Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa December 2024

CHALLENGE YOUR MIND AND YOUR MUSCLES BY ADDING NEW ACTIVITIES TO YOUR REGULAR ROUTINE. FOR EXAMPLE: WANT A STRONGER CORE AND LOWER BODY? SKIP THE STAIR WORKOUT AND RIDE YOUR BIKE UPHILL FOR A NEW WAY TO TEST YOUR FITNESS! Flow: That moment when your mind and body are in perfect sync, when you feel like you could lift, step, pedal, or jump forever. Finding your flow will keep you pushing, reaching, and striving to be your best. It’s out there; all you need to do is go grab it. We’ll help you get there! FOR FRESH TRAINING AND DIET MOTIVATION, HEAD TO MUSCLEANDFITNESSHERS.CO.ZA FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @MUSCLEANDFITNESSHERSMAG, ON INSTAGRAM @MUSCLEANDFITNESSHERSMAG AND LIKE US ON FACEBOOK MUSCLE&FITNESSHERS SOUTH AFRICA…

STACEY ALEXANDER IFBB BIKINI PRO “I use my glute workout as a high-intensity interval training circuit, which keeps my heart rate up and burns the most amount of calories in the least amount of time. Go all out for each exercise, then take one minute to recover between each move. Since there’s no equipment required, you can do it anywhere!” GLUTE HIIT ROUTINE 1. Box Jump (3 X 30 REPS) ❭ Focus more on high-intensity cardio burn and less on height. Drop into a low squat each time you land on the step; use two to three risers on each side. 2. Split Squat Jump (3 X 20 REPS) ❭ Turn your step the long way and stand at the middle; jump down to straddle the step, landing in a squat. Do…

25–30 KM Approximate distance you can cover in a 45-minute cycling class. Leg Day on Wheels Use enough resistance on the bike and you’ll work your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core. Felicia Walker, an instructor at New York’s Health & Racquet Club in the USA recommends these stretches to your routine to help keep you limber. ❭ Pigeon (stretches hips): Lie face-down on floor with one knee bent under body, opposite leg extended behind you; hold 30 seconds per side. ❭ Seated twist (stretches lower back): Sit on floor with right leg crossed over left thigh. Twist torso to right, pushing against thigh for added leverage; hold 30 seconds per side. ❭ Cross stretch (stretches hamstrings, lower back): Stand with right leg crossed over left. Reach both hands toward…

• WANT A GREAT total-body workout that sculpts your shoulders, back, chest, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and abs? Pick up a kettlebell and start swinging! “This workout seems simple enough, but it’s a superfast and effective way to ensure you’ll burn calories and fat while building lean muscle”, says fitness expert Paige Hathaway. How it works: Do each of the two exercises below for the given number of reps. Take a 10-second break after three cycles, then finish with two more cycles. ❭ Kettlebell Swing Hold the kettlebell between your legs using a two- handed, overhand grip. Swing the weight forward and up, thrusting your hips to engage all your working muscles; allow the weight to naturally come back down to starting position; repeat for 20 reps. EXCLUSIVE! See these moves…

• YOU’VE HEARD of high-intensity interval training — heck you may be sick of hearing about it! — but that’s not the only type of interval workout that delivers serious results. Metabolic conditioning (aka MetCon) is one of the fastest ways to boost metabolism, build muscle mass, and increase speed, endurance, and power, all while making your body fat percentage drop. IT'S ABOUT TIME! BY COMBINING SHORT bursts of aerobic exercise with compound anaerobic exercises with limited rest times, your body gets trained to work at a higher intensity and increases the efficiency of storage/delivery of energy. By going all out during the short “on” periods, you create a number of beneficial adaptations, such as increasing the number of mitochondria (the powerhouse cells that create energy), burning more fat for…

1. ULTIMATE METCON 30 ON/30 OFF How to: Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds; do the sequence for five rounds (five minutes), then continue to the next move. Your objective: Work as hard as possible for all five sets at a pace that you can maintain throughout. ■ Body-weight Squat: You can use a box or chair to help guide you as a target when sitting into the squat. ■ Box Push-up: Place hands on either side of a box; squeeze box throughout movement. ■ Frog Jump: From push-up position on floor (or a box), hop forward explosively, landing in a squat with feet on either side of your hands (or either side of the box). ■ Burpee Box Jump: To modify, step onto the…