The Celebrity Trainer's Guide to Creating a Summer Workout Plan
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If you have similar "aspirations" as this editor, your vacation to-do list involves half-heartedly doing planks before packing your suitcase and then rapidly calling it a day. But even for those who gave up their fitness resolutions on January 2, there's a good chance you'll find yourself researching how to get some last minute definition before "sun's out, bums out" and—*most importantly*—ways to do all those gym moves at home, where no one's watching.
To help you walk off that summer inertia in a bind, we've rallied up some workout moves from Ngo Okafor, the founder of the FitMatch app and the trainer who helped sculpt supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Chanel Iman. Below, he shows us some accessible ways to tone your five core areas—the arms, the abs, the glutes, your legs, and arms—for a full body workout or whatever you're hoping to tighten up.
P.S. For more workout tips and guides, stay tuned for our Facebook series with Okafor this month.
Push-ups
Get into the straight arm plank position, with your hands under you, but slightly outside of your shoulders. Then, lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
As you lower yourself, pull your elbows close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is close to the floor. Pause for a split second and then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Be sure to keep your core tight throughout the movement. Do not allow your hips to sag while you do this. If it is too challenging for you to do push-ups on your toes, it's also effective if you put your knees down on the ground. Try to complete 10-15 reps of these for three sets.
BACK:
Single Arm Bent-Over Row
Keep your head up, back flat, as parallel to the floor as you can. Keep the shoulders down and back. Your arms should hang straight down to the floor. You are going to bend over and put one hand on a chair, with your legs bent. For better balance, stick one leg out to the side, just as a kickstand on bike. Make sure that your feet are both pointing forward. Pull the weight up with the same arm as the leg that is sticking out. Move the weight toward your hip. Inhale when your arm is down and exhale as the weight is traveling upwards.
Do 15 reps on each arm. Do three sets of this exercise.
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LEGS:
Step-Ups
To do this exercise, all you need is a step, chair, or bench that when you place your foot on it, your knee bends to a 90-degree angle. Begin by stepping onto the bench or a chair with your left foot. Straighten your left knee to stand on the bench while lifting your right leg so the hip and knee are both at 90-degree angles. Keeping your left foot still, bend your left knee as you lower your right foot to tap the floor with your right toes, without putting your weight on your left foot. This completes one rep. Push through your left heel as you straighten your left knee to stand on the box. Make sure that your left glute is engaged for every single rep.
Repeat for 15 reps on each leg. Do three sets of this exercise.
BUTT:
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Lay on the floor with your feet flat and knees bent. Raise one leg off of the ground, while pulling the knee to your chest. This will be your starting position. Perform the movement by driving through the heel, push your hip upward, away from the floor, and raising your butt off of the ground. Squeeze your butt as hard as you can at the top of the movement. Extend as far as possible, pause, and then return to the starting position.
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ABS:
Side Plank Dips
The side plank is great for toning your abs and works the obliques (sides of the abs) as well. Begin in a straight arm plank position (the top of a push-up) and roll to your left side allowing your feet to roll as well. This way, you're balancing on the outside of your left foot and the inside of your right foot. To make this move more challenging, place your right foot on top of your left. Place your right arm on your waist and push your waist away from the floor to make your obliques fire away. Press your left inner thigh up into your right inner thigh; this helps stabilize you even more. If you feel pressure in your wrist, release it by pressing your fingertips into the floor. Hold for 30 seconds; work toward holding this position for a full minute. Repeat on the other side to complete the set. Do three sets on both sides.
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