How To Do The Plank Correctly

The plank

Target: Stomach and back muscles

The plank is an effective exercise for developing your core strength around the spine, but bad form can hurt your shoulders and back.

"The common mistake here is sagging at the hips or raising the bottom too high," says Nick. Raised buttocks or collapsing back are a sign of a weak core. "Either way, you are reducing the effectiveness of the exercise," says Nick.

A collapsing back also puts an excessive amount of pressure on your lower back, which can lead to back pain. "To get the best results, always maintain perfect form," says Nick. "If you lose form during the exercise, it means your muscles are tiring. Stop and have a rest. You can build up how long you do the plank gradually."

How to do the plank correctly:

• Keep your legs straight and hips raised to create a straight and rigid line from head to toe.
• Your shoulders should be directly above your elbows.
• Keep your abs contracted during the exercise.
• Don't allow your lower back to sink during the exercise.
• Look down at the floor.

8 Minutes to Get Rid of Your Upper Body Wobbly Bits

Whether it's the little black dress in winter or, for men, stripping down to your shorts in summer, those wobbly bits around the upper arms, chest and back can easily spoil the look. Here's our 8 minute body toning workout to banish the wobbly bits.

Equipment Needed

Any exercise aimed at toning your body needs something to provide resistance for your muscles to work against. Most of the exercises below use hand-held weights to provide resistance: these can be as simple as water bottles (or even tins of food) you can grip comfortably, or dumbbells in the range of 1lb-5lb/0.5-2kg.

Timing and Repetitions

10 reps of each exercise should take about 8 minutes. As with all exercise you should warm-up first. Marching or jogging on the spot for a few minutes interspersed with some gentle stretches will do the trick.

Caution

Body toning exercise can be a pretty painful experience if muscles have lain dormant for a while. The problem is, it's not until 24-48hrs after your workout that you'll realise you've overdone it! Body toning exercise should not be painful while you are doing it - if it is you're using too much weight.

If you've not been exercising your muscles recently it's best to start with a weight that feels "very easy" and build up gradually from there.

The Workout

Exercise 1 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched to the sides. With your elbows slightly bent, lift your arms above your chest until your hands are almost touching. Return to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched above your head. Grip your weights and bring them over your head and down to your hips, by your sides - a semi-circular motion. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 3 - Chest and Back

Sitting with your back straight (preferably supported) and legs straight out in front of you, hold your weights in at your chest with your elbows out to the side (parallel to the floor). Push your arms out straight in front of you then pull them back in. Repeat.

Exercise 4 - Back and Shoulders

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms by your sides, gripping the weights with palms facing outwards. Making sure your movements are slow and concentrated, tense your shoulder and upper back muscles, then slowly "shrug" them up and down.

Exercise 5 - Shoulders and Upper Arms

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms raised straight up above your head, grip your weights with your palms facing behind you. Slowly bring your arms forward and down, without bending at the elbow, until level with your shoulders. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 6 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, grasp your weights and bend at the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms towards the floor with palms facing outwards. Lift your arms out to the side, keeping them straight, until parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 7 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, position your arms straight down in front of you almost against your body - with your weights almost touching. Bend your elbows and lift your weights towards your chin, bringing your elbows out to the side, in line with your shoulders. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 8 - Arms and Chest

The classic push up. With your hands shoulder width apart place your palms on the floor. Stretch out your body with either your knees on the floor, or if you're feeling ambitious, your toes - so you are supporting your body weight. Keeping your back straight and using your arms lower yourself gently toward the floor until you are hovering just over it. Push yourself slowly back to your starting position and repeat. Remember - don't lower yourself to the point where you come into contact with the floor, it'll be much harder to push back up.

Exercise 9 - Arms

In a sitting position with your back straight, relax your arms in line with your body. Grip your weights with your palms facing upwards and curl them up towards your shoulders, then back down again. Repeat. Keep your torso still and back straight, let your arms do the work.

Exercise 10 - Forearms

Holding your weight with your arm outstretched in front of you, tilt your wrist up and down repeatedly. Try doing this with both an overhand and underhand grip on your weight. Do one arm at a time.

Results

The secret of successful body toning is regularity. If you do this exercise sequence every other day you'll start to see results in a few weeks. 

Source:weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/body_toning/upper_body.htm

4 Exercises to Lift Your Boobs

Nothing short of surgery or gaining body fat can actually increase the size of your breasts. As for making them look bigger, well, that's why the chunk of change we spend on bras each year is larger than the GDP of Iceland.

