Bikini boot camp: Get beach fit with this 10-day HIIT workout
IT USED to be that a beach body meant months of pre-holiday starvation and misery.
In the days when skinniness and a concave stomach were considered the ultimate bikini goal, starvation and endless hours of treadmill dedication were the only way to achieve it.
But a sea-change has occurred and a new wave of beach-ready bodies are sporting the kind of physiques we once saw only on Olympic athletes.
As the likes of Ellie Goulding, Jennifer Lawrence, and Millie Mackintosh parade enviably toned muscles in their holiday selfies, it is out with the skeletal frame and in with athleticism.
In 2016, a ripped midriff has become the most desirable beach accessory and rock hard glutes the status symbol of a generation fixated with being fit, lean, and strong.
A toned thigh draws far more envy than a thin leg and a bicep shaped by hardcore workout is the body part to be bearing.
How, though, did it come to this?
In part, it is a spin-off from scientific research that has been rigorously investigating the best way to shred fat and add tone for the best part of a decade.
And what did scientists discover?
That spending hours in the gym or plodding along pavements is time-consuming and fruitless.
Dozens of studies confirm the benefits of HIIT, or high-intensity interval training — a short, sharp approach to shaping up that forms the basis of our workout plan.
It’s particularly good at burning tummy and buttock fat and has been proven, time and again, to be highly effective at attaining speedy body transformations.
Studies looking specifically at groups of volunteers in their 30s and 40s have compared long, slow endurance slogs lasting an hour or more with short, intense HIIT sessions and found, time and again, that the abbreviated approaches come up trumps.
In one of several trials at the University of Ontario, subjects were asked to do a session of four to six 30-second bursts with a four-minute recovery while a control group plodded away for an hour on the treadmill.
This was repeated three times a week for six weeks.
At the end of the trial, the joggers had indeed shed some body fat, but the HIIT group had lost double the amount and an impressive 12.4% of their body fat.
It’s tough and you might think it makes you ravenously hungry. Not so.
In fact, it seems to suppress appetite, at least in the short term, resulting in fewer calories consumed after a workout.
A study published in International Journal of Obesity proved this is the case by allowing volunteers to eat as much as they liked after HIIT workouts, moderate exercise, or rest.
Fewest calories were consumed after the high (621 calories) and very high (594 calories) intensity workouts compared to the times when they rested (764 extra calories) or did moderate exercise (710 calories).
For women, weights are also important. And no, they won’t make you bulky.
Used correctly (for our programme you will need a set of dumbbells weighting 3lb-7lb, depending on your fitness), they can accelerate fat loss and enhance muscle tone in time for your beach holiday.
Need proof?
There are lots of studies, including one that asked three groups of women to follow an 800-calorie-a-day diet in addition to either doing no exercise, walking, or jogging for up to 40 minutes on a treadmill three times a week, or following an weight-training session three times a week.
All dieted until they lost 25lb but the weight-trainers moved more throughout the day, burning calories faster.
In short, weight training helps you to burn calories like a furnace, even when you are not exercising.
The same goes for body weight conditioning, another recent focus of scientific investigation.
Your own body provides the best resistance aid of all and many of the exercises recommended in our programme involve moving and lifting your own mass for dramatic end results.
So what can you expect if you diligently stick to our workout plan for 10 days?
At the very least you will be lighter, more toned, and bikini ready.
But the likelihood is you will look as if you have spent decades at the gym getting ready for this year’s bikini moment.
THE PROGRAMME
This 10-day routine is neither time-consuming nor boring.
What’s more it will create such rapid transformation to your body (and self-esteem) that you will wonder why you ever put off a new fitness regimen in the first place.
The really good news is that none of the scheduled sessions last longer than 20 minutes.
It gives you 10 days of hard work to give you a holiday physique.
DAY ONE
Short HIIT: That’s 20 seconds of an exercise from the HIIT list, followed by 40 seconds’ rest, repeated for five minutes.
DAY TWO
Five minutes’ gentle cardio — a manageable pace at which you can easily hold a conversation — then the following calisthenics circuit: — Alternate lunges x 15 each leg — Single leg body lifts x 12 each leg — Step ups x 15 each leg —Walking lunges x 15 — Push-ups x 15 (or to failure) — Repeat the exercises twice, with 50 seconds’ rest between each set
DAY THREE
Active rest.
DAY FOUR
15 minutes’ steady cardio (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, skipping) followed by: — Ab crunches x 30 — Knee crossovers x 15 each leg — V-sits x 20 — Plank x 30 seconds or to failure.
DAY FIVE
Five minutes’ gentle cardio, 10 minutes of moderate cardio — picking up the pace to a level where you can chat only sporadically — and five minutes of gentle cardio.
DAY SIX
Five minutes’ gentle cardio followed by: — Triceps dips x 15 (or to failure) — Upright row x 12 — Single arm fly x 12 each side — Bicep curl x 12 each arm — Repeat the above routine twice with a 40-second rest between sets
DAY SEVEN
15 minutes of gentle cardio.
