We here at Beach Baby want you to look your best at the beach, so we asked some of our fitness experts if they could suggest a few exercises that you might want to fit into your daily workout routine.
They assured us that if you do these exercises faithfully, all eyes will be on you at the beach. Good luck and have fun!
Exercise #1 – The Pushup
Push-ups are actually a full body workout if done properly.
#1 – Start by getting into a push-up position.
#2 – Lower yourself to the ground, and then push up so that you are back where you started.
#3 – Keep your back flat and your hands right below your shoulders. Suck your belly button into your spine. You’ll notice that the closer together your hands are, the tougher it gets.
#4 – If this is too easy, try it on your knuckles. Smile!
Here’s a quick video showing proper push-up form.
Exercise #2 – The Short Bridge
Bridges definitely give your back and gluts a workout, and they come in many forms, from beginner versions to more advanced.
Today we’re focusing on the short bridge, which is mainly for beginners and those who have had injuries with their back before. You might want to use a mat for this one to support your back.
- Lie on your back with your feet shoulder width apart and knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your arms at your side, palms up.
- Raise your hips off the floor one vertebrae at a time until you can’t lift your hips any higher.
- Count to 3 and then lower your hips back to the floor beginning with the top vertebrae all the way down to your low back.
- Repeat 8 times.
- Blow out on the way up, and take a deep breath on the way back down.
This video shows several different bridges. The first one shown in the video is the one we’ve discussed here.
Exercise #3 – The Squat
Squats require good balance, core strength, and work your quads, your gluts, and your low back.
- Begin by standing in neutral with your feet shoulder width apart. Make sure you begin with your shoulders over your hips and your hips forward.
- Point your toes straight ahead, and as you squat, concentrate on your knees moving in the same direction as the toes are pointing.
- As you lower your body, keep your shoulders over your hips. If your bum starts to stick out behind, it simply means that your low back is weak so don’t go down so low at first until you can do it right.
- Keep you head up and hips forward.
Check out this video which shows proper squat form, as well as a few common mistakes to avoid.
Exercise #4 – The Shoulder Press
This exercise will require you to grab some weights, and its going to work your shoulders, arms, and chest. You can sit down for this one, or stand up.
- Begin by standing in neutral, which means your feet are shoulder width apart and your back is straight. Your shoulders are over your hips. Your chin is tucked back slightly, and imagine someone pulling the top of your head straight up.
- Hold light weights, either dumb bells or a bar, about head height with your arms in “goal post” position.
- Blow your breath out as you push the weights over your head until your arms are straight.
- Lower the weights back to the starting position and do 7 more.
- Add more weight as you need it, but make sure that your form doesn’t suffer, and that you can get the weights all the way up until your arms are straight.
Here’s a great video showing proper shoulder press form. Again, keep that back straight and watch your breathing as you do this exercise.
Our advice is to make these exercises part of your daily fitness routine. If you’re going for that perfect beach body, you’ll want to step up your game to get there. Make sure that, depending on the day, you focus on different muscle groups, and don’t forget to add cardio to your routine. The combination of strength training and cardio will help you burn off those calories, and have you looking and feeling great in no time!
Thanks for reading!
