handles towards your chest keeping your upper arms close to your sides. Make sure you squeeze your shoulder blades together so youfeel the stretch across your chest.
Return to a standing position and repeat on the left leg. Repeat this 12 times with a total of 24 rows.
Wide Stance Squats
Keep the resistance band looped around a strong object at chest height. Take a handle in each hand with your palms facing towards the floor keeping your arms fully extended forwards. Keep your legs spread just over shoulder width apart and your toes pointing forwards.
Bend your knees at a 90 degree angle keeping a straight posture and extended arms.
Return to a standing position and repeat 12 times.
Forward Lunge with Cable Push
Stand with your back facing the resistance band. Bend your arms at a 90 degree angle, shoulder height facing away from the band.
Lunge forward with your right leg forward and your left leg behind at a 90 degree angle. When you are at the end of the lunge extend your arms forward and return.
Return to standing position and repeat 12 times on each leg with a total of 24 cable pushes.
Band Oblique Press
Attach the resistance band to a strong object as you only need one handle. Stand with your back towards the resistance band, feet shoulder width apart, with the band on your right hand side. Hold the handle of the band with both hands in front of your chest, elbows bent.
Push the handle forward so that your arms are extended forward.
Return to a starting position and repeat 12 times on each side.
Squat Thrusts Hands Raised
Begin in a plank position using a raised surface such as a low stool to place your hands on. Keep the balls of your feet on the floor ready to spring in to a jump.
Jump towards your hands, keeping your arms extended, and tuck your legs underneath your body.
Jump back to starting position and repeat 12 times.
To make the most out of your workout and take it that extra mile try these stretches.
Key stretches for posture perfect
Flex stretch: Use your exercise ball to help this stretch. Take up the lunge position but rest your back leg against the ball at an angle to really increase the intensity of the stretch. Place your hands on your knee in front of you to stabilise yourself and keep your posture straight. Hold the stretch for 45-60 seconds and repeat.
Chest Stretch: Kneel next to your exercise ball resting your weight on your knees and the balls of your feet. Bend towards the floor at a 90 degree angle and place one arm on the ball elbow so your hand hangs off the end. This will make a great post workout stretch for your back and arms. Hold the stretch for 45-60 seconds and repeat.
Keep your back on the floor making sure your tense your core muscles and rest your feet at an angle against your exercise ball.
Keeping your shoulders on the floor lift your bum and back off the floor to create a slope and tense your bum as you lift. Hold the stretch for 45-60 seconds and repeat.
Return to the floor but try to hold just before your bum meets the ground and hold this for extra toning.
1. Position yourself so your weight is resting on your shoulders and the rest of your body is off the floor with your knees bent towards you and your heels are secured on the edge of the exercise ball. Now extend your legs so that the ball moves away from you and hold before bringing the ball back towards you and repeating the move. This targets your bum for toning and lifting.
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