Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa May 2024

GEAR FLORAL SPARK TIGHTS A slim-fit flatters while a medley of floral prints creates a stunning feminine look. Featuring quality fabric, lightweight compression and a striking design the Floral Spark 7/8 Tights will take your look and workout to the next level. R500, otgactive.com GEAR VANS VAN GOGH MUSEUM KICKS AND BACKPACK Vans and the Van Gogh Museum proudly partner to present an artfully designed collection utilising Van Gogh masterpieces across iconic Vans Classics. Vans worked closely with the Van Gogh Museum team to select four main bodies of work that speaks to the creative ethos of Vans’ design as well as personal moments from the artist’s familial history. Each model from the Vans x Van Gogh Museum footwear collection is finished with custom footbed art that mimics Van Gogh’s…

“FUNCTIONAL FITNESS” IS A BUZZWORD thrown around by savvy trainers and experts alike, but the concept is often tossed aside when it comes to fitting it into your workout. After all, it’s tough to make time for exercises that don’t appear to have a physique benefit. “Functional fitness is for all of the movements you do in life, from chasing your kids to hiking a mountain. But often people disregard it because they think they won’t be effective,” notes Liu Gross, athletic director for React Fitness in Chicago, USA. That’s a mistake, because functional fitness not only helps you move more easily and reduce injury risk; it can also sculpt muscles and blast calories. Working with Chicago-based physical therapist David Reavy, Gross has created a functional routine that kicks your…

Model @yvette.campos723 What inspired you to start your fitness journey? My fitness journey began 5 years ago at the age of 45 when I joined two good friends in a group fitness class. It started more as a way to get “girl time” and socialize. It didn’t take very long before I started feeling better and stronger. I started to see visible results from the weightlifting. In the past, I had joined gyms and mostly used cardio equipment. The free weight section was always too intimidating. Once I saw the muscle growth I was achieving from the little time we dedicated to free weights in the group classes, I was hooked! I decided I wanted a lot more time lifting and less time doing cardio. It was then that I…

FIT FUNDAMENTALS PULSE • EVERYONE LOVES a good high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, and exercise variation is key for better muscle development and fat loss. But what exactly do these all-out techniques do for your body? We asked trainer, Socanomics creator, and fitness model Selena Watkins to explain how HIIT can help you get sculpted and lean. The methods: Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off; four minutes); EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute); and AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). Watkins says, “These three protocols are so effective because they raise your metabolism while preserving muscle and torching fat.” Plus… You’ll raise your power output. ❭ A study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that elite female volleyball players had improved agility, sprinting, and burst exercise…

SECTION 1 IF YOU HAVE… NO GYM ACCESS CAN’T GET TO THE GYM? THESE EQUIPMENT-FREE ROUTINES SCORCH CALORIES USING JUST YOUR BODY WEIGHT SO YOU CAN DO THEM ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. PERFECT 10s TIME: 10 MINUTES EXPERT: GENNIFER STROBO, IFBB FIGURE PRO IG: @GENNID “This workout gives a heart-rate boost and can be squeezed in even if you only have a few minutes.” Do each move for 30 seconds, resting 20 seconds between each one. Each cycle lasts 10 minutes.” ■ Mountain climber ■ Burpee ■ Straight-leg Front Kick ■ Crossover Pushup ■ Narrow High Jump ■ Bicycle Crunch ■ Stepup ■ Plank ■ Skater Lunge ■ Good Morning (hands on head) ■ Sumo Squat ■ Crunch FULL-BODY BOOT CAMP TIME: 15–30 MINUTES EXPERT: BEDROS KEUILIAN, FOUNDER AND CEO OF…

TRAINING PRO TIPS AT SOME POINT in the past few workouts, you’ve probably done a pushup, and there’s a good chance you’ve done it wrong. “People often do pushups incorrectly. They’ll place their hands in the wrong position, let the midsection sag, or flare the elbows out,” says Julia Ladewski, a strength and conditioning coach. “These mistakes don’t allow the right muscles to be targeted.” That’s no reason to give up on this most classic of training moves. “Pushups are a true measure of relative strength—plus there are so many variations, and they can be done anywhere,” says Ladewski. Here, she breaks down the perfect pushup. START HERE 1. Get the right hand position. ❭ Lie facedown on floor, hands in line with the centre of your chest and just…