AEROBIC EXERCISE

Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic exercise is good for you.

Now's the time to get yourself moving!

Ready to get more active? Just remember to start with small steps. If you've been inactive for a long time or if you have a chronic health condition, get your doctor's OK before you start.

When you're ready to begin exercising, start slowly. Base your starting point on your current fitness level and always be thinking about progression. You might walk five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. The next day, add a few minutes to each walking session. Pick up the pace a bit, too. Soon, you could be walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day and reaping all the benefits of regular aerobic activity. These same guidelines for progression work for more advanced trainers too. Regardless of your fitness level, you should be trying to add either more time or more intensity to your exercise activities to see the biggest health benefits.

Our Recommendations

Complete 30 - 60 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week.

Examples of activities include but aren't limited to:

Walking, brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, biking, stationary cycling and elliptical training.

Summer Shape Up
FULL BODY WORKOUT PROGRAM

Challenge yourself to improve...no equipment necessary

3 Days Per Week - 20-30 minutes each session

This program is designed to be performed 3 days per week with a minimum of one day of rest between workouts. It consists of 4 compound movements designed to provide a full body workout at each session. You will perform 3 sets of each exercise for 12 sets total. We’ve included different variations of each exercise for different levels of fitness. This program works very well for complete beginners, but also adapts well for intermediate and advanced trainers.

The Exercises

#2: PLANK

Target:
Core

1 Set = 15-30 second hold
As you progress, increase the hold time by 15 seconds for a bigger challenge.

Technique:

• Position yourself face down with your weight on your forearms and the balls of your feet.
• Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
• Engage your core by pushing your belly button in towards your spine.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds, and then lower to complete one set.
• IF DOING ADVANCED PLANK: Once your body has formed a straight line from shoulders to ankles, lift one leg towards the ceiling. Hold for 15-30 seconds. Lower, and then repeat with the opposite leg.

#3: SQUATS

Target:
Lower Body

1 Set = 15 repetitions

Technique:

• Stand with your feet hip width apart.
• Lower your body by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
• Keep your spine neutral and never let your knees pass the tips of your toes.
• Stop when your lower body is parallel to the floor, and then raise back up in a controlled motion.
• IF DOING JUMP SQUAT: Propel off the ground once lower body is parallel to the floor.

#4: SUPERMANS

Target:
Full Body

1 Set = 5 reps (1 rep = 2-5 second hold)

Technique:

• Lie face down on your stomach with your arms extended out in front of you and your legs extended straight behind you.
• In one motion, lift arms and legs towards the ceiling, making a U shape with your body.
• Hold for 2-5 seconds and then lower back down to complete one rep.
• IF DOING ALTERNATING SUPERMAN: Raise one arm and one opposite leg and hold 2-5 seconds then lower. Repeat with the other two limbs.
• IF DOING BEGINNER SUPERMAN: Place forearms on the ground with elbows bent towards your feet. Lift only the chest and shoulders and hold for 2-5 seconds. Lower back down.

Implementing the Program

Where do I start?

Be realistic about your current fitness level and remember it is better to start small and make constant improvement. For each of the 4 exercises, pick one variation and try to get 15 reps. If you are able to complete 15 good reps, that variation was too easy. Pick something that’s slightly more difficult and test again. If you can do no more than 10 reps with a certain variation, that’s the one you will start this program with. You may be using the basic version of one exercise and a more advanced version of another. The idea is to comfortably challenge yourself without going too far. Remember it is much better to start slow and gradually improve.

How Often?

This routine consists of 3 workouts per week. Your goal is to work up to 3 sets of each exercise. Every session will be a full body workout, meaning you will perform all 4 exercises in each workout.

The program is designed to be performed as a circuit, meaning you will do all 4 exercises one after another. So one set of the push-up variation, followed by a superman variation, then on to the squat variation, and finally the plank variation. That was one round. Now rest and repeat for another 1-2 rounds depending on your fitness level. The end goal is to complete 3 full rounds.

Do what's right for you, but try to keep rest between exercises to a minimum and rest for roughly 60 to 90 seconds between rounds. If you are having difficulty you may need to move to a more basic version of each exercise.

What about a warm up or stretching?

A simple warm-up is advisable and should be super simple for this program. Try some light aerobic activity to slightly elevate your heart rate ( beginners: marching in place, intermediate: jumping jacks, advanced: running in place). Again adjust to your fitness level and or comfort zone.

Progression?

If you can do 15 reps of a particular exercise for all 3 sets with good form, progress to the next level. For the next variation you’re going to tackle, you should be able to do at least 8 reps. For any of the timed exercises, same thing applies. When you can complete all 3 sets with good form for the prescribed hold time, progress to the next level. Too difficult, then simply lengthen the time you hold it.

When will I see results?

Again this depends on your current fitness level and ability to challenge yourself. If you follow this routine and work on comfortably challenging yourself each time, you will see results after just one month. By results we mean subtle things like increased overall confidence, improved posture and better sleeping quality.

The Ultimate Combination

Use this strength training program in conjunction with aerobic exercise and a proper eating program to see the biggest benefits. Remember you control the outcomes, so get up and get going!