The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (56 page)

Massage the muscle vigorously, as if you’re kneeding dough. This combines the previous two methods by stretching and compressing the muscle, helping to release the cramp.

GOLF WORKOUT

Here’s one game that looks deceptively easy. But even a leisurely round of golf requires you to twist and turn and generate force with your hips and obliques muscles that go largely unused in daily life. The following moves target those crucial core muscles as well as hips, hamstrings, and shoulders to put power in every drive and stroke.

START HERE:

Do the routine as a circuit, performing the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next move. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit twice more.

Windmill

A

• Stand with your feet wider than hip width and hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you, elbows slightly bent, palms facing each other; lean your torso forward.

B

• Rotate to the right as you raise your right arm toward the ceiling.

C

• Return to the starting position, then repeat to the left.

REPS:
Do 20, alternating sides.

Leaning Hamstring Curl

A

• Place your forearms on the back of a chair, elbows out, and rest your head on your arms.

B

• Raise your right leg behind you to hip height, left knee slightly bent. Your back should be straight, so that if you placed a broomstick on your back, your upper back, butt, and heel would touch the stick.

• Slowly bend your right knee, bringing your heel toward your butt. Slowly return to start. That’s 1 rep.

• This move strengthens the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back—muscles used for balance, stability, and initiating the production of power for the drive.

REPS:
Do 10 to 15, then switch sides and repeat.

Lawn Mower

A

• Grab an 8- to 10-pound dumbbell in your right hand and let it hang at your side, palm facing inward. Place your left hand on your left hip.

• Lunge forward with your left leg until your left knee is bent 90 degrees

B

• Straighten your left leg and bend your right elbow, pulling the weight up toward your ribs as you rotate your torso to the right.

• Lower the weight and return to lunge position. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 12, then repeat the move with the dumbbell in your left hand.

Low Cross Chop

A

• Grab a 5- to 10-pound medicine ball and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Raise the ball above your right shoulder.

B

• Then, bend your knees at least 45 degrees and lower the ball to the outside of your left ankle.

• Repeat from left shoulder to right ankle. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 6.

TENNIS WORKOUT

Talk about a game that keeps you on your toes. To play sharp, you not only need lightning-fast reflexes, but also the ability to dash from side to side, and slam the ball over the net from each and every direction. That means power, flexibility, and agility through your legs, hips, shoulders, and core. The following moves hit the spot.

START HERE:

Do the routine as a circuit, performing the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit again. Go through the entire routine three times.

Power Lunge and Pull

A

• Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you at shoulder height, arms straight, palms facing down. Stand with your right foot in front of your left. This is the starting position.

B

• Bend your knees and lean forward slightly. Simultaneously pull the weights to the sides of your torso and rotate your palms toward your body.

• Slowly return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 10 to 12. Repeat with your left leg forward.

Calf Raise

A

• Stand next to a chair with your heels together and toes pointed out to create a wide V shape. Place your left hand on the chair, right hand on your hip.

B

• Slowly rise onto the balls of your feet. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly return to start. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 10 to 15.

INSTANT UPGRADE:

GO FAST, FRY MORE FAT

Forget about steady-state cardio. “It’s a simple fact: The faster you go, the more calories you burn, and the more weight you will lose,” says exercise physiologist Tom Holland, author of The Marathon Method. Holland recommends that half your workout be near your anaerobic threshold, or AT, which is what you’ll get with our HIIT workouts. “That’s the point where we begin to have trouble breathing and our bodies can no longer clear lactic acid from our bloodstream,” Holland says. “Runners call this a tempo workout -- which means increasing your speed until you hit and sustain a ‘comfortably hard’ pace for a set period of time.”

Rotation Swing

A

• Grab a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell with both hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Extend the dumbbell straight out in front of you at shoulder height.

B

• Keeping your hips square and your arms straight, rotate your torso and arms to the left as far as you can.

• Then, swing the dumbbell as far to the right as possible.

• Accelerate the weight across the front of your body, then slow it down once it gets to your side. From the right side, slowly return your arms to the center starting position. That’s 1 rep. Complete all reps, then repeat, this time swinging first to the left.

REPS:
Do 10. Switch sides and repeat.

Lateral Leap with Reach