The Life Plan (44 page)

Benefits:
This exercise strengthens and shapes the back of your thighs.

To start:
Lie facedown on the bench. Place your knees beyond the edge of the bench. Adjust the rollers so that they rest on the back a little above your ankles. Hold on to the handles on the side, keeping your gaze straight ahead.

Slowly raise and flex your knees to raise your feet against the rollers. Your feet should almost touch your glutes.

Lower and return to the starting position.

NOTE:
Make sure that you do not lift your hips off the bench, putting too much pressure on your lower back.

Benefits:
This exercise shapes and strengthens the back of your thighs, front of the legs, and the glutes.

To start:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands behind your head, fingers interlocked and chest out.

Bend your knees and lower your body as if you were sitting back into a chair.

Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Return to the starting position.

Benefits:
Develops power in the legs.

To start:
Stand with feet shoulder width apart in front of a secured box or platform.

Bend knees about 45 degrees.

Jump on box with both feet.

Immediately jump down to your starting position.

Be sure to bend your knees when landing.

Repeat as fast as possible.

Benefits:
Develops power in the legs.

To start:
Stand with feet hip to shoulder width apart.

Bend knees to about 90 degrees.

Explode from bent-knee position into a jump. This means you need to generate as much force as possible from your legs by extending ankles, hips, and knees. This exercise is an attempt to move your body from a squatting position into the air in as little time as possible by using all the force you can generate.

Jump as high as possible.

As you begin the jump, raise your knees toward your chest.

Upon landing, repeat jump and knee raise as fast as possible.

The secret to great abs is not doing thousands of crunches every day. Focus your energy on getting rid of the subcutaneous fat (fat under your skin) that covers them up. To do this you need to burn the fat off your
entire
body. It is impossible to remove the fat just from your abdomen—there is no such thing as spot reducing (unless, of course, you want to go under hot lights and the cold, sharp steel of a scalpel). Fat is spread over the entire body, and I hate to tell you this, but the last place we lose it and the first place we put it on is, you guessed it, our bellies. So, train your abs like any other body part and burn the fat off your entire body with the right combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise along with the Life Plan diets.

Benefits:
This exercise shapes and strengthens your biceps.

To start:
Sit down at the preacher curl machine. Place the back of your upper arm against the incline support pad. Sit in an erect position. Draw your navel inward.

With your upper arm firmly against the pad, grab the handles on the bar, curling your arms up toward your face.

Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.

Slowly lower to the starting position.

Benefits:
This exercise shapes and strengthens your biceps.

To start:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold two dumbbells at your side, with your palms facing forward.

Curl the weights up to your shoulders.

Lower them slowly to the starting position.

Benefits:
This exercise shapes and strengthens your biceps.