WOMEN’S FITNESS
Do you hate your
WAIST?
Wish you were more ‘baguette’ and less ‘muffin-top’?
Caroline Sandry shows you how to munch away
your muffin top and re-claim your waist…..
Whether it is the fashion for low-
rise jeans, or our ever-increasing obesity levels
in the western world, the dreaded trouser-
overhang or ‘spare-tyre’ is becoming more
and more apparent, and has even landed itself
it’s very own 21st century name of ‘muffin top’
and even a huge percentage of young teenage
girls can be seen sporting the look!
Abdominal or mid-section fat can
actually be dangerous. A waist
measurement of 35.5 inches or more puts
you at high risk of the risks associated
with obesity – diabetes, heart disease and
even certain cancers. This type of fat is
known as ‘Android’ fat, and gives your
body an apple shape.
So rather than tuck yours into some
high waisted trousers, or squeeze it into
some ‘Bridget Jones’ style control pants,
why not make a permanent change and
get rid of it for good.
26 Ultra-FIT
Many people believe that endless
abdominal crunches will give them a six
pack or flat stomach, and try to ‘spot
reduce’ the area. Unfortunately, this may
give you more strength, but in order to see
your muscle tone, you have to lose the fat
lying over the top! Cardiovascular or
aerobic exercise will play a big part in fat
burning, and should be combined with
resistance exercise to get great results.
Putting it into practice
In order to lose weight, you need to train
effectively. So, you need to adopt an
exercise regime including CV and
resistance work, along with a healthy,
sugar free diet.
Ideally train with weights twice a week,
and perform your CV exercise three times
per week. If time is tight, you can do CV
and resistance on the same day, but never
Training tip
Try to keep your spine and pelvis in a
neutral position throughout. This means
your back is neither arched nor flat as
shown in picture above.
weight train the same muscle group on
two consecutive days. As we are training
for fat loss, I am recommending some
compound resistance exercises as they
will use more energy and train several
muscle groups at once. I am also
recommending some Pilates exercises as
they are great for toning the mid section.
Make your CV training
work for you
Your CV exercise could be fast walking,
cycling, swimming or the elliptical
machine, but for fast results, I would favour
the treadmill. Running is a great way to
burn calories and it is probably the easiest
way to do some interval training. I am
recommending interval training as we are
after a big calorie burn to blast that muffin
top! If however you cannot run or want a
change, the stationery bike is a good
alternative for intervals.

SIX OF
THE BEST…
Cardiovascular exercise
CV exercise involves using your large
muscle groups to move your body and
uses oxygen for energy (aerobic exercise).
CV exercise is a great way to burn
calories, and reduce fat levels. Think
running, cycling, swimming and rowing.
Resistance exercise
Resistance exercise is commonly known
as weight-lifting, and involves exerting a
force to move a weight (or your body
weight). Many women are unaware that
this style of exercise is great for not only
toning, but also fat loss. This is because
muscle tissue has a higher metabolic rate
than other body tissue.
Metabolic Rate
Your metabolic rate is the rate at which
you burn calories. This is key in long term
weight loss, and one of the reasons why
crash-diets do not work, as extreme
calorie reduction can cause your body to
lower your RMR (resting metabolic rate) in
order to conserve energy.
The press up
Place hands under shoulders, and legs out straight with weight on your toes. If this is
too challenging, bend knees as shown in picture
Keep back straight, and inhale to lower chest towards the floor bending your elbows
Exhale to press back up to start position
Training tips – keep abdominals tight throughout, and try to keep back straight and
bottom tight. Hands wider apart work chest more, and hands narrower works triceps
more. Aim for 2 sets of 10 - 15
WOMEN’S FITNESS
The Walking lunge
Stand up tall, feet hip width,
keeping navel drawn in
Take a large step forward and bend
knees until front thigh is parallel to
the floor and hold for 1 second
Raise your body up, lifting your back
leg forwards to repeat the lunge
with this leg
Continue lunging forward
alternating legs.
Training tips – Keep abdominals
engaged, and ensure front knee
stays in line with second toe of the
front foot. Dumbbells can be hand
held for added resistance. Build up
to 3 sets of 10 -15 reps
The Squat
Stand with feet hip to shoulder width apart
Inhale to bend knees bringing hips
towards the floor
Exhale and push body back up to standing
Body bar can held on shoulders for added
resistance
Training tips – keep knees in line with
second toes, be careful knees do not roll in.
Keep abdominals drawn in throughout, and
be careful not to arch your back. To progress,
hold dumbbells at shoulder height, palms
forward, and as you push up from your squat
press the dumbbells up into a shoulder press.
Build up to 3 sets of 10 – 15 reps
Ultra-FIT 27
 WOMEN’S FITNESS
Pilates toe taps
Lie on your back and lift one leg at a time until your knee is above
your hip and bent to 90 degrees
Place fingertips behind your ears, and flex head and shoulders forwards
Exhale to lower one foot towards the floor, inhale to return.
Keep head and shoulders lifted
Training tips – as you progress, straighten leg out as you lower it.
Only lower the leg as far as you can keep neutral spine and stomach flat.
Repeat x 16-20. These can be performed 5 times per week
The plank
Place your hands under your shoulders, and keeping your
back straight, extend your legs out behind you, supporting
your body weight on your hands and toes, and hold for
several seconds.
Keep abdominals engaged as you lift your right arm out to
the right side, turning your hips to the right until you are
in a side plank.
Rotate hips and arm back to the centre into plank position
and repeat on the left side.
Training tips – this is quite advanced, so stick with the
first position until you are strong enough to turn and
balance. Keep head in line with the spine, and maintain
neutral spine. Do not allow your bottom to poke up in the
air! Hold in plank for 5 seconds and move to side plank for
5 seconds. Build up to hold plank for 10 seconds.
28 Ultra-FIT
The Pilates Criss Cross
Lie on your back and bring shoulders and legs up as before
Place fingers behind ears and keep elbows wide
Exhale and peel left shoulder across towards right hip as you extend
the right leg out – (as low as you can keep stomach flat and spine in
neutral)
Inhale back to centre and exhale in opposite direction.
Repeat 10 slow repetitions followed by 10 fast, but controlled
repetitions.
Training tips – Try to keep stomach flat throughout, and move in a
controlled manner – don’t let hips rock as you move. Imagine you are
folding your shoulder towards the opposite hip. Perform 8- 10 times
slow and controlled then 8 – 10 times slightly faster. Blow air through
lips for each exhale.
Interval training uses short bursts of intense CV work with short
recoveries in between – for example, jogging for 2 minutes then fast
running for 45 seconds and repeating for 20 minutes. This is fantastic
as it gives you a greater calorie burn during and after exercise. ‘EPOC’
is post exercise calorie consumption, and intense exercise has been
shown to raise the metabolism for up to 12 hours after training. Aim to
make one of your CV sessions an interval session per week.
Your general CV sessions should last 35 – 45 minutes and you
should aim to work out three times per week. Your intensity needs
to be maintained to see results, (no reading ‘Ultra Fit’ while you
cycle!) If time is restricted, you can split your session into two
sessions of 20 minutes a day instead of one session of 40 minutes.
This has also been shown to increase overall ‘EPOC’.
In summary, a highly effective regime for mid-section fat loss
needs to include good quality resistance training, performed twice a
week, combined with three CV sessions, one of which should include
some interval training. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down before
each session, and always stretch your body out after training. UF
Coming next issue…… ‘how to give your bottom a cheeky lift!’
we show you great ways to lift and shape your butt!