Home made christmas work-out
The Christmas days are just around the corner and that means for many people that they are preparing for a little extra weight. I think it's unnecessary. Of course, you will eat extensively for a few days in a row and it will always be a bit more than what you normally eat, but if you compensate that a bit with sports, then there is really nothing to worry about. Many gyms are closed during those days, so you can take a walk outside or you can call in Tom Barten. Tom is the founder of Personal Body Plan, an app that is your personal trainer, nutritionist, and lifestyle coach.
Almost too good to be true, right? Based on your goal, age, weight, and lifestyle, you receive a training schedule, nutrition tips (with recipes!) every day and you can chat with your coach. So it does come down to a lot of self-discipline, but you also often receive motivating messages on your screen and fun facts that motivate you as well. In the new year, I will test this for you, but for now, Tom is already giving away some nice exercises that you can easily do at home during your Christmas vacation. We are mainly going for the BBB workouts, as those are often our weak spots.
First, a little explanation from Tom, then grab your mat and let's get started. Toi toi toi and Merry Christmas!
The glutes
“When you inspect the glutes closely, you come to the conclusion that the glute muscles consist of three muscles: the Gluteus Minimus, Gluteus Medius, and last but not least the Gluteus Maximus. It is the Gluteus Maximus that is largely responsible for the shape and roundness of the glutes. No, you do not optimally engage this with the squat challenge. So what should you do?
The glute muscles are most effectively targeted with exercises in hip extension or near-hip extension. Think of exercises like the glute bridge, hip thruster, rope cable pull through, and kettlebell swings. For optimal development, it is not only important to vary in these exercises but also to vary in the way you perform them.”
The legs
“For the leg muscles, we can distinguish between four groups: front thigh (quadriceps), back thigh (hamstrings), lower leg muscles (including the calf), and the short muscles of the foot. The largest part of your legs is formed by the quadriceps, consisting of four muscles, and the hamstrings, consisting of three muscles.
The squat may not be the most suitable exercise to target the glute muscles, but for the quadriceps, it is a different story. Not only the back squat but also all variations of it. The hamstring can be targeted with various glute exercises. You simply change the position of your feet. Placing your feet further away from your glutes is more hamstring-oriented.”
The abdomen
“The abdominal muscles are formed by four pairs of flat muscles that run around part of the abdominal cavity (abdomen). The four flat muscles are the rectus abdominis, internal oblique muscle, external oblique muscle, and transversus abdominis.
The nice thing is that everyone has abdominal muscles. Yes, really, you too! You just have a too high body fat percentage, which means you can feel them but not see them. Lowering your body fat percentage mainly has to do with your diet. However, you can make your abdominal muscles stronger and bigger. Train your abdominal muscles just like you do with your other muscles.”
