The ELLE Best Body Bootcamp Week 3
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.
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.
Metabolic Circuit:
These are your exercises for your third week and focus on intense toning using free weights. Dalton suggests doing these exercises three times a week if you are a beginner, moving up to everyday for those with more experience.
Forward Lunge to Curl -
Begin the forward lunge with your feet hip-width apart and your toes facing forward. Stand upright holding free weights in each hand, arms by your side.
Bend your knees so they are resting on the floor - one in front and one behind at 90 degree angles. Make sure your knee doesn’t go too far past your toes and make sure that your toes and knee are in line with one another.
When you are in lunge position bring your arms up to a 90 degree angle holding the weights and bracing your biceps.
Release your arm curl and push back to your starting position to complete one rep. Do this 10 times on each leg and choose
Bent Over Row-
Keep your feet shoulder width apart with slightly bent knees. Bend your body so that your chest is towards the floor, making sure that your back is straight. Have a free weight in each hand and let them hang towards the floor.
Pull your elbows towards your body at a 90 degree angle in a rowing motion. Bracing your biceps and keeping your body strong.
Return to position one and repeat 20 times. Choose whether you want to do three or four sets.
Lateral Lunge with Press-
Begin with your feet shoulder width apart and a free weight in each hand. Elbows should be bent with the weights by your shoulders.
Straighten your arms up towards the sky and return to weights by your shoulders to complete the press.
For the lateral lunge step out with your right leg and bend your left knee. The further you step the more intense the exercise.
Return to standing and repeat on your left leg. Do 10 times on each side and repeat either three or four times.
Reverse Lunge-
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and step back with your right foot and bend both knees in to a classic lung position. Keep your arms by your sides holding the free weights.
When you are in the lunge position lift the weights up towards your chest keeping your upper arms against your body and hold for 3 seconds.
Release your arms and return to a standing position and repeat on the left leg. Repeat this 10 times on each leg either three or four times.
Push-up to Row-
To begin, get into a press up position using a mat, hold a free weight in each hand and rest your weight on your knees. Make sure your elbows are bent and your chest is parallel with your hands. Keep your body straight and avoid sticking your bum to far up in the air.
Now perform the classic push up keeping your body streamlined.
Once your arms are straight lifting your body off the floor pull your left hand towards you with the free weight, tucking your elbow against your upper body.
Return to your starting position and repeat on your other side. Do 20 push ups with 10 rows on each side, repeat this three or four times.
Side Plank with Reach-
Start with a classic side plank position. Keep the left side of your foot and lower part of your left arm on the floor. Your body should be balancing on these. Make sure that your body is controlled and in a straight line from head to toes. Straighten your arm to the sky with an open palm.
Swing your arm down to reach forward making sure your hips do not dip towards the floor.
Repeat this arm movement 12 times on each side and choose to do this either three or four times.
Burpies-
Begin in a plank position keeping your body straight. 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.
From this position spring upwards into the air launching your feet off the floor. When you land tuck your body back underneath your legs (as in position two) before springing back into the starting position.
Do this 12 times and choose to repeat either three or four times.
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