5 Fitness Experts Reveal the One Move That Transformed Their Body
Updated: Feb. 04, 2020
Workout results take forever, don't they? Now you can take the guesswork out of the picture, thanks to these personal trainers, who are spilling their workout secrets.
Find your favourite move
While a complete workout that targets all your major muscle groups is the best way to get fit, even the experts admit they have a favourite move that gives them the results they’re looking for.
Here, personal trainers reveal their go-to moves—and maybe you’ll find yours, too.
Super-fly crunch
Sarah Bowmar began her career in digital marketing but soon realized that her main passion was fitness. Bowmar says there was one workout that had the most dramatic effect on her body: “It’s called the super-fly crunch, and it targets your abs,” she says. You’ll need bands or a cable strength-training machine to pull this one off.
How to do the move:
- Assume a plank position, and place your feet into handles of the band or cable machine, suspending your legs off the ground.
- Now bring your knees forward to your chest in a crunch. Start out slow—you may only be able to do a few repetitions of this demanding move at first.
Tuck jumps
Cassie Barnard, RD, is a Pilates instructor based in Australia. She swears by many flat belly exercises, but the one that changed her body was tuck jumps.”Tuck jumps are an amazing exercise because they work your whole body with an element of cardio. Glutes, quads, and hamstrings are the primary muscles in this exercise while also challenging your core. I find jumping exercises are a great way to keep unwanted fat away from my belly!” said Barnard.
How to do the move:
- Start by standing with your legs shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly.
- Bend at the knees and sink down to a squat position, thighs parallel to the ground. (Make sure your knees don’t extend past your toes.)
- Now spring upward and bring your knees up to your chest, making sure to not let your elbows fall below your knees. Land and then sink back to a squat position.
- Try doing three sets of eight reps.
Deadlifts
Certified personal trainer Tana Cogan is one of the most popular fitness models on Instagram. The fitness expert says the one move that changed her body was the deadlift. “Deadlifts have been an amazing compound workout, which means they work more than just one area. They target my hamstrings, quads, glutes, back, and core. I’ll never skip my deadlifts on leg day,” said Cogan.
How to do the move:
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart in front of a barbell. (Start with a weight you can manage easily until you perfect the form, she says.)
- Sink down in a squat, knees over your toes, head up, back flat, and grasp the barbell with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Lift the weight up using your legs and core. Lower back down, then repeat.
- Try three sets of 10 reps.
(Psst: Here are some more barbell exercises to get you started.)
Push-up with alternating leg lift
Fitness pro Nina Munoz is an online trainer who swears by high-intensity interval training as a way to burn more calories than steady-paced cardio. She wants to help clients attain their dream body. One move she says that made a huge impact on her body was a push-up with an alternating leg lift. “The push-up with an alternating leg lift is an amazing move—it targets your entire body,” says Munoz. It really works your triceps, core, legs, and glutes; it’s more effective than the normal plank. I love adding this move into my interval circuits. I’ll perform a cardio move then complete it with a toning move like the push-up with an alternating leg lift.” said Munoz.
How to do the move:
- Begin in a plank position, and then sink down into a push-up, holding your elbows close to your sides. (Keep your knees on the ground if a standard push-up is too demanding.) At the same time, squeeze your glutes and lift up one leg.
- Push back up as you lower your leg, then do another push-up while lifting the other leg.
- Try to do the move for 30 seconds.
And yes, you should make post-workout stretching a priority.
Lunges
When it comes to transforming your body, Alexia Clark believes there are a couple of different ways to achieve your goals. “First, the best way to impact your shape is to do a variety of exercises,” she says. “But the one exercise I love most and do almost every day is lunges. They are incredible because their work your glutes, quads and core! You can also combine an upper body exercise with it or speed up the exercise to get a cardio benefit,” says Clark.
How to do the move:
- With your hands on your hips, back straight, take a big step forward and then sink down until the leg in front is at a 90-degree angle, thigh parallel to the floor.
- Straighten back up by pushing through the heel of your front foot. Repeat with the opposite leg.
- Incorporate lunges into your walks for one minute, with a minute break to catch your breath.
- Do five intervals of lunges.
Next, check out these post-workout snack ideas to help you recover from your workout.
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