Where fitness is concerned, age is but a mere number. Fitness and nutrition expert Dr Chirag Sethi of Anytime Fitness shares a workout regime that is meant for women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
With growing age, a woman’s metabolism slows down, making it hard for her to lose weight.
However, with proper diet, training and apt exercises, she can get fit and maintain that fitness
for life.
Interestingly, if you are the kind who has always maintained some fitness routine combined with a healthy lifestyle through your past, you can continue to have a fit body, no matter what your age is.
For those of you who have not yet got on a fitness regime, it’s never too late, for the right combinationof exercises can help you achieve your fitness goals.
MAKING EXERCISES EFFECTIVE
Fitness expert Dr Chirag Sethi, recommends a combination of weights and cardio for best results, where the aim of using weights should be to bring about steady results instead of quick ones.
Caution
Weight exercises should be performed under proper guidance to avoid injury. Avoid weights in case of back or leg injuries.
WEIGHTS
Use rug sack, weight bands on legs or dumbbells and choose to go for split exercises in order to get
better results. Don’t stress your muscles; start with the minimum weight between two and seven kg.
The resting rules of exercise: If you exercise a particular muscle group on Monday, repeat it a
couple of days after, say, alternating lower body between, Monday and Thursday
Beating the plateau: Avoid adaptation by changing exercises once every 3–5 weeks or by increasing the number of sets for a given number of reps
CARDIO
Cardio (running, swimming and cycling) is the most common form of weight-loss exercise. It is effective, increases heart rate and metabolism, which are key elements towards weight loss. Cycling involves the same muscles as does running, with lesser wear and tear. Swimming is even better, as the muscle groups used are more and there's no wear and tear. You may choose to alternate between the three.
Running is one of the best exercises, especially in your 20s, for building high stamina and to lose whole body weight mass and helps strengthen the core muscles.
Regular cycling can help you lose weight, reduce stress and improve your fitness. It also helps in joint mobilisation, decreases stress levels and enhances cardiovascular fitness. Cycling can even help you control the onset of diabetes.
REST DAY
Dedicate a day of rest.
TOUCHY 20s
The 20s is perhaps the best time to help you tone up your body before your metabolism starts to slow down. “A woman in her 20s has a body so strong that it can be stretched out and worked hard,” says Dr Sethi. “The downslide, though, is that most women at this age punish their body with either bad eating habits or excessive late nights, thus reducing the number of hours of rest they get to recuperate their bodies.”
THE WORKOUT PLAN:
Cardio: 45 minutes straight cardio, thrice a week Run for 15–25 minutes or cycle for around 20–25 minutes
Weights: 30 minutes after 15 minutes of cardio thrice a week
Perform three sets of each exercise of 12 reps, resting for 30 seconds between each set and with a rest of 1 minute after the completion of sets. Increase the sets and reps with time.
SIDE LUNGE WITH UPRIGHT ROW
This unique lower-body exercise works out the lower-body by targeting the inner and outer thighs, hips and glutes, while indirectly working the calves too.
Doing it right
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with palms facing thighs and toes pointing out
- Lift your right foot to take
a step out to the right side, bend right knee at about 90 degrees and keep it aligned with the toes. Keep your left leg straight all along - Now, lift the weights until elbows are at chest level. Keep shoulders pressed down
- Lower arms and bring back your right foot to
starting position.
STRAIGHT-ARM PRESS-BACK
This is an isolation movement, where only one joint is mobile while working several major muscle groups. It gets the biceps to move, which also works out the muscles of the back intensely.
Doing it right
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding 1-2 kg dumbbells on the sides of your body
- Sink hips into a squat.
- Keeping your back straight and abs neutral, lean forward from your hips and extend your arms with the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height. Keep palms down
- Press arms toward the hips and behind you, so that your palms now face up at the top
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
FRONT SQUAT
Front squats are easier on your back and knees. It’s a compound exercise that can enhance your strength and improve flexibility, helping you build powerful thighs, strong lower back and firm abdominal muscles.
Doing it right
- Grasp dumbbells with your wrists facing each other, while standing with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward
- Bring dumbbells up towards your collarbone until your elbows point straight out and your arms are parallel to the floor
- Inhale and bend your knees and hips to lower into a squat position
- Keep your head up, heels on the ground and back arched
- Once your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower, quickly rise while exhaling
- Repeat as many times as is comfortable
SUPERMAN
This exercise, directly strengthens the lower back region, while indirectly targeting the hamstring muscles. The lower-back muscles are stretched and strengthened by extending the muscles.
Doing it right
- Lie down on your stomach
- Keep your legs straight, arms stretched out over your head and palms facing each other
- Arch your back and raise your arms and legs
- Hold on for 5–10 seconds and slowly lower your limbs to the floor
Thrifty 30s
This is the decade when you might notice that your body weight doesn’t come off quite as easily as it used to when you were in your 20s. And that is because your metabolism starts dropping every decade, as lean muscles in one's body decrease and body fat increases. In fact, nature has designed our bodies such that they don’t need as many calories to sustain themselves.
