Tone up those batwings with this easy move from Janette Janero, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in Miami, Fla.
Step 1: Sit on the bench, and place your hands on the edge of the seat. Keep your legs at a 90-degree angle with your knees bent. Step 2: Slowly dip your body until your arms reach a 90-degree angle, and then raise back up. Make sure you are using your arms and not your body to raise and lower. Do 3 sets of 10 dips with a 30-second rest between each set.
Challenge yourself: Keep one leg at a 90-degree angle and extend your other leg, resting the back of your heel on the ground. Do five dips, then alternate legs. This will work out your hip flexors and abdominal muscles as well as your triceps.
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Step ups
With this move from Ilyse Baker, Top 10 Trainer on FitOrbit.com, you can squeeze in some cardio while you're toning your thighs and butt.
Step 1: While standing, face the bench with your feet together. Step 2: One leg at a time, step up on the bench so both feet are up. Step 3: Step down one leg at a time so both feet are on the ground. Do 10 to 15 reps leading with your right leg, then switch to leading with your left for 10 to 15 more reps.
Challenge yourself: Don't rest between legs to really get your heart rate up.
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Modified push-up
Sure, you could do push-ups on the ground, but park concrete isn't exactly the cleanest (or most comfortable) place to put bare hands. Instead, incorporate the bench with this move from Janero that'll work out your biceps and chest muscles.
Step 1: Stand a couple feet behind the bench, lean your body forward, and place your hands on the back of the bench. Step 2: Use your core muscles to keep your body aligned from head to toe. Bend your arms to lower yourself toward the bench, until your arms reach a 90-degree angle. Push back up to your starting position. Do three sets of 15 push-ups with a 30-second rest between each set.
Challenge yourself: Work your butt muscles by lifting one leg behind you as you do each push-up (just don't arch your back). Keep your glutes engaged while you hold your leg up. Switch legs between each push-up.
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Squat thrusts
This intense move, from runningwithsass.com blogger Heather Montgomery, works your core, back, shoulders, and thighs -- it's a great timesaver.
Step 1: Facing the bench, put your hands shoulder-width apart on the seat. Bend into a squat position. Step 2: Jump back with your feet only, keeping your hands on the bench, so you're in a plank position. Step 3: Jump back in towards the bench into your squat position, then stand up. Do 3 sets of 15.
Challenge yourself: Try to do this for one minute without stopping (it's harder than it sounds!).
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Lunges
It's a classic move for good reason: It's really effective at toning your lower body. Baker explains how to do it:
Step 1: Stand with your back to the bench, and hook the toes of one foot onto the seat. Then, hop forward with the foot that's on the ground so your back leg is outstretched. Step 2: Bend your forward leg into a lunge so your leg is at a 90-degree angle (make sure you don't go further; you don't want your knee to move past your toes). Do 10 to 15 reps on each leg.
Challenge yourself: Hold each lunge position for five seconds for an extra burn.
We all have excuses to avoid strength training, and ours typically go something like this:
1. "I barely have time to squeeze in a run in the park; I couldn't possibly add weights to the mix." 2. "I can't afford a gym membership, so I don't have access to all the weights and fancy machines." 3. "When I go to the gym, the weight room is full of 'serious' weight lifters (aka intimidating meat-heads)." 4. "I don't want to look like a bulky female body builder."
While we'd like to cut ourselves some slack for these (understandable! ubiquitous!) excuses, they're all a load of BS.
For starters, strength training has way too many benefits for you to not do it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says strength training increases bone density, boosts your metabolism, improves sleep, and can even help prevent and manage a number of diseases. In essence, it's one of the simplest things you can do to get healthier, faster.
And those fears that strength training will give you quads like Arnold Schwarzenegger's in his body building days? A total myth. Experts agree very few women have the hormone balance (mainly enough testosterone) necessary to bulk up, so your chances of looking like an American Gladiator are pretty slim -- no matter how many bench presses and leg curls you do.
As for that lack of time and a gym membership, here's the deal: We talked to experts who say you don't need either to strength train. In fact, they helped us create a full-body program that you can do using a simple park bench -- and that's all.
So head to a park and start working on your bikini bod. This workout is quick, easy, and free -- the ultimate buzz kill for all of those "I can't strength train" excuses.
