Wedding Workout? At Home: Expert Advice from LOVEPOST's ...

Miss Fitness, Gillian Trozado-Depala

Gillian Trozado-Depala (also known as Miss Fitness) is a dance and fitness guru. She?s a former member of the dance group Ellements, where she performed shows in the UK and choreographed classes at London?s famed Pineapple Studios. In addition to her dance background she has a degree in Sports Science, where she specializes in health and fitness. Gillian has practiced as a personal trainer at the Lansdowne Club in Mayfair London for 7 years now, and she teaches Zumba and body conditioning classes as well. Over the years she has worked with women and men who want to lose weight and look great for their weddings, from general shaping up to losing up to 30 pounds. Now she?s ready to share her tips with you on LOVEPOST. Every month this year she will be giving you her advice on one tenant of exercise and nutrition to help you look great for your big day. Gillian has already given you her tips on running right and eating a healthy breakfast, and now she?s helping you work out at home? no gym necessary!

You do not need the latest ?Power plate? or the new ?Concept wave elliptical? to spur you on to help burn those calories and stay in shape. In fact you need not look past the comfort of your own home or at a push your office floor space.

Often I hear from clients starting out or what I call the ?training tomorrow that never comes clan? announce that they do not have time to go to the gym or have the extra cash for equipment, gym membership or PT sessions. Well, the recommended amount of time needed for exercise and health benefits according to the ACSM is 30 minutes 3 times a week. I?m sure we can squeeze an extra half an hour into our day? Wake up earlier, while you?re watching your favourite program, or while you?re waiting for the washing load?

Time spared traveling to the gym, buying equipment and gym membership can be saved with the following workout. All that is needed is a small amount of floor space in a room of your choice at your own home or in your office. With the bonus of no equipment of additional costs needed.

Body Burn Circuit

Body burn is a circuit I use with my clients who relish the intense, short and sharp nature of the combined exercise. It wakes them up, gets them going and it involves explosive movements using total body and plyometrics to ensure that optimal amount of calories are burnt quickly. This idea stems from the fact that throughout the century jumping, hopping and bounding exercises have been used in various ways to enhance athletic performance. In the simplest terms the combination of speed and strength is power. This distinct method for training for power or explosiveness is plyometrics. As a result every variety of plyometric exercise contributes to ones calorie burning success and also provides great strength training.

-Squat-Thrusts (Burpees)
Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up.
Burn: 15 reps

-Burpees with knee lifts
Each move should be explosive and fast paced, this exercise is as above but finishing with a knee lift on alternate legs when you are in the standing position.
Burn: 15 reps
Jumping side squat jumps
Stand with feet together. Jump to the right several feet, whilst jumping in flight lift both arms up as high as you can in the air over your head clapping hands together, keeping knees bent land in a squat position. Jump back to the left and continue jumping from side to side.
Burn: 12 reps

-Jumping twist jumps
Start in a squat position jump up and spin round to face the other direction and land in a squat position. Repeat.
Burn : 12 reps
Glutes, quads, core

-Mountain Climbers
Start on the ground on all fours; get into in a sprinter?s start position. Keep your hands on the ground and push off with your feet so you alternate foot placement as long as you can. Keep your back straight, not arched. Again speed and explosiveness is key here.
Burn: 20 reps, 2 sets

-Jump Lunges
Start in a lunge position with left leg forward, keeping back straight, then explosively jump changing stance of lunge so that right leg is forward and land in lunge position. Repeat .
Burn: 12-15 reps

-Star Jumps
This movement consists of two basic movements carried out explosively continuously.
1. Jump with legs wide and arms out meeting hands together over your head.
2. Jump with legs together and arms down by your side.
Burn: 2 x 12 fast

-Drop Jumping
Standing on an elevated platform, a high step or stable chair. Drop down landing on the floor then immediately vigorously jumping back up. The exercise will be more effective the shorter the feet are in contact with the floor. Note: Start with small platforms first.
Advanced: Create a higher elevation to drop and jump up from.
Burn: 15 reps

-Tuck Jump
The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete?s body weight. Stand with feet squat stance apart, jump up explosively and tuck knees into chest then land. Repeat.
Burn: 10. 2 sets

-Jump Lunges
Start in a lunge position with left leg forward, keeping back straight, then explosively jump changing stance of lunge so that right leg is forward and land in lunge position. Repeat .
Burn: 12-15 reps

-Star Jumps
This movement consists of two basic movements carried out explosively continuously.
1. Jump with legs wide and arms out meeting hands together over your head.
2. Jump with legs together and arms down by your side.
Burn: 2 x 12 fast

-Drop Jumping
Standing on an elevated platform, a high step or stable chair. Drop down landing on the floor then immediately vigorously jumping back up. The exercise will be more effective the shorter the feet are in contact with the floor. Note: Start with small platforms first.
Advanced: Create a higher elevation to drop and jump up from.
Burn: 15 reps

-Tuck Jump
The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete?s body weight. Stand with feet squat stance apart, jump up explosively and tuck knees into chest then land. Repeat.
Burn: 10. 2 sets

Target muscle group exercises

-Push Ups
Chest/triceps/biceps
Begin in push up position, on knees or toes. Perform 4 push ups, abs in and back straight. On the 5th push up, lower halfway down and hold for 4 counts. Push back up and repeat the series ? 4 regular push ups and 1 halfway. Aim for 10 then 20 holding the last one for 10 seconds.

