Total Body Workout for Beginner
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- Strength
- Beginner
- Training schedule for beginners who train for the first time, dedicated to the general toning.
- 6 Weeks
The program consists of a single work session, where you train your entire body. Repeat 2, better 3 times a week. Basic exercises performed with the machines to tone and start to develop muscle mass.
NOTES
The first week using light loads, increase the load weight each week. The training program is valid for at least six weeks. If you decide to continue beyond the six weeks it is recommended to vary the exercises keeping intact the schema of training
Monday | The first week using light loads, increase the load weight each week. The training program is valid for at least six weeks. If you decide to continue beyond the six weeks it is recommended to vary the exercises keeping intact the schema of training | 60 Minutes
- BIKE
- Cardio
- Sets: 10 minutes
- SEATED BARBELL TWIST
- START POSITION Sit down holding yourself erect and grasp a barbell. Lean the barbell behind the neck and hold it parallel to the floor. MOVEMENT Twist the waist from side to side up to the maximum contraction of the muscle. GOAL The seated barbell twist involves all the abs both the central ones and the external oblique ones. BREATHING Breathe out moving towards one side and breathe in moving towards the opposite one. TIPS The exercise is used as warming-up to perform other more difficult abs exercises and for people not so trained, in order to strengthen the oblique abdominals. Twisting towards one side you should feel the contraction of the oblique abdominals on the opposite side. MISTAKES It’s not possible to make mistakes during the performance because of the easiness of the exercise and the position.
- Sets: 2 minutes
- Reps: 0
- AB CRUNCH
- START POSITION The ab crunch is an equipment, lie down flat on your back (supine), place yourself in the ab crunch and lean your head on the provided pad, the hands grasp the handles. MOVEMENT Push the equipment with the hands and lift up your torso. GOAL The exercise involves the entire abs. BREATHING Breathe in when you’re lying flat on the ground, breathe out during the motion. TIPS The exercise is very easy, it is fit for beginners or overweight people that have difficulties in moving, hold the head leant throughout the exercise. MISTAKES It’s difficult to make mistakes if you make the right motion.
- Sets: 2 minutes
- Reps: 0
- ROMAN BENCH CRUNCH
- START POSITION Sit on a roman bench securing the ankles to the bench and lower the chest up to the maximum tension of abs. MOVEMENT Flex your chest forward, hold the contraction of the abdominals for a moment and than bring the chest back to the starting position. GOAL The roman bench crunch or sit-up exercise focuses on the rectus abdominis and the external oblique abdominal. The position of the legs is such that it involves the top of the quadriceps (rectus femoris), especially when the abdominals are not trained. BREATHING Breathe out flexing your chest forward and breathe bringing the chest back to the starting position. TIPS The motion of the chest shouldn’t be extreme, but the range of motion should be such that the muscle contraction is steady both flexing down or lifting up. You can lean your hands on the abdominals, or on chest or cross them behind the head. The more the hands are up and more difficult the exercise is. Flexing forward you can twist lateral and train the oblique abdominals too. As many exercises for abdominals, this one involves the quadriceps (rectus femoris) too, especially when the abdominals are not trained. So after performing this exercise it’s normal to feel muscle soreness of the thighs. MISTAKES - Don’t flex backward the chest too much not to overload the lumbar region. - Don’t flex forward the chest too much in order to keep the abs contraction. - Flexing forward and backward slowly.
- Sets: 1
- Reps: 60
- PECTORAL MACHINE
- START POSITION Sit on the pectoral machine, leaning the back close to the pad, and grasp the handles. The elbows should be as high as the pectorals. MOVEMENT Close the arms until the pads touch each other in front of you. Hold the contraction for a moment and then bring the arms back to the starting position, opening the arms. You should open the arms so that the arms are aligned to the chest forming a 180 degree angle. GOAL The pectoral machine exercise is great to focus on the internal pectoral, both for the internal part (closing phase) and the external one (opening and stretching phase). BREATHING Breathe in when the arm are open and breathe out when the arms are closed. TIPS If you change the height of the seat, you can strengthen different part of the pectorals: if the seat is low the exercise focuses on the top part of the chest and involves the anterior deltoids too, instead if the seat is higher the exercise focused on the lower part of the chest. MISTAKES Do not open the arms too much when you bring the arms back to the starting position. You can strain or damage the muscle of deltoid and the pectoralis major.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 20
- WIDE GRIP PULLDOWN BEHIND THE NECK
- START POSITION Sit down on a lat machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley, fasten the knees to the pads, grasp the bar with the palms facing downwards (pronated grip) and a grip wider than your shoulder width. MOVEMENT Bring the bar down until it touches the back of the neck. Hold the contraction for a moment and than bring the bar back to the starting position. GOAL The pull-down machine and its variations focuses on the width and thickness of the back. The exercise involves as the traps and the posterior deltoid as secondary muscles, furthermore the forearm and biceps as additional muscles. BREATHING Breathe in when the bar is up and breathe out during the muscular contraction when the bar is pulled down. TIPS Throughout the performance the chest should be perpendicular to the floor. The position of the hands can change the muscular focus: - A narrow grip involves the central part of the back and is useful to strengthen the thickness of the lat. - A wide grip, with the hands on the arching parts of the bar, involves the external part of the lat such as latissimus dorsi muscle and is useful to strengthen the width of the lat. MISTAKES - Do not bend the chest backwards pulling the bar, you should be perpendicular to the floor. - Hold the contraction of the lat and don’t involve the biceps when you pull down the bar. - Check the return part of the exercise in order to take advantage of the negative phase of the exercise.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- SHOULDER PRESS
