The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on every sector, with the fitness industry being one of the hardest hit. People are slouching on their couches, completely disregarding their fitness goals made at the start of the year.
There was a time when fitness was given high priority, but it wasn’t even acknowledged during the peak of the pandemic. Slowly, the fitness industry is regaining its rhythm as people return to gyms post the pandemic.
Everyone knows they must stay hydrated while going to the gym. It helps you get revved up before you start your workouts. They may also know that few workouts are more powerful than others, whether they target specific muscle areas or aid in calorie burn.
However, most people just don’t know where exactly to START. Have you lost the conventional sequence of your fitness exercises? Not to worry! We’ve compiled ten simple exercises to get the perfect summer body.
Get The Perfect Summer Body
Two Sections. 10 Workouts. You Can Do It!
Getting a summer body is not as hard as it sounds. All it needs is some effort, dedication, and a routine.
Even if we enlighten you about all the workouts available, they may not be effective. Unless you consistently get up and go to the gym. The key to success and a summer body here is consistency.
In today’s guide to getting the perfect summer body, we’ll cover two sections of workouts as well as some bonus tips. There are 10 summer body exercises altogether, with some helpful hints in between.
Section 1: Bodyweight Exercises
The Lunge
There are some basic bodyweight workouts that can help you get the perfect summer body, like lunges. Lunges help the body by developing leg and glute strength while also promoting functional mobility.
This exercise is good for both injury prevention and rehabilitation following an injury. It’s frequently included in a fundamental strength program or rehab protocol, allowing athletes and exercisers to return to their favorite sport or activity as soon as feasible.
The lunge is a functional exercise that prepares you for daily workouts. There are many muscle groups targeted, like quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, obliques, abdominal muscles, and the spine.
The forward lunge is the classic type of lunge. It entails taking a step forward, lowering your body to the ground, and returning to your original posture. This is the type of lunge that people refer to when they mention “doing lunges.”
Your leg muscles must regulate the impact of your foot landing at the start of the activity. After that, you sink your body even lower to the ground, careful not to let your knees go past your foot.
To manage the action, your muscles extend under strain during this period. The quadriceps decelerate your landing and control the descent in tandem with the hamstrings and glutes.
So on this first summer body exercise, simply start by standing with your arms at your sides, shoulder-width apart. Step forward with your right leg, bending your knee and coming to a complete stop when your thigh is parallel to the ground.
Then, push up with your right foot to return to the starting position. Rep with the opposite leg, and you’re done.
Push-ups
Next on our list of summer body exercises is push-ups. Push-ups are one of the most basic yet effective bodyweight exercises due to the number of muscles that are worked.
To relax your muscles into exercise mode, take a few minutes before any form of exercise, whether it’s a cardio workout, strength training, or a team sport. This will provide you with several fitness benefits.
If you have a shoulder, wrist, or elbow problem, you should avoid doing push-ups. Consult your doctor or physical therapist to see whether this is the right workout for you.
To keep your wrists in a neutral position, place your hands on dumbbells or push-up bars. You can stop doing push-ups if you are suffering from shoulder pain or hear a clicking noise in your shoulder.
Rep as many times as your workout calls for. If you need to pass a fitness test (like the Army Physical Fitness Test), there are a few basic tactics you may use to increase your strength and endurance so you can do more push-ups.
Let’s begin with it! Shall we?
Begin by doing a plank. Your core needs to be firm, your shoulders should be drawn back and down, and your neck should be neutral. Begin bending your body to the floor by kneeling on your elbows.
Drop down to a modified stance on your knees if you can’t quite do a conventional push-up with good technique; you’ll still gain many benefits while increasing strength.
Push-ups make a great summer body exercise because it increases flexibility, lower the risk of injury improves performance, improve muscle tension and pain, and give you a better range of motion.
Squats
Next on our list of summer body exercises is squats. Squats improve core strength and lower-back and hip flexibility. Squats burn many calories since they use some of the body’s largest muscles.
During the eccentric component of the movement or the lowering phase of the squat, the muscles around your hamstrings and hip flexors fire. Squats also strengthen and prevent injury by strengthening the muscles around the knee.
The squat is a full-body exercise that develops your core while working your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. It’s a great summer body exercise that can be performed in many ways!
