Summer Workout
--- Sarah Luo
As springtime finally kicks in and we’re all getting ready to wear our short sleeves and short shorts, a very sudden thought dawns on you. Are you ready to wear your summer clothes? Do you have that swimsuit body? While looking absolutely flawless isn’t our goal here, we still want to be healthy and have the body that makes us confident. In college, a majority of the time during the spring and summer semester, guys don’t wear shirts and girls suntan in their bikinis on the front lawns of apartment complexes and sorority houses. It gets old and a little scarring at times, but you have to give them props for being confident enough to walk around in virtually nothing all day. It’s ok, because you still have time to perfect the body that YOU want and I’m here to help you secure that body with some of these great summer workout exercises that are guaranteed to help you along in your summer body workouts!
For both men and women, ab exercises are incredibly important, sometimes more so for men. Some of the more basic ab exercises that work include basic crunches, bicycle crunches, full vertical crunches, and the plank. These are all the more basic ab exercises that can help you jump start your ab workout. To specialize more on particular areas of your abs like your lower abs, exercises like the reverse crunch, scissor kicks, v-sit, and alternating supermans. In terms of when and how you should do your ab workouts, you should probably try to do them regularly. Perhaps try one ab routine per week that way your muscles don’t stop working because you’ve hit a plateau. Make sure you change up your routines so that your body doesn’t get used to what you’ve been doing and stop working.
Basic Crunch
Full Vertical Crunch
Bicycle Crunch
Plank
Reverse Crunch Maybe do an ab workout 3 or 4 times a week and change routines maybe every 2 weeks that way you’re constantly working your abs and constantly changing the routines so that your body doesn’t get used to any one thing and it’s always working the right muscles. Laughing is also very helpful in terms of sculpting abs because it’s contracting so many different muscles at once when you laugh out loud, so laugh away!
Another important part of the summer body is of course, our legs. Shorts are the highlight of summer and who doesn’t want super toned, tan legs? Lunges, squats, mountain climbers, and calf raises do wonders for your legs. Although these exercises aren’t cardio exercises that help you burn fat quickly, these exercises mainly tone up your muscles so that you have strong muscles in your thighs and calves. To get more of a cardio workout that burns fat quicker, try the elliptical, bicycle, treadmill, jumping rope, or stairmaster. I strongly encourage you workout outside though because the weather during the summer is the best time for these kinds of workouts. Go out and take a short one mile run around the neighborhood or take a day out and go mountain biking. Not only are these exercises fun, you get to get out of the house/office and get some fresh air.
Lunges
Squats
Calf Raises
Mountain Climbers**all images taken from Google Image Search (various websites)
In terms of when and how you should work your legs, I would suggest alternating between cardio and strength training. Usually cardio training loosens your muscles after you’ve done a strength workout so if you’re sore from doing too many lunges, running will help you relax and get rid of the soreness. Just like abs, maybe do leg workouts 3 to 4 times a week and change routines every 2 to 3 weeks for the best results.
Either way, it’s time to start working out not only for that fantastic summer body but also for a healthier lifestyle. I guarantee, if you start working out now, not only will you have a great body come summertime, you’ll continue working out even through those harder fall and winter months because once you get those endorphins going, you’ll never want to stop!
Some good websites to visit for workouts:
Working Out With Makeup
--- Lena Lam
The girl next to me was crying black tears. I was confused at first, but then I was impressed. At least this one isn’t in a mini skirt and heels. Most people at the gym are impressed by how much weight that one buff guy can lift. I, on the other hand, am impressed by how some girls waltz into the gym all dolled up…to sweat. Some only have eyeliner and mascara on (but, as in the case above, they don’t have it on for long), but others go all out with foundation, eye shadow, and lip gloss. What a fabulous way to clog your pores while you’re working out and sweating.
To be honest though, I shouldn’t be so judgmental. After taking a step back to think about why these girls would put on make up to go the gym, I decided that it’s not as bad of a thing as I initially thought. To many girls, cosmetics are synonymous with beauty and confidence. Therefore, I can’t blame them for wanting to look good when they’re working out, which can be a time when they don’t feel completely secure about how they look.
Having said that, I still don’t think that putting on a bunch of make up is the best thing when you’re going to gym. When you’re working out, you want to keep your pores clear so that your body can sweat freely. If the reason why you put on make up in the first place is to hide the blemishes on your face, you should consider the fact that your make up may be the cause of future, additional blemishes since they’re clogging up your pores.
Some say that if you must use foundation when you work out, try a mineral powder one to hide your blemishes while letting your pores “breathe.” Though I would recommend forgoing make up in general when working out, I understand that some of you feel you must have some on. In that case, I would suggest keeping it simple with waterproof eyeliner and mascara, and a little lipgloss.
An alternative is finding a gym or class that is “for females only,” if the only reason you put on make up is to look good in front of guys. Perhaps you’ll feel comfortable enough to actually focus on the ultimate goal, too, which is to work out. In sum, put on some make up if you must, but keep in mind that by trying to look pretty throughout your work out is besides the point and may just backfire on you…and you’ll end up crying black tears.
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