DAY EIGHT
Five minutes’ gentle cardio, then this calisthenics circuit: — Sumo squats x 15 — Lateral lunges x 12 — Push-ups x 16 (or to failure) — Oblique crunches x 30. — Repeat the exercises twice with 50-second rest between sets
DAY NINE
Long HIIT: That’s 16 minutes of steady cardio followed by 4 x 10-second sprints.
DAY TEN
Five minutes’ gentle cardio, ten minutes’ moderate cardio, five minutes of gentle cardio.
* Lie on your back, hand positioned lightly at the sides of your head.
* Place feet flat on the floor, knees bent, and curl your upper body towards them.
* The key is not to ‘sit up’ but to keep the lower back on the floor. Your chin should be tucked in and head held in position.
* Lower back down and repeat for the set number of repetitions.
* Lie on your back on the floor, hands positioned lightly at the sides of your head.
* Bring your feet close to your buttocks, feet flat on the floor.
* Using your abdominal muscles, twist your right elbow to your left knee, raising your shoulders off the floor as you do so.
* Lower back down and repeat on the other side. Repeat for the set number of repetitions.
*Lie face-down with hands positioned palms down, facing forwards and beneath your shoulders.
* Elbows and feet should be on the floor.
* Raise your body onto your forearms (elbows bent to 90 degrees) and feet, keeping your back, head and legs in a straight line.
* Hold the position for the recommend time.
* Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
* Engage your abdominal muscles and raise the weights by bending your elbows, palms facing the body.
* Curl the weights up towards the shoulders, keeping elbows close to your trunk.
* When the weights reach chest level, slowly uncurl back down.
* Stand next to a sturdy bench, box, or chair, and place your left foot on the top surface so that your knee bends at around 90 degrees (too much or too little of an angle will produce detrimental results).
* Push up through the heel of your left foot to raise your body, and place your right foot on the surface next to your left. Step down again with your left foot.
* Repeat the set number of repetitions on your left leg before switching to the right.
* Position your hands on the edge of a bench or stool, palms down and fingers facing your body. Feet should be flat on the floor and far enough away from the bench to allow you to drop your body down by bending your arms.
* Lower your body until your arms are at right angles and parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight and eyes looking straight ahead. Push your body back up to the start position. Complete set number of repetitions.
* Hold a barbell or weight in each hand and stand with feet shoulder-width apart, palms facing inwards. Keep your back straight and your eyes looking straight ahead.
* Leading with your elbows, lift the dumbbells upwards to chest level. You should reach the point where upper arms are about level with the shoulders.
* Return to the start position and repeat.
* Lie face down on the floor with legs together and palms of your hands on the floor just beneath the shoulders.
* Extend legs behind you, supporting them with the balls of your feet.
* Push the hands into the floor and straighten your arms to raise yourself up. Engage your abdominal muscles to help you achieve this.
* Don’t completely lock the elbows at the top of the move and do try to keep your body in a straight line.
* Lower yourself back down by bending the elbows to around 45 degrees and repeat. Beginners can try the same upper body movement but with knees on the floor.
* Start with feet shoulder width apart and hands by your sides.
* Raise your left leg and bend the knee to 90 degrees before taking a stride forward into a lunge with it. Keep your left knee over your left foot — not in front of it — with back straight and eyes looking straight ahead.
* Repeat with the left foot taking alternate steps for the set number of repetitions.
* These are tough but do get results. You use the front abdominal muscles as well as the obliques at the sides for balance.
* Lie on your back on the floor, hands positioned lightly at the sides of your head and legs outstretched.
* Raise your upper and lower body to form a ‘V’ position in which you balance on your buttocks.
* Knees can be slightly bent.
* Lower down in a controlled way, really engaging your core muscles
* Hold a dumbbell in the right hand. Lie on a bench or on the floor, feet flat on the floor and knees bent.
* Extend the right arm out to the side, keeping elbow slightly bent. Place left hand on left hip for support.
* Bring the weight back above the chest and then out to the side again.
* Repeat for the set number of repetitions before changing sides.
* Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart, knees and toes pointing out at a 45 degree angle. You can position your hands either crossed at shoulder height or in front of you for balance.
* Bend your knees and lower your bottom as if preparing to sit, keeping heels rooted to the ground for good balance.
* Make sure the back is straight and eyes looking forward throughout.
* Continue until knees are at 45 degrees, then slowly return to the start position. Repeat.
* A dynamic ab-toning move that really helps develop stability in the area.
* Start in a press up position supported by the feet and with hands beneath the shoulders, fingers forward.
* Engage your abs to hold the trunk in position and then raise your left knee towards your right arm. Your back should not bend or twist and you need to return to the start position once this happens.
* Repeat by raising your right knee to your left arm and alternate in this way for the set number of repetitions.
* Lie on the floor, both feet on a bench or chair and bottom fairly close to it. Take off your left foot and flex it towards the ceiling.
* Placing your arms on the floor beside you, palms down, raise your pelvis off the floor using the muscles in your right leg and in the core to power the move. Continue until your hips are in line with your shoulders.
* Lower back down to the start position, repeating for the set number of repetitions before switching legs.
