Namita Nayyar:
What type of workout works best for an endomorphic body?
Camilla Akerberg:
I highly recommend resistance training as a part of the fitness regime for all body types. Building strength and lean muscle mass is so important for people of all ages, and will also help you burn fat and look toned. Remember to warm up appropriately and don’t forget to stretch afterwards! Apart from this I also highly recommend walking. Our bodies are made for walking- not sitting in an office all day. So, take every opportunity to walk when you can. You can use one of many step counting apps to keep track and help you hit a daily or weekly step target. Variation in your training is also important to keep your body guessing what’s next, and will also keep things fun! I personally LOVE circuit training for a bit more intensity. Don’t be afraid to try a class of Pilates, Yoga, a stretch class, swim laps, play tennis with a friend, play a round of golf, test out boxing or do a circuit training class.
I’ve got a fun 8-week program called the “Toned Body Guide” that incorporates a mix of resistance training, circuit training and includes a daily step target on my website: www.camillaakerberg.com
Namita Nayyar:
Why is a good warmup so important before a workout session? Give an example of a warmup you can do whilst traveling
Camilla Akerberg:
Warming up before a workout is important to prepare your body for training and will reduce the risk of injury. By warming up you are gradually increasing your heart rate and the circulation of blood to your muscles. It will help loosen your joints and mentally prepare you for the training session.
A few methods you can include in a good warm up:
- Foam rolling (if available)
- Dynamic stretches
- Heart rate elevation with cardio exercises or plyometric exercises
- Muscle activation with the help of resistance bands or booty bands
- Mimic exercises you will be performing with bodyweight or do your first set with a lower weight load if you are doing a resistance training session.
Here is a good 6-minute full body travel friendly warmup you can do anywhere, with just your body weight.
Do each exercise for 40 seconds- no breaks in between exercises:
- Walking lunges with twist at the lowest point
- Alternate toe touches. Stretch opposite arm to opposite side toe and then stretch that same arm into the air. Try and keep your legs straight to feel the stretch down through your hamstrings. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Walk out to 3x push ups. Repeat for the given time
- Up and down planks from forearms to high plank
- Glute bridges
- Lower back rotation. Lay on your back with your arms out in a T- shape. Keep your knees together, bend them, and let them fall to alternating sides of your body
- High Knees
- Standing alternating external hip rotations- Standing up, bend one knee at a time and tuck it toward your body. Grab it with your arm and rotate it toward the side of your body. Place down your foot and repeat on other side
- Squat Jumps
Namita Nayyar:
Before starting resistance training, what are the key points to keep in mind?
Camilla Akerberg:
Before commencing any fitness session, you want to ensure that you have warmed up your body appropriately. When it comes to training with resistance, such as weights, a key point to remember is to work on your form first, and only when you are doing the exercise correctly add on appropriate weight. As you get stronger and fitter, increase the weight and/or the amount of reps you do to make the exercise more difficult.
Namita Nayyar:
According to you is there a perfect time to begin working out, post pregnancy?
Camilla Akerberg:
There is not a specific perfect time to start working out after giving birth. The time to get back into training depends between women as every labour journey is different from one another. If you have had an uncomplicated pregnancy and given a natural birth, you will be able to get back into exercising quicker than if you have had a caesarean, which is a major surgery that need more healing time.
Namita Nayyar:
5 of my favourite exercises for toned abs?
Camilla Akerberg:
1. Planking & plank variations. Planking is one of my favourite core exercises that engages all layers of your abdominal fascia and is also a safe exercise for those with lower back injuries like myself. What I love about planking is also the several variations you can do to keep it fun and interesting, including side plank variations and planks with movements such as knee tucks, the up and down plank or alternating shoulder tap plank. For your basic forearm plank- Test out how long you can do a plank for- then add 3 sets of planking into your daily fitness regime and try to increase the time to 2-3 minutes per plank. If you are already at that level- push yourself for a longer plank. Remember to squeeze your glutes and engage your core trough out the exercise.
2. Hollow holds. This is another amazing isometric core strengthening exercise that will make your abs feel the burn! Laying on your back- Raise your legs to a hold at an angle where your spine is being pushed towards the floor throughout the exercise. Let your head be raised looking down towards your toes. Your arms can either be held back stretched up past your ears (be the shape of a banana), or in line with your body for beginners. Try doing 4 sets of 20-30 seconds and increase the time if you find this easy.
3. V sit holds. This exercise is another one of my favourites and it targets your upper abs, your lower abs as well and oblique’s. Add in small crunch movements or a side to side rotation as a Russian twist variation.
4. Compound exercises that burn a lot of calories and require a lot of stabilization work from your core like lunges, squats, Single leg RDL’s or deadlifts
5. High intensity exercises like burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, box jumps or hill sprint intervals to help burn fat around the abdominal are
Namita Nayyar:
Your word for Women Fitness website ?
Camilla Akerberg:
I would define the Women Fitness website as a holistic health channel that offers its readers a variety of fitness, beauty and nutrition tips and tricks- so you can tackle your health and fitness one step at a time.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
