Maintaining a sports routine requires effort and above all, time.
But now, between work, social interactions and sometimes, the management of kids, it is clear that it is difficult to find a good time to sweat at the gym or at home.
Before throwing in the towel too easily, Blanche, sports coach at Fitness Park, explains to us how to carry out a session that is as effective as it is express.
All in less than 30 minutes flat.
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Warm up well
When you want to go fast, the risk is to cut corners.
"You must always take the time to warm up the body for a few minutes, to prepare the muscles for the effort and avoid injuries," warns the coach.
Before starting the session, the specialist recommends activating the arms, abdominal strap and legs, on a cardio machine such as a rowing machine, elliptical trainer or treadmill, with moderate intensity for 5 minutes.
At home, a race on the spot can do the trick.
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lower body
The leg press:
designed to work the front and back of the legs, this machine also helps sculpt the buttocks.
Sitting with your back flat against the seat, you place your feet on the platform, so that the knees are well aligned over the toes, and push up to go up, without forcing hyperextension.
Then you bend your legs.
Do 4 sets of 12 movements, with 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 of breathing between each set.
“For the load, you can start at 20 kilos and gradually increase according to the sessions.
As with all bodybuilding machines, this weight is gauged by the ability to perform and hold the repetitions up to the limit point, the twelfth movement, where you must feel that you will have difficulty repeating it behind» ,
The alternative at home:
squats.
Shoulders back, contract your abs and flex your pelvis slightly to send your buttocks backwards.
Be sure to keep your body weight on your heels and stop before your knees pass your toes.
Do 12 times over 4 sets, taking breaks between each.
Slits:
standing up, legs together, remember first to hold on well and keep your back straight.
Then take a big step forward with the right leg.
We bend, we go down, then we find the initial position.
We then continue with the left leg.
To make the exercise more complex, we add dumbbells, minimum 4 kilos for beginners.
Repeat the movement twelve times for 4 sets.
"In addition to mobilizing the glutes, this movement requires engaging the abdominal strap to maintain balance," says the coach.
The alternative at home:
"We reproduce the same exercise and if we don't have any equipment, we can replace the dumbbells with one-litre water bottles", suggests Blanche.
Read alsoExercises to perform if you want to firm up your inner thighs
The top of the body
Pulley pull:
to target the arms and triceps, these usually "passive" muscles allowing the extension of the elbow, pulley work is effective.
Facing the machine, grab the handle (a rope) with both hands.
The two elbows glued at the level of the ribs, we bring the arms down in the axis of the body, so as to stretch them, and then we go back up.
To be repeated a dozen times for 4 sets with a minimum load of 5 kilos.
"If it's done well, you immediately feel that it works on the back of the arm," observes the sports coach.
The alternative at home:
the exercise of dips.
Standing with your back to a chair, table or sofa, bend your knees as if to sit in a vacuum, and place both hands on the edge of the furniture.
Elbows well directed towards the back, bend them, go down while blowing, push back without helping your legs while inhaling.
Do 4 sets of 12 reps.
Biceps curl:
if you want to work on the volume of the arm in cohesion, after having solicited the "back", you will come to mobilize the "front", with the same intensity.
The basic exercise is the biceps curl.
Standing, arms along the body, palms facing forward and hands with dumbbells of at least 4 kilos, flex the forearms towards the shoulders.
Continue twelve times in a row and alternate with the exercise for the triceps, for 4 sets.
The alternative at home:
"we can perform the same movement, still using our water bottles", suggests the coach.
Another possible exercise is floor push-ups.
In a horizontal position, on your knees or tiptoes, back straight and elbows turned outward, bend your arms and lower to the floor while inhaling, then slowly come back up while exhaling.
Read alsoSix moves you definitely do wrong at the gym
The final sheath
The plank:
this continuous contraction is the ideal exercise in the gym or at home to strengthen the abdominals and improve posture.
To do this, place your forearms on the ground in line with your shoulders and straighten your legs, keeping your feet wide apart to keep your back straight.
If you are a beginner, hold this static position for 30 seconds before relaxing the muscles.
Then repeat 3 times.
"The goal, over time, is to manage to hold the position longer, even if we have to go to failure," advises the coach.
The side plank:
complete the previous sequence with a side plank, to work on the obliques.
To perform it, stay 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 on the right elbow, legs stretched on the same side, then do the same exercise on the left side.
The cardio supplement
To support this muscle building, the sports coach advises alternating with a 30-minute cardio session per week.
Running or treadmill, stairmaster (escalators), rower, bike or even HIIT circuit… The choices are many.
"You can do 30 minutes at the same pace or try high-intensity interval training: 1 minute of intense effort, then 1 minute of recovery at low speed, to be repeated for about ten minutes before returning to normal pace. “, explains Blanche.
At the same time, the coach insists on the importance of adding a little "sporty touch" to everyday life.
For example, going to the office by bike or getting off a metro/bus station before the usual one and walking more.
At work, one can also take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalators.
“Together, these efforts represent an additional sports session”, underlines Blanche.
If you want to quickly obtain results both on mobility and on the redefinition of the silhouette, the ideal according to the coach is to reach a total of two hours of sport per week.