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| Namaste, Welcome to Body/Spirit Fitness. This is a site of information and ideas to support your physical health and inner journey. |
Body Spirit Fitness
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Day 6 - Your Resistance Exercise Program
When trying to lose weight, you should know how resistance exercise can be altered
to maximize fat loss. As we already mentioned, there are several fat loss tools
available (recreational sports, aerobics, walking, dieting, etc.). But, what you may not
realize is that resistance exercise is one of the most effective tools in the battle of the
bulge.
Let’s look at the basic application of resistance exercise and what it has to offer in
terms of fat loss.
As you already know, all the foods you eat provide the individual muscle cell with
energy and building blocks. With this understanding, let’s use the comparison
between muscle, and a sponge. The water in the bucket represents nutrients, which
include fatty acids (fats) and blood sugar (carbohydrates).
Let’s say that you begin washing the floor with a full sponge. The longer you use the
sponge, the more water you compress out of it. This is like a muscle that contracts in
a resistance workout. The more it works, the more energy is depleted.
The depleted muscle absorbs nutrients from the blood after the workout, absorbing
fatty acids from fat store, to provide energy and rebuilding of muscle tissue. The
more you deplete these stores, the more fat your body must release to replenish
them.
Muscle depletion is crucial to your weight loss program. Resistance exercise is the
key to gaining lean muscle while losing fat.
A weight-loss resistance program calls for high repetitions and low weights. This will
give you the maximum muscle depletion. You can also combine this with using higher
weight for more muscle gains.
We are going to show you the minimum that you should be doing on your weight loss
program. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do with the band and
ball. We have just picked out what are the basic exercises, using the largest group of
muscles. We like the exercise band and ball, because they are cheap, effective and
easy to store.
As we indicated yesterday a good workout consists of:
1. A 5-minute warm-up doing a low level aerobic activity, such as walking.
2. 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity performed at 60-80% of maximum heart rate,
such as jogging or walking on a treadmill, or a combination of walking and jogging.
3. 5 slow walking to cool-down.
4. 25 minutes of weight training. Performing 3 sets in the 10-15 rep range of the
following exercises:
• Squats (legs & buttocks)
• Sit-ups and leg lifts with or without bands (for abdominals)
• Push ups floor or with ball (chest and back)
• Rows with exercise bands. (Back and shoulders)
• Back extensions with an exercise ball (lower back)
• 5 minutes stretching
Here are descriptions on how to perform each exercise.
There are hundreds of exercises. This will provide you with a minimum program for
getting started. Any additional work that you do is to your benefit.
Squats: Step on the band (or this can also be don without a band) bring hands up by
shoulders. Use two bands or one long band.
Make sure your feet are slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes are pointing
out about 40 to 45 degrees.
Your head should be straight or tilted back slightly and your eye is positioned slightly
upward.
Concentrate on dropping your hips, as if you were going to sit in a chair. Go down far
enough so that your butt is even or almost even with your knees. If you have knee
problems make this a modified movement.
Keep your knees directly over your feet. Concentrate on a powerful upward
movement; each rep should be one smooth and fluent motion.
Sit-ups on the exercise ball
Starting Position: Rest middle of back on the ball with arms crossed over the chest or
hands behind the head.
Execution of Exercise: Slowly curl your trunk, letting your shoulders and upper back
lift off the ball. Return slowly to starting position and neutral posture.
If your neck becomes fatigued, place one or both hands behind the head for support.
Technique: Curl your trunk by pulling the bottom of your ribcage
down toward your hips. Avoid pulling on the head or neck. Return to neutral posture
between each repetition.
Push-ups with exercise ball
Place knees on the ball with legs straight. Keep abdominals tight to ensure that the
back stays straight.
Bend and the elbows and lower yourself a few inches from the floor. Press up and
repeat.
Seated, row with exercise band
Sit on floor with legs extended straight in front of you.
Place the middle of the band around the middle of your feet.
With each hand, grasp each end of the band.
Extend your arms for a full backstretch.
Pull your hands toward your lower chest, bending your arms and straightening your
back at the same time.
Keep your back upright, and elbows pointing behind you while squeezing your
shoulder blades back together.
Return to the starting position in a slow controlled manner.
Back Extension
Your arms are over your head, with your biceps close to your ears. Let your spine
flex slightly so your trunk is rounded over the ball.
Slowly extend the spine, lifting your chest slightly off the ball until the spine is straight
or slightly extended. Return slowly to starting position.
Technique: Lift the chest using the spinal extensors. Use control to avoid excessive
hyperextension of the lumbar and cervical spine. The spine flexes slightly as your
trunk rounds over the ball. This exercise promotes good strength and balance.
Some Stretches after exercising:
Abdominal Stretch
Focus: Abdominals
Begin by lying on your stomach, legs straight, hands directly below the shoulders.
Press up, fully extending your arms and back. Hold the stretch for 15 – 30 seconds.
To stretch the obliques, rotate to one side hold for 15 –30 seconds then switch to the
other side.
