.jpg "Yuki Matsushima Personal Trainer, Boston Best Personal Trainer, In-Home Personal Training"){kind=spacer}
Hi! I’m Yuki, Tyra’s friend and personal trainer. I am a personal in-home trainer. That’s right, I come to you! Tyra has been nice enough to let me guest blog for her. So here we go.
You’re going to be looking at your wedding photos for the rest of your life, and you want to look your best. So today, I’m going to write about four exercises that can help you tone-up and shape-up to not only look your best, but to feel your best. If the gym is not your second home, or you find that you really don’t have the time to spend hours exercising, these four exercises, done a couple times a week, can make a difference.
The Body-Weight Squat
The body-weight squat is one of my favorite exercises, and even after training for years, it’s still an exercises I go to often.
Start by standing up with your feet about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Have your feet and toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out, depending on what feels comfortable. The movement begins as you squat down, as if you were sitting in a chair. As soon as you hit the point where your thighs are at a 90 degree angle from your calves, bring yourself back up to a standing position, and repeat.
Here are some key points: (1) Keep your head up, (2) Try to have your weight evenly distributed throughout your feet so you’re not leaning too far forward, and (3) Get low enough!
The squat is not only a great lower body exercises, but since you’re moving your whole body, it gets your heart rate going quickly. For those new to exercise, try doing 10 repetitions in a row, two or three times, with a minute in between each set. If that’s easy – try three sets of 15 repetitions instead.
The Bench (Couch) Dips
The bench dip is a great exercises for targeting your triceps, the back of your upper arms. It’s also great because you can easily substitute a gym a bench for your couch at home.
Start by sitting at the edge of your bench. Grip the edge of the bench with both hands at your sides, palms facing behind you. Now, move your feet out far enough so that you are able to lower yourself in front of the bench, but close enough so that your feet can lie flat on the floor – your knees should be bent at about 90 degrees. The movement begins when you lower yourself down, when your elbows get to about 90 degrees, push yourself back up and repeat.
Again, for those new to exercises, try doing 6 repetitions in a row, two or three times.
The Plank
Like the squat, the plank is a favorite exercise of mine and one I continue to use. This exercise is great for targeting your core (or abs).
You may want a folded up yoga mat or a pillow. Start by lying flat on the floor. This is a exercise where you are going to hold your whole body up in a push-up-like position, by holding yourself up on your elbows (which is where you can put the mat or pillow). You want to elevate your body on your elbows and toes with your back and legs in a straight line. (1) Don’t stick your butt up in the air. (2) Don’t let your butt sag below your shoulders either.
Do your best to hold the position for one minute. A key part, that many of my new clients forget – KEEP BREATHING (preferably through your mouth the whole time).
Burpees
Burpees are a combination exercise and great for not only getting your heart rate going, but also for using your big upper body and lower body muscle groups. Not to mentions it can spike your metabolism to burn fat for hours after you exercise.
The exercise starts from a standing position. Next, lower yourself down to a push-up position and lower your entire body to the floor. Now, in anyway you can, bring yourself back up to a standing position by bringing your feet to where your hands are. Once standing, jump up in the air – nothing too fancy – just get your toes off the ground. Once you complete the jump, get back down to the push-up position, and repeat. A great start for this exercise is three sets of four reps.
And that’s it! Four exercises — all of which you can do in the comfort of your home. You can run through them all in less than 30 minutes. If you don’t have a regular exercise routine, doing this routine three or four times a week can make a big difference, and help your look and feel your best, whether it be for your big day or whenever you’re in front of Tyra’s lens.
If my descriptions don’t make sense, you can look them up on YouTube or you can talk to a personal trainer (LIKE ME). These exercises are a great start. For those looking for a personal, specific training plan a personal trainer (LIKE ME) can make a big difference. Check out other exercise tips and stories over at MY BLOG, or contact me at yuki@yukitraining.com.
Personal note: Seriously, you gotta book with Yuki -you won’t be disappointed. If you want to take your workouts to the next level, sign you and your honey up for a session with Yuki and it will jump start your motivation in getting started on a workout plan. Read more about Yuki in this past blog post I wrote, HERE. -Tyra
Also, he is offering any first time clients a deal of three sesssions FOR $75. Get signed up and he will head your way.
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