Little Moves To Get Lean & Strong In most areas of life, taking a shortcut often leads to diminished results. Thankfully, fitness is an exception—hybrid workouts can get you a hot body in half the time! One of the best ones weve discovered recently: SLT (Strengthen, Lengthen, and Tone), which incorporates the controlled, toning movements of a classic Pilates class and adds intensity by cranking the pace to full throttle (no stopping to rest between moves!). You develop flexibility and core strength, get your heart pumping, and literally feel your muscles quivering, says Amanda Freeman, founder of the SLT workout studios in New York and New Jersey. Classes use a Megaformer, a souped-up Pilates-like machine that works multiple muscle groups to torch calories and amp strength. Score the same perks at home with this SLT-inspired workout from Freeman. Youll need a chair, a pair of light dumbbells, and a small towel. At a four-count pace, do as many reps of each move as you can for one minute before moving to the next exercise. Start with the Spoon, then do the next three moves on the left side to totally exhaust the muscles before repeating them on the right. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat the whole series twice more. MOVE 1Spoon spoon.pngMCKIBILLO Stand in front of a chair with a towel under both heels. Reach back and grip the front edge of the chair so that your butt hovers over and slightly in front of the seat (A). Lean forward and pull the towel toward the chair without bending your legs (B), then slowly push back to start. Thats one rep. MOVE 2Curtsy curtsy.pngMCKIBILLO Get on your hands and knees. Extend your left leg straight behind you (A), then bend it, crossing it over your right leg as close to the back of your knee as possible (B). Return to tabletop position. Thats one rep. MOVE 3Serve the Platter serve-the-platter.pngMCKIBILLO Place your left foot on a towel slightly behind your right. Hold dumbbells at waist height, elbows bent 90 degrees, palms facing up (A). Slide your left foot back into a lunge as you straighten your arms (B). Reverse the motion to return to start. Thats one rep. MOVE 4French Twist french-twist.pngMCKIBILLO Start in a plank position with your arms shoulder-width apart and toes resting on a towel. Then cross your left foot over your right at the ankle (A). Keeping your legs straight, pike your body to slide the towel a few inches closer to your arms (B). Push back to start. Thats one rep. Remember: After you do the moves on your left side, repeat them on your right.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:32:45 +0000
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