Beach body workout

Are you ready for summer? If summer has approached and you still have a little work to do, no fear, a little hard work will take you a long way. Perform three strength-training days per week, and three high-intensity interval cardio days between your strength training, and you’ll be on your way. Follow this dumbbell beach body workout and you’ll be ready for summer.

Lower body

For lower body perform 4 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise.  Rest approximately 30 to 60 seconds to keep the intensity high.

 ·       Dumbbell lunges – Start by holding the dumbbells at your side, with feet shoulder with apart. Step forward into a lunge position, stand up and step forward with the opposite leg. Continue lunging in a walking fashion. This exercise is great for shaping and defining the glutes and legs.

·        Dumbbell squats – Hold a pair of dumbbells at your side, stand with feet shoulder with apart. Bend your knees and your hips, while keeping your torso slightly upright. Squat down as far as you can and return to starting position. Repeat. Use this exercise for shaping and defining your lower body.

 Upper body

For upper body perform 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise.  Rest approximately 30 to 45 seconds to keep the intensity high.

 ·        Dumbbell chest press – Hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand and lay down flat on a bench. Bring the dumbbells next to your chest with your arm bent to approximately 90 degrees. Press the dumbbells over your upper chest, and extend your arms completely. Squeeze the chest muscles and return to starting position. This is a great exercise for shaping the pecs.

·        Dumbbell row- bench – Stand next to a flat bent, place one knee and arm on the bench and lean forward. With the opposite arm, pick up the dumbbell and keep your arm straight.  Bend your elbow and bring the dumbbell towards your ribcage. Squeeze your lats and return to starting position. Make sure to keep your chest up and your back straight through out the movement. Dumbbell bent over rows are great for developing the lats.

 ·        Dumbbell lateral and front raise –  Lateral and front raises are great for adding definition to your shoulders. For lateral raises, hold a pair of dumbbells at your side, gently raise your arms and bring the dumbbells out away from your midline. Keep your arms slightly bent and focus on lifting the dumbbells with your shoulders. Return to starting position. For dumbbell front raises, place the dumbbells in front of your thighs, raise the dumbbells in front of you, and return to starting position.

·        Dumbbell biceps curl – Start with the dumbbells at your side, bend your arms and curl the weight towards your shoulders. Contract your biceps and slowly return to starting position. Use this exercise to add shape to your biceps.

 ·        Dumbbell overhead triceps extension – Hold a dumbbell overhead with both hand overlapping. Start with your arms extended, gently bend your elbows and bring the dumbbell towards the back of your head. Try not to allow your elbows to flare out as you bend your arms. Pause for a moment at the bottom, extend your arms, and bringing the dumbbell back to the starting position. Dumbbell overhead triceps extensions are great for adding size and definition to your triceps.

 Abdominals

For abdominals perform 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions per exercise.  Rest approximately 30 to keep the intensity high.

 ·        V-sit ups – Start by lying down, completely flat on the floor. Flex at your waist and contract your abdominals. Bring your upper body and lower body towards each other. Keep your arms extended overhead throughout the movement. At the top of the movement your body should form a “V”. Return to starting position. This is a great advanced abdominal exercise.

·        Oblique crunch – Lay down on the ground with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.  Gently place your hands behind your head, making sure not to interlock your fingers. Slowly curl your torso and rotate one elbow towards your opposite knee. Return to starting position, and repeat with the opposite side. This is a great exercise for adding shape to the obliques.

 On your cardio days, perform 20 to 30 minutes of high intensity interval work. For your interval workout you can do any combination of high intensity work followed by a brief active recovery period. Here’s an example: Run for 3 minutes, walk fast for 1 minute and repeat for a total of 30 minutes. Another option is to run at a fast pace for ¼ mile, jog for 30 seconds and repeat for a total of 20 minutes.  Intervals will help you burn calories, save you time, and spare your muscles.

Follow this beach body workout and you’ll be ready for summer.