5 exercises to tone your body in 20 minutes
Physical exercise is one of the best options if we want to have good physical and psychological health . Some benefits of this practice are: better cardiovascular health, stress reduction and better self-esteem.
However, some people, in addition to improving their health, perform sports to lose fat or tone their body. In today's article, we present 5 exercises to tone your body and achieve the figure you want.
- Related article: "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise"
A routine of only 20 minutes
If you are one of those people who are missing hours in a day because they are so busy, performing these exercises will not take you more than 20 minutes.
For it, do the exercises in a row, with 10-20 repetitions each. Rest for 2 minutes and repeat the routine 2 more times until you run a total of 3 sets. Take it out 3 times a week and you will surely notice the results.
Losing fat is more than just exercising
Now, make no mistake, to see the results and tone we must have a percentage of body fat that allows us to see more than fat tissue. Losing belly can be a slow process depending on the percentage of fat that one possesses. And to achieve this goal, physical, psychological and nutritional variables intervene that are not always taken into account. We have to be realist!
It is important to emphasize that if we want our toned body to be seen, we will have to combine aerobic work with or strength exercises, such as those shown below. Also, if our goal is to burn fat, we are going to have to eat in order to produce a caloric deficit , that is, that we burn more than what we consume.
- You can delve into these and other tips to lose fat in our post: "How to lose belly: 14 tips to show off a slender figure"
The best fat-burning foods
As we discussed, nutrition is an important aspect. The essential thing is to be well nourished, because miraculous diets can eventually cause a rebound effect. Surely you ask yourself: and, then, what should I eat? Well, there are many foods that are going to be beneficial if what we want is to lose weight.
In our post "24 fat-burning (and highly healthy) foods" you will find the best options to achieve your goal.
5 exercises to tone your body quickly
If you want to tone your body do not miss the list with the following exercises . You can do them from your own home, and you will only need a fitball, a sit-up wheel and a dumbbell. Enjoy them!
1. Iron with lifting legs
The iron or "plank" is an ideal exercise to tone the body . It belongs to the group of isometric exercises, so you have to tense a muscle and keep it in a stationary position for as long as necessary.
To carry it out it is necessary to lie face down with your back straight. We raise the 2 arms and we lean on the elbows. The feet should be pointed and we maintain the posture by strengthening the core. We breathe without tension, and holding the posture, we raise the left leg. We hold a second and go back to the starting position. We repeat with the other leg and repeat until we can hold the plate position with good shape. If you are new, lift each leg 5 times and then move on to the next exercise.
There are different variations of this exercise that you can see in the video shown below:
2. Burpee
The burpee is an exercise that, in addition to promoting fat loss, helps tone .
To execute it we stand with our hands relaxed at our sides. Then, we bend down so that our palms are resting on the ground and the knees are folded. We put the legs together backwards at once and we put ourselves in position as if we were doing push-ups. Then we return to the previous position, with the legs bent. Finally we return to the initial position: standing and with relaxed hands. Repeat the sequence 10 to 20 times.
3. Abdominal wheel
The abdominal wheel is an exercise that can be complex, but that provides many benefits for the abdominal area and, in addition, tones. Now, it is an exercise that you must execute correctly to avoid damaging your abs.
To do so, get on your knees, with one hand on each side of the roller. Move the roller forward and do until your body is extended and with the belly close to the ground. Extend as much as you can and when your body is extended, exhale and return to the initial position. Repeat it a maximum of 10 times.
4. Pelvic lift with fitball
This is another great exercise to tone up. There is the classic version without fitball, but the best results come with the ball . To do this, it is necessary to lie stretched on the floor on the back with the arms at rest on the sides and knees flexed on the fitball.
For its execution we must place ourselves stretched on the floor on the back, with the arms supported on the sides of the body and the knees bent. We inspire and push with our feet to separate the buttocks from the floor and raise them. We keep the position there for a few seconds and exhale while slowly descending the pelvis without reaching the buttocks on the surface.
5. Stride with biceps
This exercise is ideal for toning and requires great abdominal work , besides working the legs, glutes and biceps.
To execute it you have to stand up with arms outstretched at your sides and with dumbbells held in your hands. We take a step forward so that the legs are in an inverted "V" shape. We bend the front leg so that it forms a 90 degree angle, while letting the other knee be parallel to our body, a few centimeters from the ground. We hold that position and we flex we make an arm contraction so that we lift the weights by force with the biceps. We return to the initial position and perform 10 repetitions.
