30-Day Hard Body Workout - Week 4

Hard Body Circuit

Perform this routine three times through, resting between sets for a few minutes. Unless otherwise specified, do 12-15 reps of each exercise, using a weight that is challenging but doable for a high number of reps. Rest time is active rest time, so you should be moving constantly!


1. Walking Lunge
 
Week 4 Add shoulder press

With your elbows below the wrists, hold a dumbbell on either side of your shoulders and press the dumbbells up until yours arms are extended. Lower dumbbells and repeat.

2. Plank

Week 4 Using a stability ball, hold for 45 seconds.
Works abs, back
Lie face-down on a mat. Push off from your chest, resting on your forearms and toes. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.

3. Pushup

Week 4 Hands on ball

Place your palms on a stability ball, about shoulder-width apart.
Works chest, shoulders, abs, triceps
Lie face-down with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and your feet together. Keeping your body straight, push up.

4. Squat

Week 4 Add front raise

Start with dumbbells at your thighs, palms down. Lift the dumbbells straight up to shoulder height as you lower your legs.
Use a stability ball to support you during this series. Place the ball between your lower back and a wall. Put your feet a foot or two in front of you and slowly squat down until your butt is parallel with the floor, letting the ball roll up your back.

5. Crunch

Week 4 Add stability ball

Place a stability ball under the middle of your back and perform as usual.
Lie on your back with your legs bent, hands behind your head and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your neck relaxed, roll your upper back off the floor and then slowly return to starting position.

6. Dead Lift

Week 4 Add hammer curl

While fully upright, hold the dumbbells at your sides, your palms facing your legs. Bend your elbows and bring the dumbbells up toward your shoulders until your elbows can't bend any further. Slowly lower the dumbbells.

Rest 3 minutes before beginning the circuit again.

30-Day Hard Body Workout for Week 3

Week 3

1. Walking Lunge

2. Plank

3. Pushup

4. Squat

5. Crunch

6. Dead Lift

 

1. Add torso rotation
Grab a light medicine ball or a dumbbell. Hold it out in front of you as you step forward. While in a lunge position, twist once to the right, once to the left, then return to starting position.

2. Add a stability ball and hold for 30 seconds. Rest your forearms on the stability ball instead of on the mat.

3. Hands on BOSU
A BOSU is an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform; it looks like a stability ball cut in half. Place the BOSU soft side down and hold on to the edges while you perform the pushup.

4. Add shoulder press
Position a dumbbell on each side of your shoulders, your elbows below the wrists. Press the dumbbells up as you lower your legs.

5. Dumbbell half-curl down
Begin by sitting upright, feet flat on the floor. Holding a dumbbell at your chest, slowly lower your core down halfway. Hold for a second, then return to starting position.

6. Add upright row
While fully upright, lift the dumbbells straight up below your chin, leading with your elbows. Keep the dumbbells close to your body on the way up, letting your wrists bend.

Rest 3 minutes before beginning the circuit again.

30-Day Hard Body Workout- Week 2

Welcome back, folks! We know you're probably a bit sore from Week One but we guess you're also feeling stronger and more motivated for Week Two!

Our tone-all-over circuit takes six proven and powerful moves — lunges, planks, push-ups, squats, crunches and dead lifts — and amps up their difficulty each week to keep your muscles challenged. Pair these exercises with active rest (keeping your heart rate up during your "rest" time between sets) and you'll be eager to jump start your workout and fitness goals.

Do this workout three times a week, along with at least two hours of cardio a week, for the best results.

Hard Body Circuit

Perform this routine three times through, resting between sets for a few minutes. Unless otherwise specified, do 12-15 reps of each exercise, using a weight that is challenging but doable for a high number of reps. Rest time is active rest time, so you should be moving constantly!

1. Walking Lunge
Works glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Step forward several feet with your right foot, and bend down until your right leg forms a 90-degree angle and your left knee almost touches the floor. Push off your left foot and bring your legs together. Repeat on the opposite side.

Week 2: Pulse 1 to 8 to 1
Step forward with your right foot, holding the weights by your sides. Pulse up and down once while knees are bent. Bring your feet together and step forward with your left foot. Pulse twice. Work up to eight pulses in a row, then turn around and headed in the opposite direction, work your way back down to one.

2. Plank
Works abs, back
Lie facedown on a mat. Push off from your chest, resting on your forearms and toes. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.

Week 2: Hold the plank position for 45 seconds

3. Pushup
Works chest, shoulders, abs, triceps
Lie facing down with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and your feet together. Keeping your body straight, push up.

Week 2: Feet on stability ball
Balance your feet on a stability ball behind you.

4. Squat
Works quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves
Use a stability ball to support you during this series. Place the ball between your lower back and a wall. Put your feet a foot or two in front of you and slowly squat down until your butt is parallel with the floor, letting the ball roll up your back.

Week 2: Add bicep curl
Curl up, with your palms facing up, as you lower your legs.

5. Crunch
Works abs, back
Lie on your back with your legs bent, hands behind your head and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your neck relaxed, roll your upper back off the floor and then slowly return to starting position.

Week 2: Dumbbell crunch
Hold a dumbbell at your chest, close to your chin.

6. Dead Lift
Works quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back
Stand upright, your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs as you lower down, keeping your back straight and chest out. Slowly return to starting position.

Week 2: Add calf raise
Standing upright, rise up on the balls of your feet once.

Rest 3 minutes before beginning the circuit again.

If you're following this routine, we'd love to hear your feedback! Post your comments below.

Meet a Personal Trainer!

Suzanna Frank, an elite trainer at Gold’s Gym Prestige Dix30, describes her life as being extremely active. Her sporty lifestyle isn’t a recent phenomenon of course, for Suzanna exercise and movement were essential to her spirit from day one: “I was one of those kids that never stopped moving and got on everyone’s nerves!” In fact, in her youth Suzanna earned the impressive title of Junior Judo Champion in her homeland of Hungary.

Suzanna’s training style is to focus on her client’s goals and then work on achieving visible results. “I don’t go halfway,” says Suzanna, “if you train with me, we work to see results.” Suzanna works you hard but one of her mottos is: “You are inside your own body, not me, so you have to guide me through your process”. In other words, if you’re able to do more or feeling really sore…let her know!

Suzanna prefers to train her clients on two primary systems: the Power Plate and Kinesis. Kinesis, a system used by tennis players and golfers, tones your muscles without the strain of traditional weights through its multi-angle pulley system and the Power Plate stimulates your muscles so that you’re working exponentially harder and get faster results.

Suzanna doesn’t promise miracles, but she’s confident that with her help, you can lose weight, gain muscle mass, or reach any personal fitness goal that you have.

Come see Suzanna at Gold's Gym Dix30 today!