Push-ups and padding aren't your only options, though. "Developing the muscles underneath your breasts will enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger," says Jen Comas Keck, a certified personal trainer and former figure competitor.

Let's be honest: This workout won't turn A cups into Bs or beyond. But if—like most women—you rarely train your chest, then you're missing out on a natural way to add a little extra oomph.

The following workout was created by Comas Keck specifically for women. "Working the chest from multiple angles with enough weight ensures plenty of stimulus to increase strength and develop the muscles," she says. "This can add beautiful shape to the chest."

The key to making this plan effective: Make sure to choose weights that are heavy enough. You should feel like you could do about two more reps at the end of each set, but no more. "It’s important to challenge yourself with heavier weights in order for muscle growth to take place," says Comas Keck. Perform the following routine twice a week.

MOVE 1Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a bench with your arms straight, a dumbbell in each hand(A). Lower the dumbbells until they’re close to the sides of your chest (B), then press them back up to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 10 reps, then go to move 2 without rest.

MOVE 2Pushup

BETH BISCHOFF

Start on all fours, your palms slightly wider than your shoulders, feet close together. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe (A). Lower down until your chest almost touches the floor. Keep your upper arms at a 45-degree angle to your torso (B). Pause, then push back to the starting position. Do 10 pushups and rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 1 and 2 one more time (so you'll do each exercise twice). Rest 90 seconds before move 3.

MOVE 3Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Sit on an adjustable bench set to a low incline (about 15 to 30 degrees) and place your feet flat on the floor. Grasp two dumbbells and hold them up above your shoulders, arms straight (A). Slowly lower the weights down to the sides of your chest (B). Pause, then press the dumbbells back up toward the ceiling. Do 10 reps, then go to move 4 without rest.

MOVE 4Dumbbell Fly

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a pair of dumbbells above your shoulders with your elbows slightly bent (A). Keeping the slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights until your elbows are even with your chest (B). Keep the same bend in your elbows as you press the weights back up. Perform 10 reps. Rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 3 and 4 (you'll do each exercise twice).

Source: womenshealthmag.com/fitness/breast-lifting-exercises?icid=OBtrafficPV_TBD_SB2

4 Exercises to Lift Your Boobs

Nothing short of surgery or gaining body fat can actually increase the size of your breasts. As for making them look bigger, well, that's why the chunk of change we spend on bras each year is larger than the GDP of Iceland.

Push-ups and padding aren't your only options, though. "Developing the muscles underneath your breasts will enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger," says Jen Comas Keck, a certified personal trainer and former figure competitor.

Let's be honest: This workout won't turn A cups into Bs or beyond. But if—like most women—you rarely train your chest, then you're missing out on a natural way to add a little extra oomph.

The following workout was created by Comas Keck specifically for women. "Working the chest from multiple angles with enough weight ensures plenty of stimulus to increase strength and develop the muscles," she says. "This can add beautiful shape to the chest."

The key to making this plan effective: Make sure to choose weights that are heavy enough. You should feel like you could do about two more reps at the end of each set, but no more. "It’s important to challenge yourself with heavier weights in order for muscle growth to take place," says Comas Keck. Perform the following routine twice a week.

MOVE 1Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a bench with your arms straight, a dumbbell in each hand(A). Lower the dumbbells until they’re close to the sides of your chest (B), then press them back up to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 10 reps, then go to move 2 without rest.

MOVE 2Pushup

BETH BISCHOFF

Start on all fours, your palms slightly wider than your shoulders, feet close together. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe (A). Lower down until your chest almost touches the floor. Keep your upper arms at a 45-degree angle to your torso (B). Pause, then push back to the starting position. Do 10 pushups and rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 1 and 2 one more time (so you'll do each exercise twice). Rest 90 seconds before move 3.

MOVE 3Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Sit on an adjustable bench set to a low incline (about 15 to 30 degrees) and place your feet flat on the floor. Grasp two dumbbells and hold them up above your shoulders, arms straight (A). Slowly lower the weights down to the sides of your chest (B). Pause, then press the dumbbells back up toward the ceiling. Do 10 reps, then go to move 4 without rest.

MOVE 4Dumbbell Fly

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a pair of dumbbells above your shoulders with your elbows slightly bent (A). Keeping the slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights until your elbows are even with your chest (B). Keep the same bend in your elbows as you press the weights back up. Perform 10 reps. Rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 3 and 4 (you'll do each exercise twice).

Source:womenshealthmag.com/fitness/breast-lifting-exercises?cm_sp=Hotlist-_-Fitness-_-4ExercisestoLiftYourBoobs