THE WORKOUT PLAN:
Cardio: At least two days of cardio for 40–45 minutes at a high intensity on alternate days; jog for 15–25 minutes or cycle for around 20–25 minutes.
Weight (with cardio training): 25 minutes of weight training, after 20 minutes of cardio, four times a week. Perform three sets of 10 reps, per exercise, resting for 30 seconds between each set, ensuring a rest period of 90 seconds after the completion of all sets in the routine. Increase the sets and reps with time.
PUSH-UP
This exercise targets all the muscles in our upper body and builds optimal strength in the forearms, shoulders and chest. In fact, push-ups enhance whole-body muscle definition.
Doing it right
- Lie on your stomach; place your palms on the floor next to your shoulders, though slightly tilting inwards, towards each other
- Get your abs and glutes in the neutral position
- Bend elbows so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor
- With your legs hip-width apart, curl your toes under, and press the balls of your feet down
- Inhale and hold
- While exhaling, push your entire body up, until the elbows are straight
- Inhale as you slowly lower your body, until your forearms are parallel to the floor
- Repeat as many times as is comfortable
CHIN-UP
Chin-ups help in increasing the strength of your arms and back while enhancing metabolism. It also helps you keep proper form of your body.
Doing it right
- Jump up to grab a chin-up bar with an underhand grip, spreading hands wider than your shoulders
- Start from a hanging position to work the back muscles through their full range of motion
- Arch your back slightly and pull your body up, trying to touch your chest to the bar
- Slowly lower yourself back to the hanging position
- Repeat as many times as is comfortable
PUSH-PRESS
This exercise helps you increase the endurance of your body by pushing the weight above your body. Generates raw power for your body while increasing back and biceps strength.
Doing it right
- From a standing position, grab a barbell using an overhand grip, with hands slightly wider
than your shoulders and elbows pointing downwards - Squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold through the lift
- The bar should rest in hyper-extended hands (knuckles pointing toward your body) at your clavicle
- Inhale
- Bend your knees slightly and keep your hips and back straight when going down, only 3–4 inches into a quarter-squat
- From this quarter-squat, exhale and explosively extend your knees and hips
- Use this momentum to push the bar overhead, until your elbows are fully extended
- Keep the bar balanced and under control
- Slowly lower the bar to the starting position while inhaling and repeat
FLIRTY 40s
This is the decade of slower metabolism, as lean-muscle mass continues to decreases and body fat
increases—nature’s way of telling you to slow down. Even women who hadn’t put on a pound in their earlier years may expand in size during this decade of their life.
THE WORKOUT PLAN:
Cardio: 45 minutes, thrice a week; choose between jogging or speed-walking for 15–20 minutes to maintain your body strength. You may even cycle for 15–20 minutes in a gym on a stationary one, though people with a bad back are advised to cycle on a normal one. Cycling helps you maintain your legs, back and abs without stressing your ankle and knees.
Weight (with cardio training):
30 minutes weight training, thrice a week, after 15 minutes of cardio. Perform three sets of eight reps, per exercise, resting for 30 seconds after each set. Rest for 90 seconds after the completion of all sets in the routine. Increase the number of sets and reps over time.
DUMBBELL BACK SQUAT TO OVERHEAD PRESS
In your 40s, the upper body strength is a must. The dumbbell back-squat to overhead-press exercise works best for your arms, legs and shoulders while increasing upper back strength.
Doing it right
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outwards.
- Grab dumbbells with an overhand grip and bring them up to your shoulder height, with your palms facing out
- Inhale, bend your knees and lower your hips into a squat
- Keep your head up, heels on the ground and back arched
- Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Then, quickly return to standing position and exhale
- Drive both dumbbells overhead until your elbows are fully extended
- Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
LUNGE WITH ROTATION
This exercise helps build your lower body strength and balance.
The lunge with rotation also targets the abdominal, hip and back muscles. The rotation in this lunge helps in gaining more strength for these muscles.
Doing it right
- Stand with abs tight, shoulders back and arms holding dumbbells at your sides
- Inhale
- Take a large step forward with your right leg, planting your foot flat on the floor
- Allow your left knee to bend slightly
- Drop your hips until your knee is at about 90 degrees and the hip is directly over your foot
- Bend your left knee to 90 degrees, as you roll your heel up
- Keep your left knee just above the floor and your torso upright
- Extend your arms straight out in front of you with palms facing in, keeping your lower
body firmly planted on the ground - Rotate your upper body to the right, centre, left and back to centre
- Exhale and push off the floor with your right leg.
- Return to the starting position and switch legs
- This time rotate to the left first
SLINGSHOT SQUAT
This exercise helps firm up your glutes and legs, while maintaining your lower body strength and tightening your hips and thigh The muscle toning in this exercise counters the reducing metabolism
Doing it right
- Stand on the band with feet shoulder-width apart
- Hold ends of the slings at shoulder height, with palms facing forward
- Bend the hips and knees and sit back, ensuring that the knees are always aligned behind
the toes - This is the start position.
- Quickly stand up, then slowly lower
