Ladies, if you are tired of wearing a T-shirt over your bathing suit, this article is dedicated to you. If you don’t want to be mistaken for a beached whale while in Cancun, this article is for you too.  

July is National Bikini month. Some of you women may not be happy about this; if so lets do something about it. When you aren’t happy you have to do something about it, in this case you will eat healthier and exercise more. We got a good response from the men with the first Beach Body Fresh article [May 29], so let’s get to it!

Below is the plan. I saw the big girl in the “Lollipop” video just like you did, and that is not who you want to be when wearing a two piece. Consider this quote to live by, “If you want to wear the two piece, don’t order a three piece!”

Legs

So, you feel a little insecure about wearing really short shorts or a bathing suit because your thighs are fat.  My mother is a larger woman, I’ve seen this first hand. Look here, Dream Girls are trying to be Beyoncé or Jennifer Hudson, so the way you get your legs right is by avoiding the four myths below.

Myth 1- If I just use a machine on the area I don’t like it will tone up. Understand that if you sit on one of those inner thigh machines in the gym and squeeze your legs together for an entire workout you will NOT end up with a toned body. You will have big thighs, they will just be stronger. Variety is the key for toned legs.

Myth 2- Riding the bike will make your thighs smaller. No! Have you ever seen Lance Armstrong's legs? They look like horse legs. The bike makes your thighs bigger, but the Stepper on the other hand is better if you are looking to reduce size and tone up. The stepper engages the glut muscles the most and because the gluteus is the largest muscle group in the body, it can burn up the most calories compared to the other cardio machines.

Myth 3- The elliptical is great cardio for your trouble areas. The elliptical will get your target areas but only if used backwards. Most elliptical machines can move in both directions, backwards and forwards. By moving it backwards you engage the hamstrings, which are the muscles at the back of your thighs instead of the front ones, which are the quadriceps.

Myth 4- Weight training will bulk you up, so you shouldn’t do it. Never avoid weight training if you want a well toned body and sculpted thighs. The lower body has the largest muscle groups and these muscles when developed can contribute major elevated metabolism benefits. This means you burn more calories while doing your cardio. 

Lower Body Workout - Four sets:

Quads

Superset-Barbell Squat 8reps, Leg Press 15reps

{one minute break}

Leg Extensions, 10 reps

Hamstrings

Dropset-Leg curls  25reps (point your toes downwards, this way you fully engage your hamstrings!)

Outside of thighs

Seated abductor machine, 15reps

Inner thighs

Dumbbell squats with feet pointed, 15 reps

Calves

Calf raises, 25 reps

**Do lots of stretching before and after your workout

Arms

Another key target area for women is the back of the arm. At Chicago Fit 4 Life we call it “wavy arm,” because when you wave your arm, the fat waves back at you!  The “wavy arm” is a combination of fat and untoned muscle which is just hanging around. You do not need to spot train that one specific area, but you should add variety to your upper body program, with many different exercises. If you want arms like Ciara, here is what you do:

Watch Erika Shevon, R&B Queen of Chicago, going through the workout: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV16x-rOHk8

Upper Body Workout - Four sets:

Chest

Superset- One arm frontal raises (cable cross over machine) 10 reps, Frontal raises resistance bands, 15

{one minute break}

Shoulders

Superset- Shoulder Press 10 reps (dumbbells), shoulder press resistance bands, 10 reps

Upper back/Triceps

Reverse frontal raises

Chest

Push-ups, 10 reps

Perform all workouts in a circuit until you have finished the four sets.  

Abs

The critical component of loosing stomach fat relies on your metabolism and certain hormones flowing through your body. This is why shorter, more intense workouts are much more efficient.  This means walking or sitting at a stationary bike reading for your workout will not give you the body that you really want. When performing your cardio you should feel like Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown - like you have NO AIR !

Success key 1- You cannot spot-reduce the midsection by doing extra ab exercises like crunches or sit-ups. You must first burn off the body fat through proper cardio in order to define the area. Abdominal training by itself will not do much.

Success key 2- Although carbohydrates have an important role in the body, do not base your meals on them. Try to avoid simple sugars like cane sugar, honey, fruit juices, syrups, and even a lot of fruit (i.e. apples, oranges, bananas).

Success key 3- If you want proper ab development, you need to add resistance (weight) to your ab exercises. Abs are muscles just like any other muscle. Grab a dumbbell, either hold it in front of your face, or let it lie on your upper chest under your chin, and perform regular crunches.

Success key 4- Drink at least a gallon of clean water each day as well. It will help in nutrient absorption and digestion and will help flush toxins from the body. 

30 minute routine – repeat two times nonstop:

Three minute incline running

One minute jump rope

One minute ab shockers

60 second plank

30 second side planks

30 second side planks

Three minutes of stretching

Bonus Tracks - Eating while on Vacation:

Rule 1- Turn in the mini bar key. This is too tempting and once you start drinking, any inhibition you had regarding your diet is thrown out the window.

Rule 2- Find a market place or grocery store.  Grab some fresh fruit, vegetables and sandwiches to eat instead of going to a restaurant for every meal. The portion size is always bigger at a restaurant than you would normally eat.

Rule 3- If you have to go out and eat at a restaurant, do so only when you are hungry. Try to wait out your hunger pains by engaging in some activities. 

Rule 4- Do not eat late at night (i.e. after 8pm ). When your body gets ready for sleep and slows down, it also burns calories at a much slower pace.

Rule 5-  Exert some will power. Just stop at a certain point. I have had clients come off a vacation gaining 10 extra pounds just because they felt that a vacation is a free-for-all. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what you eat comes back home! 

This is for all those single ladies out there; get your body right and you won’t be single for long. Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson both got their bodies right one landed a man and the other one landed Nick Cannon. You heard Kanye say “a nice stomach and you can maybe land a ball player.”

Definitions of exercise terminology: 

Superset-  It is performing two exercises with no break. Perform barbell squats and jog immediately to leg press machine with no rest in between. 

Dropset- Start heavy and continuously lower the weight when you burn out until you hit rep goal. Let’s say you start at 50 pounds and can only do 10 reps - drop the weight to 30 pounds until you cannot perform any more. Let’s say that number is 10 reps, then perform five reps.  

Dumbbell squats with feet pointed- perform squats by holding a dumbbell with both hands in the middle and feet pointing 45 degrees outwards.

Calf Raises- Stand on the edge of a platform or anything that is elevated like stairs, and tip toe, flexing the calf and go all the way down for a good stretch.

Siddiqu Muhammad is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, NFPT (National Federation of Personal Trainers) certified personal trainer, a Professional Athlete Strength and Conditioning coach, and Motivational Speaker. Send questions to him at chicagofit4life@yahoo.com. To view more of Chicago Fit 4 Life’s eating and training philosophy visit www.cf4life.com