Hitting the gym sounds like an ordeal, but it can be a lot of fun. What’s more, it makes you look great too. Within just a few weeks, you can notice a difference in your physique.
According to researchers, it takes around six weeks for the size and shape of muscles to change in response to exercise. At the start, vascular and nervous alterations take place at the micro-level. Then, eventually, the muscle fibres themselves adjust to the new load they’re under, causing changes that show up on your physique.
Eventually, you get to the point where the actual shape of your body changes and you feel confident wearing beautiful dresses or leopard print leggings when you work out.
So which exercises are the best for developing a beautiful physique? Let’s take a look.
The Single-Legged Deadlift
If you want to tone and shape the back of your legs, the single-legged deadlift is just about the best movement that you can perform.
Doing this is really relatively straightforward.
First, grab some reasonably heavy dumbbells in both hands. (They don’t have to be super heavy if you’re getting used to single-legged deadlifts).
Then, stand on one leg and bend at the hips, keeping your back straight. As you lean forward, your leg should extend at the back, acting as a counterweight. The weights should move down to your feet in a straight line.
Once you feel the tension on your hamstrings, extend back to the upright position and repeat several times. Then switch to the other leg.
The Side Plank
Planks are one of the most effective techniques that you can use to build your core strength. Plus, they’re easy to get the hang of, compared to deadlifts.
The side plank targets the obliques – the muscles on the side of your abdomen. Start with a mat lying on your side. Place your elbow, forearm and palm of the hand face down, and then raise either your left or your right hip off the floor. During the plank, the only points of contact between your body and the floor should be your feet and your forearm.
Once in the plank position, you’ll feel tension throughout the middle of your body. Hold it for as long as you can and then switch to the other side. Repeat a couple of times for a full workout.
The Push-Up
The push-up is one of the most effective exercises out there for building tone and shape for your upper body. It rounds out the shoulders and targets the back of the arms too.
If you can’t do a full push-up, don’t worry: there are plenty of other options. Instead of balancing on your feet, balance on your knees instead and bend your feet upwards so that they come off the floor.
Next, push hard into the ground with your hands so that you lift your torso off the ground, pivoting on your knees. You should feel a burn in your chest, shoulders and arms.
Try to do twenty of these. Don’t worry if you fall a little short of the mark – push-ups are difficult!
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