subject: The Ten Best Exercises To Tone Abs Thighs And Arms [print this page] The ten best exercises to tone abs thighs and arms are called compound exercises because they work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Compound exercises include things like the bench press, dead lifts, clean and jerks and others. These exercises have a couple of benefits when it comes to toning your body.
The first benefit is that they build muscle and the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn. This is because muscle weighs more than fat and the body must work harder, consequently, burning more fat. The other benefit these exercises bring to the table is that they cause your body to exert so much effort that it goes into a state of metabolic shock. This means that you will burn calories at a higher rate for days after you are exercising.
For the purposes of toning the abs, thighs and arms I recommend the following.
1.The squat. Stand with your toes pointing slightly outward and balance a bar bell on the back of your neck and shoulders. Now lower your body into a sitting position and come up again. Squats are great to work your quadriceps and gluteus maximus. You are also working your abs because, as in the exercises above, the abs act as a stabilizer.
2.The dead lift. To do this exercise stand above a bar bell and lower yourself to it as if you are sitting down. As in all the exercises it is very important to keep your back straight and your butt out and your eyes forward. Grip the bar with one hand facing down and one hand facing up. Now dig your heels into the ground and lift with your legs. Dead lifts will work hour hamstrings, lower back and abs as well as your forearms.
3.The clean and jerk. Stand over the bar bell and squat down to pick it up with your palms facing down. Lift the bar with your legs to your hips then lift it to your chest in a reverse curl motion and then over head. The clean and jerk is going to work the legs as you lift the barbell off the floor and the arms as you move it to your chest. It is also going to work your abs as you raise the barbell over your head because your abs act as stabilizers.
4.The single armed dumbbell snatch. Standing over a DB simply grab it with on hand and, in a single motion, raise it high over your head. Lower and repeat.
5.The military press. Standing upright with a barbell or two dumbbells in your hands simply raise it over your head, lower and repeat.
6.Burpees. Start in a standing up position and then squat down and fall forward into a push up position, kick your legs back and do a push up. Then jump up from a squat position, stand up and do the whole thing over again.
7.The Kettlebell swing. Simply squat downs and pick up a KB between your legs then, as you stand up, thrust forward with your back and hips. Do this a number of times and you will really feel it.
8.Bench press. Lying on a bench with a bar over head bring the bar to your chest and press up, then repeat. This will work your tripeps (the back of your arm) and your chest.
9.Lunges. Also known as the split squat, you begin by standing straight up with a barbell on your shoulders or dumbbells or kettlebells in your hand. Now, simply step forward with one leg in a lunging motion bringing the opposite knee toward the ground. Repeat with the other leg.
10.Box Jumps. Simply jump up onto a box about 18 inches or higher and repeat.