Calf stretch
Stand near a wall with both feet pointing straight, place one leg in front of the other
by bending the front leg and keeping the back leg straight. You should feel minimal
strain in the back of the straight leg .
Lean forward into the wall keeping the back leg straight and its heel in contact with
the floor
Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.
Consideration and Contraindications:
• Do not bounce
Cross Shoulder stretch
Focus: rear deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids
Extend your left arm in front of you at chest level with your elbow bent at a 90-degree
angle.
Place your right hand behind the left elbow to pull your left arm across your chest
until you feel a stretch in your left shoulder (fig. 1).
Hold for 20-30 seconds then repeat on the other side.
Considerations and contraindications:
• Do not elevate (shrug) your shoulder
Hip flexor lunge stretch
Holding on to a stability ball, bench, or chair for support, squat down on your left leg
bending from the hip with your right leg out in front of you at a 90-degree angle.
Extend your left leg behind you with your lower left leg and top of your left foot lying
on the floor.
Keeping your upper body straight and looking forward, lean forward over your front
leg and arch your
Shoulders back slightly until you feel a gentle stretch in the front of your left hip.
Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Considerations: Your front leg from the knee to your ankle should remain
perpendicular to the floor.
Keep your back straight. To increase the stretch, tilt your pelvis forward.
Trunk Rotation Stretch
Lie down with your back flat on the floor and your right leg extended. Bend and lift
your left knee to rest your left foot on the floor on the other side of your extended
right knee.
Curl up and put your right elbow on the outside of your left knee and rotate your back
to move away from the bent knee until you feel a light stretch in your lower back (fig.
1). Ensure that your back remains straight.
Daily Worksheet-Click Here
This is a sample of what your food for the day might look like. (Changes daily)
Vegetarians will substitute beans, soy products, tofu, tempeh, seitan, or
other vegetable proteins for any meat used in the sample diet.
Breakfast: oatmeal with a banana, coffee/tea with fat-free milk/creamer =
1 carb, 1 dairy, 1 fruit
Snack: high protein shake = 1 protein, 1 dairy
Lunch: fruit plate, brown rice with stir-fried vegetable = 1 fruit, 1
veg., 1 carb
Snack: meal replacement bar = 1 protein, 1 carb
Dinner: grilled fish, green beans, corn, glass of wine =1 protein, 2
veg., 1 carb
Total = 3 proteins, 4 carbs (starchy), 3 veg., 2 fruits, 2 dairy
This is meant as a sample. We will change this daily.
For the Spirit:
It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here
right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly what we need to be fully
human, fully awake, fully alive.
~Pema Chodron
When trying to lose weight, you should know how resistance exercise can be altered
to maximize fat loss. As we already mentioned, there are several fat loss tools
available (recreational sports, aerobics, walking, dieting, etc.). But, what you may not
realize is that resistance exercise is one of the most effective tools in the battle of the
bulge.
Let’s look at the basic application of resistance exercise and what it has to offer in
terms of fat loss.
As you already know, all the foods you eat provide the individual muscle cell with
energy and building blocks. With this understanding, let’s use the comparison
between muscle, and a sponge. The water in the bucket represents nutrients, which
include fatty acids (fats) and blood sugar (carbohydrates).
Let’s say that you begin washing the floor with a full sponge. The longer you use the
sponge, the more water you compress out of it. This is like a muscle that contracts in
a resistance workout. The more it works, the more energy is depleted.
The depleted muscle absorbs nutrients from the blood after the workout, absorbing
fatty acids from fat store, to provide energy and rebuilding of muscle tissue. The
more you deplete these stores, the more fat your body must release to replenish
them.
Muscle depletion is crucial to your weight loss program. Resistance exercise is the
key to gaining lean muscle while losing fat.
A weight-loss resistance program calls for high repetitions and low weights. This will
give you the maximum muscle depletion. You can also combine this with using higher
weight for more muscle gains.
We are going to show you the minimum that you should be doing on your weight loss
program. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do with the band and
ball. We have just picked out what are the basic exercises, using the largest group of
muscles. We like the exercise band and ball, because they are cheap, effective and
easy to store.
As we indicated yesterday a good workout consists of:
1. A 5-minute warm-up doing a low level aerobic activity, such as walking.
2. 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity performed at 60-80% of maximum heart rate,
such as jogging or walking on a treadmill, or a combination of walking and jogging.
3. 5 slow walking to cool-down.
4. 25 minutes of weight training. Performing 3 sets in the 10-15 rep range of the
following exercises:
• Squats (legs & buttocks)
• Sit-ups and leg lifts with or without bands (for abdominals)
• Push ups floor or with ball (chest and back)
• Rows with exercise bands. (Back and shoulders)
• Back extensions with an exercise ball (lower back)
• 5 minutes stretching
Here are descriptions on how to perform each exercise.
There are hundreds of exercises. This will provide you with a minimum program for
getting started. Any additional work that you do is to your benefit.
Squats: Step on the band (or this can also be don without a band) bring hands up by
shoulders. Use two bands or one long band.
