Elliott Cottington and Keaton McAuliffe
Reporters
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWxM995gDDA
As the temperature inches closer and closer to 70, everyone starts thinking: summer. And as exciting as that sounds, summer can also mean something horrific for some – swimsuit season. No pressure, but the pressure’s on to get a rockin’ bod before Summa’ 2013 arrives. In just a few short weeks, pools will be opening and skin will be frying. So it’s crunch time. Literally.
Tips for Guys (from Elliott):
Compared to our female counterparts, guys have a much easier time preparing for the dreaded “swimsuit season”. While girls have to deal with wearing glorified underwear, we can simply throw on what could easily be mistaken for a pair of shorts. However, that doesn’t mean guys can get away with not preparing for those days by the pool. While our butts need not be toned, no one wants to see scrawny arms or a flabby belly. That means it’s time to target the two “A’s”: arms and abs.
The easiest way to target your arms is through the classic push-up. Pretty much everyone knows how to do one, they don’t require extra equipment, and they can be done practically anywhere. Sometimes the most effective workouts are also the simplest. Doing diamond pushups (where the hands are placed close together and you make a diamond with your thumbs and index fingers) will give your triceps an extra boost, although these are not for beginners. If you have access to more equipment, bicep curls and overhead presses can be done with dumbbells, which also allow you to tailor your workout to your strength level. For those looking for a real challenge, try some pull ups and chin ups. While these exercises are more difficult, they also provide a better workout. No pain, no gain, right?
While buff arms are a priority, make sure you don’t neglect those equally important abdominal muscles. Whether it be planks, crunches, bicycles, or any combination that you can think of, finding an ab routine that works for you is essential. In this department, Youtube and Google are your best friends, as there are literally millions of ab tutorials and routines to be found on both of these sites. Our personal favorite it the 8 Minute Ab routine, above, that we mentioned in the previous post. The most important thing is to actually give it some effort. Rather than spend 15 minutes every night sifting through random Vines or perusing Twitter, use those couple of minutes to complete a quick ab workout. When it comes time to show off your body, you won’t regret it.
Tips for Girls (from Keaton):
Most girls have love/hate relationships with their swimsuits. I know I absolutely start to hate them when I’m standing in the Lord and Taylor dressing room trying on my 50th bikini. But, never fear, I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.
For starters, it’s important to define the target areas. So, TARGET AREAS: Butt and Belly. These are the areas most highlighted by those devilish two pieces. And, unfortunately, they’re also the areas that often need the most work. Starting with the butt, there is quite a selection of exercises you can do. If any girls (and don’t be shy) still read that fabulous magazine, Seventeen, then they’ve probably already seen the butt workout that they’ve strategically placed in their May issue. If any of you missed it or, “missed it” (wink, wink), I highly recommend picking up a copy. It’s their swimsuit issue also. Bottom line is (and pun definitely intended, bro) squats, squats, squats, squats, squats, squats (like “shots”, get it?) Anywho, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, supermans, and all else of that nature is guaranteed a good butt lift, especially if you do these exercises regularly. If you don’t know how to perform these exercises, trust me, YouTube is full of strange yet helpful “how-to” videos.
And when I say regularly I’m talking every other day. It’s great if you can alternate between abs and butt. So do a few sets of the Seventeen glutes routine, or do like 20 minutes of your own. But, keep in mind, that’s not like 2 minutes of actual exercising and then 18 of just lying on the floor pretending to be productive. I’m talking 20 minutes of the real stuff. The same goes for abs, although the 8 minute ab routine is acceptable (see the link in the last blog.) For the last few minutes try a couple of planks. My best tip: do abs to music. Make a set playlist and play the same songs for the same exercises you do. It makes the time and the pain fly by. For the most part.
Just doing these exercises for a few minutes everyday can definitely make a difference, especially if you start now. Focus on the target areas, without neglecting the rest of your body, of course. That also means eating right and maintaining a healthy diet. We’ll be back later for some Swimsuit season snacks and tips and tricks for eating right to help you get that bikini bod. But, again, you won’t fit into that bikini or those trunks without the workout!
So stay tuned because ’tis the season for swimsuits, health, and fitness!
TTYL,
Keaton and Elliott
