Diet & Fitness Blog

Friday, March 07, 2008

By Raphael Calzadilla, B.A, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

Gym, schmym! You can improve your fitness level without a gym membership. It's time to stop making excuses. I've designed a simple but effective workout to get your muscles firm and tight. No false promises -- just a realistic alternative to all the noise in the world of fitness that makes us hate exercising.

The only equipment you'll need is a fitness band (with door attachment), a fitness ball and a mat. You'll be working the entire body.

Click here to check out Raphael's Expert Pick fitness kit and take advantage of limited time HUGE savings!

Fitness Band Two-Arm Back Row (Back)
Use the door attachment to secure a fitness band to a door at chest height. Facing the door, hold a handle in each hand with your arms extended out in front and your palms facing each other. Your feet are staggered for better stability. Draw your arms toward your body while turning the palms of the hands upward. Keep your elbows close to your body as you pull. Squeeze the shoulder blades together when you reach the contracted position. Return to the starting position. Feel the back muscles stretch when returning the start, but do not lock the elbows. Exhale while drawing your arms toward your body, and inhale when returning the start. The farther you stand from the wall, the greater the resistance will be. Keep your body stationary at all times. Perform two to three sets of 12 repetitions and go directly to the next exercise.

Fitness Band Chest Fly (Chest)
Use the door attachment to secure a fitness band to a door at chest height. Stand with your back toward the door. Hold a handle in each hand with your arms straight out from your shoulders and parallel with the floor, your knuckles facing outward and a slight bend in the elbows. Keep your feet staggered (one in front of the other) for better stability. Contracting the chest muscles, bring both arms toward the front of your body, stopping just short of the hands touching. Slowly return to the starting position. Exhale as you bring your arms forward. Inhale while returning to the starting position. Think about hugging a tree as you bring your arms together. Perform three sets of 15 repetitions each.

Fitness Band Two-Arm Lateral Raise (Shoulders)
Stand on a fitness band with feet closer than shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a handle in each hand with your arms down at your sides and palms facing the legs. Contracting the shoulder muscles, lift both arms out to the sides while maintaining a slight bend in the elbows until your hands reach shoulder height (Palms face the floor). Slowly return to the starting position. Exhale while you raise your arms. Inhale while returning to the starting position. The farther your feet are from each other, the more challenging the exercise becomes. Do not attempt to raise your hands past shoulder height, and do not bend your wrists during the movement. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions.

Fitness Band Curls (Biceps)
Grasp the two handles of the resistance band while stepping on the band with feet closer than shoulder width apart. Point your toes forward and maintain a slight bend in the knees. The palms of your hands face forward by the sides of your body. Keep your wrists straight and bring the handles towards your shoulder by bending at the elbows. Do not swing your arms. They should remain stationary. All that moves is the elbow joint. Perform two sets of 12 repetitions each.

Fitness Band Overhead Triceps Extension (Triceps)
Stand with your legs staggered with knees slightly bent. The middle section of the fitness band should be placed under the rear leg. Hold a handle in each hand behind your head over your shoulders with a slight bend in the elbows. Your palms can face each other or face the ceiling. Contracting the triceps muscles, extend your arms, lifting your hands above your head. Stop when your arms are directly above your head with a slight bend in the elbows. Slowly return to the starting position. Exhale while extending your arms. Inhale while returning to the starting position. It is important to keep the arm as stationary as possible. Perform two sets of 10 repetitions.

Fitness Band Lunge (Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes)
Stand in a staggered stance and position your front foot on the band and back foot behind you. Grasp the handles and position your hands at about face height. Cathy's palms are facing forward, but you can also have your palms face each other if that's more comfortable. Lower your front leg and make sure to keep your back knee from touching the floor (it should only come close). Avoid the front knee touching the floor as well. Push back up to start and repeat. Keep the fitness band elevated in order to feel the resistance. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions on each leg.

The Plank (abdominals -- Core, plus Upper Body)
One of the biggest myths is that we need to perform endless crunches in order to strengthen the abdominals. This exercise is an excellent exercise for strengthening the abs and the upper body, and you won't perform a single crunch. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Contract your abdominals and avoid elevating your glutes (sticking your butt up in the air). Do not hold your breath. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat two more times.

Fitball Crunch
Although crunches on the floor are somewhat overrated, a fitball crunch will increase the difficulty because it requires more work from your entire ab area. From a seated position on the ball, walk your feet out until the ball is fully supporting your mid to lower back. Cross your hands over your chest. Contracting the abdominals, raise your upper body about halfway. Slowly return to the starting position. Exhale while raising your body. Inhale while returning to the starting position. Be sure to keep your head and neck relaxed. The ball should not roll forward and back -- it should remain stationary. For added support, spread your feet wide the first time you try the exercise. Perform two sets of 15 reps each.

Perform the entire routine on three alternate days per week and add three or four days of cardiovascular exercise for 20-30 minutes. Also, don't forget to stretch.

As always, your ultimate success in achieving your goals is based on effective exercise, following your nutrition plan and massive amounts of consistency. If you need even more inspiration, then just keep in mind that Cathy, the fitness model you see in these pictures, has lost an amazing 115 pounds and kept it off for two years with eDiets!

You know what you have to do. Do it! Do it!

Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

A drug free competitive bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health-and-fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. in communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.

Labels: exercise, product, weight-loss, workout

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