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 By: Joe Wuebben
Okay, so it has been awhile since you've been to the gym. Or maybe you're a newbie who has never lifted weights before, period. (Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.) Your body isn't exactly in the shape you'd like it to be, and it's time to do something about it, quick. No need to panic - help is on the way. Her name is Mary Elizabeth Lado, and not only is she in phenomenal shape (as you can see from the photos on these pages) and a certified personal trainer but she's also one of the world's top figure competitors. When we asked her to create a workout to help put beginners on the path to a tighter, healthier, more appealing physique, she was more than happy to assist.
The result is the following four-week program designed especially for women who have been inactive but want to get on track. For those who have never lifted before, detailed descriptions and photographs for each exercise are included. For those who have previous experience, consider this a refresher course. Whatever your situation, your starting point to reclaiming your body is right here.
Mary created this workout to be both basic and all-encompassing. It provides a primer to many major weight-training movements (without overdoing it) while working the entire body so no area is overlooked. "This program targets every aspect of fitness - muscle-building, cardiovascular health and fat loss," she says.
During the first two weeks, you'll work out three times a week. Which three days you want to train are entirely up to you, so long as you take rest days between workouts. (This might mean working out Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or whatever works best for your schedule.) You'll train your entire body in every session with 12 exercises. Train each upper-body muscle group with 1-2 exercises - two for back, two for shoulders and one each for chest, biceps, triceps and abs. Lower-body training, however, consists of four exercises, for two reasons:
The more muscle you have in a certain area, the more exercises it takes to train that area thoroughly. Perform each workout as a circuit, meaning you do one set of each exercise consecutively with minimal rest between sets, instead of doing all sets for one exercise (resting between each set) before moving on to the next. This gets you through your workout more quickly, and it keeps your heart rate elevated for cardiovascular and fat-burning benefits. During weeks 1 and 2, go through the circuit twice (the second time through, skip leg extensions and leg curls and do just 10 exercises total). Each set consists of 15 reps. For the full workout split, programs and exercise descriptions, pick up the May/June issue of M&F Hers, on newsstands now!
Joe Wuebben Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
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