Sculpt those muscles and see a monumental shift in your strength by tapping into your rest time.
Sculpt those muscles and see a monumental shift in your strength by tapping into your rest time.
FIT FASHION Tory Sport Seamless Engineered Unitard (www.torysport.com). Supra Skytop V sneakers (www.suprafootwear.com).
When it comes to lifting weights, you hear a lot about the merits of going big in CrossFit or using baby ’bells in barre class. But the middle ground – choosing which hand weights to hoist for your everyday sets – is where you can really determine how sculpted you get. “Grabbing a weight that’s a little heavier than you might normally go for is important because you need to stimulate the muscles to build. That’s how you get toned, strong, and lean,” says Radan Sturm, founder of Liftonic, a group weight training studio in New York City.
We’re not talking doubling the size of your dumbbells but about breaking any rut you’ve gotten into with your sets and reps. “In my experience, people typically select a weight about 25 percent under what they could safely do,” Radan says. The signature Liftonic workout has exercises that work multiple muscle groups while you gradually increase kilo weights to push yourself to go harder – whether that’s leveraging your body weight for decline push-ups or adding dumbbell weight to a side plank. In the total-body routine Radan created for Shape, you’ll do supersets of dumbbell exercises alternating with active recovery moves.
FIT FASHION Adidas by Stella McCartney Train Climachill top (www.adidas.com). Adriana Degreas Jacquard Bandeau Bikini (www.adrianadegreas.com). Supra Skytop sneakers.
“It’s best to wait at least 45 seconds before targeting the same muscle again, but that doesn’t mean you should just stand there,” Radan says. “Doing things like Supermans and oblique twists as active recoveries allows you to capitalise on that downtime.” The idea is to give you just enough rest so you can not only do a second set but actually increase your load as well. That means you may do your first set with 4kg dumbbells, perform the second with 5kg ones, and finish with a third set using 6kg dumbbells.
Why the mounting challenge when the natural instinct is to go lighter as your muscles are closer to crying uncle? “When we cue people to think about whether they could try for a heavier weight as they approach another set, most find they actually can,” Radan says. “The point is to get your muscles to really fatigue so they then firm up.”
Apply the Liftonic litmus test as you do each 12-rep set of this routine: If you can perform the last four reps at the same speed as you did the first eight, it’s a sign that those muscles aren’t sufficiently fatigued. Reps typically become slower as your muscles get tapped out, Radan says, so reach for a heavier weight on the next set.
Having more muscle helps you burn fat all day. It’s all about stoking your metabolism.
FIT FASHION Moeva Judy bikini top (www.moeva.com). Michi Psyloque Swimsuit (www.michiny.com). Reebok CrossFit Nano 7 Weave sneakers (www.reebok.com).
You’ll stay aware of how fast or slow your reps go because each move has a specific tempo built in. For some, like the kneeling side plank snatch, you’ll lift on a count of one and lower for three counts; for others, like the reverse lunge press, you’ll steadily lift and lower on a count of two. “We do this to prolong a muscle’s time under tension and therefore squeeze more strengthening from each rep,” Radan says. But don’t worry if you fall slightly behind the beat on those last four reps – that just confirms that you’re holding the right amount of heavy metal.
As you trade up for heavier weights over time, it’s easy to see that you’re making real strength gains, which is empowering. And all that newfound muscle you’ve added means you’re also revving up your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs to operate day to day, so you’ll burn fat with greater efficiency.
Do this workout twice a week, with three days between sessions to allow those muscles to repair and build. And stick with it! You’ll love the truly sleek, sculpted look you get by going out of y comfort our zone, plus that priceless boost in body confidence. Says Radan: “There’s just nothing quite like feeling strong and powerful.
Dumbbells don’t lie. “With weight training, you can actually plan your progress and see that you’re improving by charting your strength gains,”
Radan says.
HOW IT WORKS
Do a 3-minute warm up cup consisting of 30 seconds each of jumping jacks, inchworms, and air squats. Repeat. Then do 2 to 3 sets of each move as indicated, performing a 45-second active rest interval between sets.
