The rest of my exercise program

[Guest guest]

Good morning ! Hope that your muscles were not too sore yesterday.

Following is your weight training program (thus far) - it should be done 2

to 3 times per week on non consecutive days. The exercise order is important

so do the exercises following the sequence that I've outlined. Remember the

aim is to do 12 repetitions and feel fatigued by the 12th one so you will

need

to adjust the weight upwards as you get stronger.

Warm-up: 10 minutes on the elliptical

Upper Body exercises:

Chest Press - 2 sets of 12 - 40 lbs (move overhead pin to the middle hole)

Shoulder Press - 2 sets of 12 - 30 lbs (move overhead pin to the far left)

Seated Row - 2 sets of 12 - 30 lbs (sit facing the bench-chest positioned on

the back of the seat-move overhead pin to the far right.

Lat Pull Down - 2 sets of 12 - 40 lbs (need to use the wide bar)

Bicep Curls - 2 sets of 12 - 20 lbs (attach straight bar to low pulley)

remember to keep elbows at your sides.

Tricep Push Down - 2 sets of 12 - 20 lbs (attach straight bar to overhead

pulley - Stand facing the machine - lower bar until your arms are parallel

to

the floor - your arms and elbows stay tucked in at your sides - push bar all

the way down until your arms are fully extended and return to the start

position

(arms no higher than parallel to the floor).

Lower Body Exercises:

Ball Wall Squat - 2 sets of 20

Leg Extensions - sit on bench (same one as for chest press) with your back

flat against the back rest. Bend your knees and place your instep underneath

the roller pad located at the bottom of the machine. Grasp the machine's

handles for support. Slowly bring your feet upward until your legs are just

short

of parallel to the floor. Contract your quads and then reverse direction

returning to the start position. Do 2 sets of 12 - 20 lbs

Heel Raises - 1 set of 20

Core Exercises:

Abdominal crunches - 2 to 3 sets of 20

Oblique Curl - 2 sets of 10. Lie face up on the mat with your knees bent.

Your thighs should be perpendicular to the ground and your hands should be

behind

your ears. Slowly raise your shoulders up and forward towards your chest,

twisting your body to the right. Feel a contraction in your abdominal

muscles

and then slowly reverse direction, returning to the start position. Repeat

the process on the left side.

Back Extension - 1 set of 8 repetitions - This is your weakest area so

please be careful and go slowly.

CARDIO

I recommend doing cardio 3 to 5 times per week - at moderate intensity. The

best would be to do 10 minutes each on the bike-treadmill and elliptical -

you

can increase the time to 15 minutes on each as you get fitter.

Stretches: Remember we are aiming for gentle tension - if it hurts ease

off!!!! All stretches should be held 20 to 30 seconds. Please don't skip

the stretches.

In your case, these are more important then the cardio and strength

training. If you decide to do just the stretches you need to warm-up for 10

minutes

beforehand preferably on the elliptical machine.

Lower Body:

Quadricep Stretch - Lying on your side - bend the knee and hold the leg you

are stretching just above the ankle, do not hold the foot. Find the gentle

tension in the middle of the quadriceps by pulling the leg back with your

hand. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Change legs.

Hamstring Stretch - Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place a towel or

belt in the arch of one foot and extend the leg towards the ceiling. Pull

the

leg towards the head until you feel a gentle stretch in the hamstrings.If

you feel the stretch close to or behind the knee , gradually reduce the

tension

until the tension moves into the muscle fibers of the hamstrings, at least a

hand's width above the knee joint. Change legs.

Gluteus Maximus (butt) stretch - Lie on your back with your knees bent.

Cross your right leg so that your right foot is resting just above the knee

of your

left leg. Gradually bring the left foot toward the buttocks until you feel

the first awareness of tension in the posterior hip muscle of the right hip.

If you can't feel the tension use your hands to lift the leg by grasping the

thigh just beneath the knee. If you find that you must lift your upper back

and head off the ground to reach the thigh, you can use a towel or belt

behind the thigh. Pull on the towel or belt with your hands to lift the leg.

Change

legs.

Calf Stretch

Stand in front of a wall with your hands on the wall at shoulder height.

Take a comfortable step back with your right foot so that your right heel is

firmly

on the ground. Keep your back straight. Bend the elbows and the front knee

and lean the whole body as a unit toward the wall. Change legs.

Upper Body Stretches:

Chest and Front of Shoulders Stretch: Standing position- clasp your hands

behind your back. Gently pull your hands down towards the floor (to lower

your

shoulders). Then keeping your shoulders down, lift your arms and chest up at

the same time. Do not arch your back.

Mid Back Stretch: Standing Position- Clasp your hands in front of your body

at chest level and gently pull forward until you feel a stretch in your mid

back.

Tricep Stretch: Raise one arm overhead and bend the elbow until the right

hand is resting on the back of your right shoulder. Gently push on your arm

above

the joint to intensify the stretch. Your right elbow should be pointed

towards the ceiling. Change sides.

Bicep stretch - Take your arms out behind you thumbs pointing down. Slowly

rotate your biceps up toward the ceiling

Core Stretches:

Full-Body Stretch

Lie on your back with your arms overhead. Suck in your belly button toward

your spine and reach your arms and legs in opposite directions.

Oblique Stretch- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms

extended out at your sides. Slowly lower both knees to one side. Your

shoulders should

stay on the floor. Come back to centre and lower the legs to the other side.

To intensify the stretch you can turn your head in the opposite direction

as your lower the legs. Keep your abs pulled in to protect your back.

Lower Back Stretch: Lie on your back and pull both knees up to your chest.

Hold your arms under the knees and slowly pull the knees towards your

shoulders.

This also stretches your buttock muscles.

, you have good strength in your upper and lower body. However your

abdominal muscles and low back muscles are much weaker. You also need to

work

on your flexibility. Just make sure that you protect your back when you do

all the exercises by pulling in your abdominal muscles and keeping your

knees

soft when you are in a standing position. Take it slowly 1 to 2 sets of each

exercise is fine at this early stage of the game.