Over the next several pages, you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to perform all my exercises. Every movement is carefully illustrated with photographs to show you what proper form and technique look like and text that explains how to achieve it. Read through each exercise; then practice it. Go slowly in order to master it.
Very important: Use proper form. Learn to feel every exercise you’re doing. The more you’re in touch with your working muscles while exercising, the more profound your results will be. This is called the mind-muscle connection. It involves visualizing and focusing on the muscle as it contracts during an exercise. For example, as you work your abs, you visualize and feel the muscles working while you move through the exercise. The improved focus actually leads to better growth.
Researchers from Hull University in the United Kingdom put this to the test. They asked exercisers to perform biceps curls under two different conditions while the muscle activity of the biceps was measured. In one trial, subjects did biceps curls while focusing on the biceps and the act of performing the curls. In another trial, the subjects did curls while focusing just on lifting the weight, not on the muscle. The scientists found that when the exercisers focused on the actual muscle, more muscle fibers were activated compared with when they focused on just the weight. These findings mean the mind-muscle connection is the real deal. It can help you increase the number of muscle fibers you utilize, which in turn will enhance muscle tone and development. You know what that leads to—a fat-burning body!
Most people know they should warm up before starting their workouts, yet they want to skip it. A good warm-up:
* Generates more muscle force so you can work out harder and burn more fat.
* Helps you focus and prepare for the workout ahead.
* Increases blood flow to the working muscles. More blood means more oxygen and nutrients to fuel exercise, and efficient removal of metabolic by-products such as lactic acid. Increased blood flow also protects you against injuries.
* Lubricates your joints for easier movement and adjusts the levels of hormones responsible for energy production. In other words, you “get your juices flowing.”
Here are my favorite warm-up exercises. Do them each for thirty seconds prior to your Power Circuit, and you’ll be ready to go. (Remember that before beginning this or any workout program, you should consult your physician or health-care professional.)
You’ll finish your Power Circuit routine with a series of stretches. This is the cool-down period of your workout. It will help your body recover more quickly and with less muscle soreness. Hold each stretch for thirty seconds without bouncing, and remember to keep breathing.
In the upcoming chapter, I want to introduce you to a way of working out that I’ve taught to thousands of clients over the years—Power Circuits. This circuit training format utilizes a group of five resistance-training exercises that are completed one right after the other with very little rest. Along with my diet plan, Power Circuits will help you burn fat faster, develop definition, and give you the body you want.