-One Legged Squats
Quads/Glutes/Abs/Core muscles
Easy ? Sit yourself on the edge of a chair, with right leg on the floor and left leg off the floor, keeping the core engaged and the back straight, you can stabilise yourself by holding both arms straight out in front of you or by placing your hands on your hips. Now try to stand up just using your right leg, if you squeeze your right glute as you stand up you can also be work this muscle and it will aid your balance as you stand.
Advanced: Do the above without using the chair. Begin standing on right leg then slowly squat down with one leg ? keeping your back straight the entire exercise.

-Chair Dips
Triceps
Using the edge of a chair or two steps, place your hands palms down on the edge of the bench, keep your hand stance narrow the narrower the better. Place your feet on the floor with legs bent to 90 degrees. Keeping your back straight, allow your body to dip down so that your arms bend behind you at your elbows to 90 degrees, then push torso back up mainly using strength in arms. Straighten arms to full extension so they are locked in straight. Repeat.
Advanced: to make this exercise tougher place your feet on the edge of a chair or step in front of you with legs locked in straight?.Feel the difference and push through.
Burn: Begin with 12 reps, building up to as many repetitions as you can.

-Wall Sit
Quads
With your back against a wall, and your feet about 2 feet away from the wall, slide down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold the position as long as you can. Aim for 1 minute ? feel those quads burn!!!

-Bulgarian Split Squats
Quads /glutes
With one leg on a chair behind you, place foot on end of chair, Jump forward a fraction so that when you lunge leg is at 90 degrees. Lunge to 90 degrees then return to start position.

Abdominal Burn

WARM UP
The following four exercises should be done consecutively one after the other with 15 reps in each set. NO REST INBETWEEN SETS!!
Tip: Don?t tuck your chin to your chest; keep your head up keep eyes fixed at a point on the ceiling.

-Knee Reach
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on top of your quads and reach up for your knees. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches.

-Basic crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position.

-Full Crunch
Lie on back, hands supporting head, eyes to ceiling, raise elbows, with knees at 90 degrees, bring elbows and knees together, then back to start position. Keep back flat and avoid arching.

-Alternate knees to elbows
In the same position as above moving legs and elbows. Bring left elbow in to meet right knee then move out and bring right elbow to meet left knee.

Main Abdominal Exercise

-Plank Exercise
Get into push up position on hands and toes, or on elbows and toes. Contract your abdominal muscles (and core). Keep your back straight (don?t collapse in the middle) and hold this position for as long as you can. Be aware of glutes, calfs and core engaging.
Burn: Hold for a 60 seconds build up to 2 minutes.

-Chest fly crunches
Lying on the floor with knees bent together, hands with light weights (tins of fruit or tomatoes) start with arms out wide with slight bend in the elbow, then crunch and bring weights together, back should only be a few inches from the floor with eyes fixed at the ceiling. Return to start position.
Burn: complete 12-15 reps

-Dumbbell pullovers and Rotated Twist
Lying down weight in hand over head, power up then sit up lean back rotate weight either side, then return to start position.
12 reps

-Leg Walks
Lying on floor, both hands either side for stability, legs up, feet towards the ceiling, lower left leg then bring up to start position, then lower other leg. Left then right, continue till finish.
16 reps

-Reverse Curls
Lying on the floor, feet together, power up lifting legs and glutes off the floor, then slowly back down ( but not letting feet touch the floor).
16 reps

-Double crunch
Lie on back, hold 2 dumbbells in each hand positioning each side of upper head. Knees raised at 90 degree. Bring both weights under the knees, contract the abs and return to start position.
12 reps

-Supermen
Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs stretched out. Raise your left arm and right leg off the ground a few inches, hold a few seconds, and then lower. Alternate arms and legs. Repeat. This would be a great way to end the workout to strengthen the lower back.

Finish the workout gently stretching the major muscles worked.

See you for next month?s edition where I will be presenting an in depth session on how to get lean, super toned legs?..! Lets bring on those shapely thighs and calves.

-?Miss Fitness? x

st nicholas mindy mccready mindy mccready cliff harris cliff harris josh turner barnaby