When you are at the gym time is of the essence. The aim is to get in and out as quickly and efficiently as possible, but some exercises may be a waste of your precious time.
Bondi Beauty spoke with George Symes, personal trainer and founder of Hands On Personal Training about which exercises you should forget about when trying to achieve an overall toned figure, and which you can do instead to get the most out of every rep.
Tricep Kickback
To complete a tricep kickback you place one knee on a bench seat and the same arm on the seat also and with a weight in the other hand, extend your arm towards your back. According to George the muscles used in this exercise rely on various other muscles which aid in it’s support throughout the movement and therefore do not work the tricep as effectively.
Instead try doing tricep pushdowns, which are performed using a weight machine with a bar attached to the end of weighted cable. These work the chest muscles as well as the triceps.
Lateral Crunches
Lateral crunches (also referred to as dumbbell later extension) are performed by holding a weight in one hand and bending from the waist over to the same side. According to George, “don’t put direct tension through the muscle therefore placing excessive pressure on the spine”. Not only are the muscles not receiving the best possible workout but your back is also extremely vulnerable to strain and injury.
Instead try lat pulldown on the machine in a seated position. Sit facing the machine and hold onto the bar with palms facing away from you and pull the bar down towards your lap.
Crunch Machine
George advises against the crunch machine because he believes it “places too much on the specific muscles in the hip flexors and abdomen” which does not help to develop solid core strength. Developing good core strength is key to keeping lean and toned, “good posture is a great start and can be achieved by doing exercises such as squats, chin ups and dead lifts”.
Instead try plank on your toes and elbows. Hold plank for one minute and repeat three times if possible. Alternatively, hold for 30 seconds, three times over.
Seated Leg Curl
The seated leg curl machine aims to work the front muscles in the thigh however this exercise is too specific to the hamstrings and may develop tightness in the lower back and glutes.
Instead try jump-squats. Jump-squats are performed by doing a normal squat and them jumping as you rise. These are really effective for toning up the legs and glutes in one movement.
George recommends that when aiming for an overall toned figure it’s important to have a “well balanced and timed diet with exercises that incorporate large muscle groups. High repetitions with build leaner muscle mass. No specific type of exercise will cover all aspects of a training program as the body will loose its responsiveness to the stimulus you are giving it”. It is vital that you change your workout up each time so that the muscles are shocked and therefore working harder to complete each exercise.
Contact George Symes from Hands on Personal Training at georgerasymes@gmail.com for more tips and advice on how to achieve a toned figure.
BB Intern Lauren Walker
How are you toning up?
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