- START POSITION Sit on the machine and grasp the handles, the arm and the forearm form a 90° angle. MOVEMENT Stretch the arms upwards and bring them back. GOAL It is an essential exercise for the deltoids and it is fit for developing the mass and the strength of the muscle. BREATHING Breathe in when the arms are lowered, breathe out when they are completelylifted. TIPS On the machine the most stressing moment for the joint is the starting moment (takeoff), it is recommend setting the seat so that the handles height is slightly higher than the shoulders one. Some Shoulder Press machines have a parallel grip, itis recommended to people who have joint problems. MISTAKES It’s impossible to make mistakes because you sitdown on a machine. Avoid arching the back during the pushing phase.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- CABLE PREACHER CURL
- START POSITION Sit on the bench of the machine, set the pad for the elbow so that you can lean the arm comfortably, the elbowa should be on the center of the pad, grasp the bar. MOVEMENT Bend the arms bringing the bar towards the shoulders, control the return phase, during the stretching the arm should be slightly bent, do not fully stretch them. GOAL The exercise allows the employing of heavier loads because it is guided, you can consider it as an essential exercise, it involves the full muscle. BREATHING Breathe in when the arms are stretched, breathe out during the flexion. TIPS Set precisely the height of the elbows pad, you should be sat precisely with straight back and the elbows should be leant comfortably. MISTAKES It’s impossible to make mistakes, avoid lifting up the glutes during the return phase.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- CABLE TRICEPS PUSHDOWN
- START POSITION Stand up (erect position) in front of the cable machine, the legs are as wide as the pelvis width, the torso is straight, grasp the triangle-shaped with the elbows close to the hips. MOVEMENT Push the arms down stretching them and holding the wrist aligned with the forearm and then bend the forearm completely towards the arm. GOAL The exercise is fit for the isolation of the triceps and it is involved to the full. BREATHING Breathe in when the arms are bent, breathe out when the arms are pushed down. TIPS The exercise is easy and fit for everyone, contract the abs to stabilize the torso. It’s better to use the triangle-shaped bar than the straight one, it stresses less the elbow. MISTAKES Hold the elbows close to the hips, do not bend the wrist and in particular during the stretching; the torso is straight and slightly forwards without overdoing.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- LEG EXTENSION
- START POSITION Sit on the leg extension machine with the back leant to the pad, the ankles fastened to the provided supports and the knees flat under the pad. MOVEMENT Extend the legs upwards until the knees are completely stretched. Hold the contraction and after a moment bring the legs back to the starting position. GOAL The leg extension exercise is an isolation exercise of the quadriceps, it focuses on the whole muscle: the rectus femoris, the vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis. BREATHING Breathe in bending the knees and breathe out stretching the legs. TIPS The leg extension exercise focuses on the whole quadriceps but if you change the foot position you can strengthen more a particular part of the muscle: - If the toes are outwards you can strengthen more the vastus medialis, that means the internal part of the quadriceps. - If the toes are inwards you can strengthen more the vastus lateralis, that means the external part of the thigh. - If the toes are upwards you can strengthen the whole quadriceps. MISTAKES Do not stretch too much the knees at the end of the exercise to avoid injuries to the tendons and knees joint.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- LYING LEG CURL
- START POSITION Lie down face down (prone position) on the machine, theknees are outside of the pad and the e the rollers are set behind the wrists with hammer flexed feet. MOVEMENT Bend the legs until the rollers touch the thighs, without lifting up the pelvis (the bottom) during the bending. GOAL Involves the biceps femoris, the exercise is used to develop completely the muscle from mass to strength. BREATHING Breathe in when the legs are stretched, breathe out during the motion. TIPS MISTAKES You work with a machine, so the motion is guided and it is almost impossible to make mistakes; pay attention only not to lift up the pelvis during the motion.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- SEATED CALF RAISE MACHINE
- START POSITION Sit on the calf machine, place your toes on the platform and bring your heels down as low as possible. The lever pad should be placed on the lower thighs (close to the knees). MOVEMENT Push your heels up as high as possible and hold contraction and after a moment bring them back slowly to the starting position. GOAL The seated calf raise machine is an isolation exercise and it focuses on the whole muscle of the calf, both the internal medial head and the external lateral one. BREATHING Breathe out contracting the muscle and breathe in bringing the muscle back to the starting position. TIPS According to the position of the feet, you can strengthen a different part of the muscle: - If the feet are parallel you can strengthen the calf uniformly. - If the feet are divergent (the toes pointing outward) you can strengthen the internal part of the calf (medial head). - If the feet are convergent (the toes pointing invar) you can strengthen the external part of the calf (lateral head). MISTAKES The frame of the machine and the seated position don’t allow to make serious mistakes during the performance.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 20