Make sure your feet are slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes are pointing
out about 40 to 45 degrees.
Your head should be straight or tilted back slightly and your eye is positioned slightly
upward.
Concentrate on dropping your hips, as if you were going to sit in a chair. Go down far
enough so that your butt is even or almost even with your knees. If you have knee
problems make this a modified movement.
Keep your knees directly over your feet. Concentrate on a powerful upward
movement; each rep should be one smooth and fluent motion.
Sit-ups on the exercise ball
Starting Position: Rest middle of back on the ball with arms crossed over the chest or
hands behind the head.
Execution of Exercise: Slowly curl your trunk, letting your shoulders and upper back
lift off the ball. Return slowly to starting position and neutral posture.
If your neck becomes fatigued, place one or both hands behind the head for support.
Technique: Curl your trunk by pulling the bottom of your ribcage
down toward your hips. Avoid pulling on the head or neck. Return to neutral posture
between each repetition.
Push-ups with exercise ball
Place knees on the ball with legs straight. Keep abdominals tight to ensure that the
back stays straight.
Bend and the elbows and lower yourself a few inches from the floor. Press up and
repeat.
Seated, row with exercise band
Sit on floor with legs extended straight in front of you.
Place the middle of the band around the middle of your feet.
With each hand, grasp each end of the band.
Extend your arms for a full backstretch.
Pull your hands toward your lower chest, bending your arms and straightening your
back at the same time.
Keep your back upright, and elbows pointing behind you while squeezing your
shoulder blades back together.
Return to the starting position in a slow controlled manner.
Back Extension
Your arms are over your head, with your biceps close to your ears. Let your spine
flex slightly so your trunk is rounded over the ball.
Slowly extend the spine, lifting your chest slightly off the ball until the spine is straight
or slightly extended. Return slowly to starting position.
Technique: Lift the chest using the spinal extensors. Use control to avoid excessive
hyperextension of the lumbar and cervical spine. The spine flexes slightly as your
trunk rounds over the ball. This exercise promotes good strength and balance.
Some Stretches after exercising:
Abdominal Stretch
Focus: Abdominals
Begin by lying on your stomach, legs straight, hands directly below the shoulders.
Press up, fully extending your arms and back. Hold the stretch for 15 – 30 seconds.
To stretch the obliques, rotate to one side hold for 15 –30 seconds then switch to the
other side.
Calf stretch
Stand near a wall with both feet pointing straight, place one leg in front of the other
by bending the front leg and keeping the back leg straight. You should feel minimal
strain in the back of the straight leg .
Lean forward into the wall keeping the back leg straight and its heel in contact with
the floor
Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.
Consideration and Contraindications:
• Do not bounce
Cross Shoulder stretch
Focus: rear deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids
Extend your left arm in front of you at chest level with your elbow bent at a 90-degree
angle.
Place your right hand behind the left elbow to pull your left arm across your chest
until you feel a stretch in your left shoulder (fig. 1).
Hold for 20-30 seconds then repeat on the other side.
Considerations and contraindications:
• Do not elevate (shrug) your shoulder
Hip flexor lunge stretch
Holding on to a stability ball, bench, or chair for support, squat down on your left leg
bending from the hip with your right leg out in front of you at a 90-degree angle.
Extend your left leg behind you with your lower left leg and top of your left foot lying
on the floor.
Keeping your upper body straight and looking forward, lean forward over your front
leg and arch your
Shoulders back slightly until you feel a gentle stretch in the front of your left hip.
Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Considerations: Your front leg from the knee to your ankle should remain
perpendicular to the floor.
Keep your back straight. To increase the stretch, tilt your pelvis forward.
Trunk Rotation Stretch
Lie down with your back flat on the floor and your right leg extended. Bend and lift
your left knee to rest your left foot on the floor on the other side of your extended
right knee.
Curl up and put your right elbow on the outside of your left knee and rotate your back
to move away from the bent knee until you feel a light stretch in your lower back (fig.
1). Ensure that your back remains straight.
Daily Worksheet-Click Here
This is a sample of what your food for the day might look like. (Changes daily)
Vegetarians will substitute beans, soy products, tofu, tempeh, seitan, or
other vegetable proteins for any meat used in the sample diet.
Breakfast: oatmeal with a banana, coffee/tea with fat-free milk/creamer =
1 carb, 1 dairy, 1 fruit
Snack: high protein shake = 1 protein, 1 dairy
Lunch: fruit plate, brown rice with stir-fried vegetable = 1 fruit, 1
veg., 1 carb
Snack: meal replacement bar = 1 protein, 1 carb
Dinner: grilled fish, green beans, corn, glass of wine =1 protein, 2
veg., 1 carb
Total = 3 proteins, 4 carbs (starchy), 3 veg., 2 fruits, 2 dairy
This is meant as a sample. We will change this daily.
For the Spirit:
It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here
right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly what we need to be fully
human, fully awake, fully alive.
~Pema Chodron
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