Summer is upon us and that means many of us are going to be workin’ bikinis, short-shorts, rompers – you name it. So to help you feel fab in your body revealing outfits this season, we received some expert tips from Precision Human Performance Founder, Michelle Amore.
While these exercises will help you look great in your bikini, the best exercise of all is that of will-power and consistency. Nights filled with ice-cream and days without workouts will keep the bikini buried in a drawer! Here are some exercises that you can do regularly to tighten and tone for bikini season:
1: High Intensity Interval Training – 20 minutes of intervals consisting of 30 seconds at 100% intensity and 90 seconds of recovery. Sprinting, Cybex Arc trainer, stepmill, or upright bicycle are all great ways to perform your HIIT!
2: Sumo Squats – Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart and slightly turned out. Hold one end of a dumbbell with both hands with arms hanging down in front. Squat down then slowly stand back up while moving slowly and flexing the glute and inner thigh muscles tightly.
3: Dumbbell Runners Reach Slider Lunges – Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the right foot on a slider or towel. Slide the right leg backwards until down in a lunge position while reaching right arm forward and the left arm backwards. Repeat the lunges 15 times then switch to the other leg.
4: Super-Slow Step Down – Begin on a step six inches to one foot off the ground. Reach one leg down toward the ground very slowly while leaning the upper body forward. Focus on contracting the glutes and quadriceps of the leg on the step in order to return back to the top. Repeat 15 times then switch to the following leg.
5: Triple Tricep Toner – 1st perform 15 overhead elbow extensions, 2nd lean over and perform 15 tricep kickbacks, 3rd drop the weights and perform 15 chair or bench dips (be careful to not go to low as it could irritate the front of your shoulder).
6: Shoulder Sculptor – hold one dumbbell out to the side at shoulder height while doing 20 overhead presses with the opposite arm, then switch arms and repeat on the opposite side. Avoid lower the weights until all 40 overhead presses are complete.
7: Abdominal Leg Reach and Raise – Start with your legs straight up towards the ceiling while keeping your lower back pressed into the ground then reach your legs up toward the ceiling then out and away from you while lowering the legs and keeping the lower back flat. Feel the abs stretch as you lower the legs down then flex the abdominals while keeping the legs straight and lifting them back to the starting position.
8: Tornado Torso Twist – this exercise must be performed fast in order to stimulate the oblique muscles as much as possible. Stand in a slightly squatted position with both hands holding one weight out in front of you. Start twisting 6 inches to one side then 6 inches to the other while increasing speed on every repetition and not going farther than 6 inches to either side. Be sure to keep the leg muscles tight while making sure nothing from the waist down moves while twisting the spine.
Tip: To ramp up the intensity do all exercises consecutively without resting then rest for 90 seconds and repeat the circuit three to five times.
Michelle Amore has dedicated herself to revitalizing the way people move and live through fitness. By creating an environment that not only empowers individuals to continually challenge themselves, but also incorporates education into every aspect of their training, Precision is changing how people think about exercise and their body.