Sloppy squats must be prevented, and this staple exercise should be polished. Here’s how to do a bodyweight squat, along with a few weighted variations to attempt once you’ve mastered the technique.
Begin by standing with your arms at your sides and your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest and chin up while pushing your hips back and bending your knees as if you were ready to sit in a chair.
Bring your arms out in front of you in a comfortable position, keeping your knees from bowing inward or outward. Extend your legs and pause for 1 second to return to the starting position.
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, and toes pointed out slightly. Bend knees and shift hips back while keeping the head in line with the tailbone. Bring your thighs parallel to the ground and lower yourself. You can add weights to this to make it more intense!
Side Plank
A strong core is essential for a healthy body, so don’t overlook core-specific exercises like the side plank. It will help you on your way to getting a summer body!
To make sure you’re doing this technique correctly, concentrate on the mind-muscle connection and regulated movements. The side plank is an excellent exercise for developing the oblique abdominal muscles, which are not well worked during ab workouts like crunches.
Only one arm and the side of one foot will maintain your body in a straight position on your side. As core stabilizing muscles, strong obliques can be quite beneficial and they look amazing too!
Before continuing to the side plank, beginners should warm up their obliques and do modified side planks to increase strength and balance. Side planks can be used in any core workout, Pilates, or Yoga practice.
Unlike many core workouts, this one does not put a strain on your lower back or neck. The side plank is better during pregnancy since it puts less stress on the central abdominal muscles.
It’s a balancing workout that will improve your coordination and balance. This exercise can help you maintain good posture and ease of movement by strengthening your core and improving your balance.
Here’s how to begin. Stack your left leg and foot on top of your right leg and foot while lying on your right side. Place your right forearm on the ground and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder to support your upper torso.
To form a straight line with your body, contract your core to tighten your spine and lift your hips and knees off the ground. Return to the starting point gradually and switch sides after three sets of 10–15 reps on one side.
Regular Planks
Okay, now we have planks. Planks are a wonderful technique to work your abdominal muscles as well as your entire body. Planking stagnates your core while putting tension on your back, like crunches or situps.
Plank from a tabletop posture by intentionally pressing into your hands and pulling your abs in, as shown, to learn how to keep your spine neutral. Tuck your toes under and lift your knees slightly off the floor.
As you increase core strength, doing a plank with your knees bent and lifted will assist relieve some of the weight on your feet. You can complete an incline plank with your forearms or palms resting on a bench or step.
Place your forearms or palms on a flat, elevated surface with your elbows right beneath your shoulders. Walk your feet back till your body forms a diagonal straight line. Tuck your tailbone slightly and deliberately press it into your forearms or hands as you pull your abs in.
Here’s how you can do it. Begin with your hands and toes firmly planted on the ground, your back straight, and your core taut in a push-up stance. Maintain a small chin tuck and your sight directly in front of your hands.
Take slow, deep breaths while maintaining tension throughout your entire body, including abs, shoulders, triceps, glutes, and quads. Look straight ahead of your hands.
Warm-up exercises are an important aspect of any fitness plan often disregarded. Before you begin your workout, your body requires some form of activity to warm up your muscles.
Warming up can improve your flexibility and athletic performance while lowering your risk of injury. You can either execute slower versions of the motions you’ll be doing during your workout or attempt any of the warm-up activities mentioned above.
Before beginning any new workout program, consult your doctor if you’re new to fitness or have a medical condition or health issue.
Section – 2 Dumbbell Exercises:
After you’ve completed your warm-up and bodyweight sessions, we’ll move on to the more challenging phase of the workout. These will help tone your summer body!
There are several reasons why dumbbell workouts are so popular — not only do they offer more variety than nearly any other piece of gym equipment, but they can also help you lose weight faster, develop total-body strength, increase muscle mass, and even improve your cardio.
Calf Raises
Start with a dumbbell calf raise. Hold two dumbbells by your sides and stand upright. Place your heels on the floor and the balls of your feet on an exercise step or weight plate.
Raise your heels off the floor and contract your calves with your toes pointed forward. Return to the starting position slowly. It’s a great start to your summer body workout with dumbbells!
Russian Twist
Next, we have the Russian twist. Any core workout would benefit from the Russian twist. You’re exercising numerous core muscles simultaneously with the twisting motion, and adding a dumbbell takes it further.
Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your feet resting on the ground or floating above it. Make a 45-degree angle with your upper body (this will feel like you are at the top position of a situp).
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and move your shoulders away from your ears while holding one dumbbell in each hand. You’ll give your abs an extra workout by elevating your feet off the ground. (As an alternative, keep your feet on the ground.)
Twist your torso to the right, keep the dumbbell in front of your chest, and reach the floor. Return to center and twist to the left while tapping the dumbbell on the floor. On each side, repeat ten times. That will definitely get you to feel the burn!
Overhead Tricep Extension
Next, you can try an overhead extension. Your feet should be hip-width apart. Grab a dumbbell and stretch both arms straight up overhead with each hand. Join your hands so that the weights are in contact.
Lower the weight directly behind your head, keeping your elbows straight forward and your biceps fastened to your ears. Repeat ten times with your arms back up to the extension over your head.
If you look around the weight room next time, you’re certain to find one or two people doing biceps curls or some other laser-focused biceps workout.
It’s rare to see someone giving similar care to their triceps, which is a shame because you need massive triceps just as much as, if not more than, bulging biceps if you want sleeve-bursting upper arms. It’s essential to the summer body!
Dumbbell Press
Now let’s talk about the bench press. Dumbbells have a wider range of motion than barbells, allowing you to increase your chest strength even further. A good dumbbell bench press can also tone up your triceps and work your shoulder muscles.
With dumbbell movements, as with any workouts, the goal is to squeeze at the top of the movement. This will keep the muscles you’re focusing on active and engaged. The following are the steps to performing a dumbbell bench press.
Position yourself on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Each arm should be bent to the side of each shoulder, palms facing up. As you press the weights above your chest, extend your elbows.
Continue until your arms reach straight above your chest, but don’t contact the weights. Lower the weights to just below shoulder level. Then repeat!
Bicep Curl
Last on our list of summer body exercises is the bicep curl. One of the most simple and well-known weight-lifting exercises is also one of the most effective. It works a lot of the bicep and tricep muscles. Keep your back straight and your upper body under control throughout this exercise.
We’ve all seen guys at the gym lift weights too heavy for them and throw dumbbells back with full disregard for their backs. This is a home dumbbell workout that emphasizes solitary control. To complete a dumbbell bicep curl efficiently, do the following:
Hold a pair of dumbbells on each side of your body. The dumbbells should be roughly parallel to your shoulders, your arms should be slightly bent, and your palms should face your body. When you reach the top, press upward and twist your wrists so that your palms are facing forward.
Straighten your arms by lifting the weights precisely above your shoulders. Repeat as desired!
Extra Helpful Tips
Apart from exercises, here are a few things that shall help you get your summer body toned faster and stay the way it is.
You must stay hydrated to obtain a summer body. Consuming at least half a gallon of water a day is a definite need. In summers, your body tends to perspire a lot. Hence, you might want to increase your water intake.
We said water, not soda. Yes, you heard that right. Aerated drinks are nothing but sugar in a glass. While trying to get your body toned, you must avoid all aerated and carbonated drinks.
Add nuts to your diet. This can help you foster a summer body. Nuts are healthy and, at the same time, ensure that your stomach keeps full. This shall help you reduce cravings and unnecessary fatty food.
Increase the frequency and quality of your food. Consuming a lesser portion of meals at shorter intervals shall help improve your digestion. Add more proteins and leafy vegetables to your diet for better results.
It’s not entirely impossible to have a healthier summer body! With these helpful tips, exercises, and a little consistency, you’ll have one in no time.
Conclusion
Dumbbells are simple and adaptable home resistance training equipment. Weights should be chosen according to one’s goals, available space, and financial resources.
When exercising, one should always keep the appropriate form in mind. They might also want to buy a few different weights if they need to gain or lose weight to meet their goals.
If you want to lose weight, meet specific fitness objectives, or receive extra benefits, you may need to increase your moderate aerobic activity.
Consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have concerns about your fitness, haven’t exercised in a long time, or have chronic health problems like heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis. These ten simple recommendations will promise you a summer body.
If you’re traveling a lot this summer but still want to work out, we have a guide for travel workouts too!