TOTAL TIME
Up to 30 minutes
YOU WILL NEED
Free weights
1 KNEELING SIDE PLANK SNATCH
[A] Prop up into modified side plank on right forearm with knees bent. Straighten left leg and raise about 15cm to start. [B] Bend left elbow to row dumbbell up to chest for a count of 1. [C] Quickly extend arm up towards ceiling on same count. Reverse arm motion to return to start, lowering dumbbell for three counts. That’s 1 rep. Do 16 reps. Switch sides, repeat. Do the active rest exercise.
SETS 2 to 3
REPS 16 per side
SCALE DOWN Keep left leg bent and resting atop bent right leg.
SCALE UP Increase the weight.
2 ACTIVE REST: BACK EXTENSION
[A] Lie face down on bench (with chin over front edge) or floor, head in line with spine, arms extended straight down if on bench or out to sides if on floor. [B] Lift arms, head, and legs up so thighs and chest lift off bench/floor as you squeeze glutes and shoulder blades together. Return to start.
SETS 2 to 3
TIME 45 seconds
3 BALANCE DUMBBELL ROW
[A] Start on all fours (tabletop position) on bench or floor with one dumbbell in left hand; extend right leg behind you, parallel to floor. [B] Bend left elbow to row dumbbell to chest for two counts. Lower dumbbell to start for two counts.
SETS 2
REPS 12 per side
SCALE DOWN Do not extend right leg.
SCALE UP Increase the weight.
4 ACTIVE REST: OBLIQUE TWISTS
[A] Sit on bench or floor with legs bent, holding dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent with dumbbells in front of chest. Raise lower legs to be parallel with floor and lean torso back 45 degrees, coming to balance on tailbone, to start. [B] Rotate torso left, bringing dumbbells outside left hip. Repeat, rotating right. Continue for 45 seconds.
SETS 2
TIME 45 seconds
SCALE DOWN Place feet on bench.
SCALE UP Extend legs up into V position.
5 REVERSE LUNGE PRESS
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in left hand an inch above left shoulder, elbow bent and palm facing right. [B] Step right leg back, bending both legs to 90 degrees. [C] Press dumbbell overhead for two counts. Return to start for two counts.
SETS 2
REPS 12 per side
SCALE DOWN Reverse step without lowering back knee.
SCALE UP Increase the weight.
FIT FASHION Ultracor Inertia Silk Zeta Pixelate Bra (www.ultracor.com). 925Fit I Saw That bottoms (www.925fit.com)
Your active rest moves should still feel difficult, but don’t kill yourself – now is the time to breathe and reoxygenate your muscles.
6 ACTIVE REST: PUSH-UP CROUCH
[A] Start in plank with palms on bench or floor. [B] Press hips back, lowering them to heels to come into crouch position. [C] Return to plank and do push-up.
SETS 2
TIME 45 seconds
SCALE UP Do on the floor instead of bench.
7 CRUSH PRESS WITH LEG EXTENSION
[A] Lie face up on bench or floor, holding dumbbell in each hand. Extend arms straight towards ceiling, palms facing each other and dumbbells touching, and raise legs to 45 degrees to start. [B] Slowly lower dumbbells to chest and legs towards floor (bring them to hover several centimetres off bench or floor) for 2 counts. Return to start for 2 counts.
SETS 3
REPS 12
SCALE DOWN Start with knees in tabletop position and extend 45 degrees.
SCALE UP Increase the weight.
PHOTOS DEAN ISIDRO
STYLING JEAN BARTHOLE
HAIR MATTHEW TUOZZOLL/ATELIER MANAGEMENT FOR L’OREAL
MAKEUP BRIAN DUPREY/JUDY CASEY INC. FOR URBAN DECAY
SHOT ON LOCATION AT NOVA ARK PROJECT, WATER MILL, NEW YORK
ALL SCULPTURES NOVA MIHAI POPA, THEARKPROJECT.COM
