Seven exercises to banish the dad bod this summer
The clock is ticking, with merely weeks to go before you head off for your summer holiday. Understandably, you want to look your best, but what can be achieved in such a short time frame? Well, if you are simply upping your game from your current ongoing regime there is a lot of tweaking that will help you pump up or trim down, whatever your goal. However, if your plan is to start now, having not done much for most of the year, I’m going to have to seriously temper your expectations, but that is not to say it’s beyond hope, because it’s not.
Let’s start here, for those of you who are starting from scratch, I want you to focus on two things:
Steps per day. I know it’s an arbitrary number but I want you to hit 10,000 steps every day, with 5,000 of those done in one continuous stint, every day. This will burn fat and help drop stored fluid in your lower body, making you feel and look leaner.
Time out of breath. Every other day I want you to choose an activity or exercise that gets you out of breath to the point that having a conversation is strained and I want you to do this for 15-20 minutes. The reason for this is simple: I want to raise your metabolism so that you burn more calories, even while you sleep.
These two rules could apply to anyone, but if you’ve got you’ve already got a cardio routine that you’re happy with pinned down then just keep doing it and let’s focus on the weight training side of things.
What is your goal? Get leaner? Get firmer? Get bigger? I’m guessing it’s a little of all three. So let’s assume that getting leaner is taken care of, in part by your cardio routine.
If you want to add bulk and size that’s frankly very difficult to do quickly, unless you have years of training under your belt, which I’m assuming you don’t.
But what you can do is get stronger and firmer in a matter of weeks. The best way to tone up and develop maximum strength is by lifting heavy, in short sets of five reps.
Choose a weight that is the maximum you can lift, but still complete five reps.
Not only will your muscle become tighter, you’ll increase your metabolic rate, so that you’re burning more calories and this will help strip away fat, even when you aren’t exercising.
But just to be clear, this kind of very heavy lifting is only suitable for those with training experience.
If you’re new to the gym, opt for a lighter weight and aim for 8-12 reps.
This workout uses “supersets”, so you’ll repeat two different exercises, targeting the same or complementary muscle groups, back-to-back.
Supersets work faster, because they intensify your workout and cause greater muscle activation. They’re particularly good if you’re short on time.
1. Bench press
Do 8-12 reps. This is an effective movement to build the strength and size of the upper body.
This exercise primarily targets the chest, triceps and shoulders. It’s an effective movement to build the strength and size of the upper body, especially the chest. Dumbbells require more stability from the shoulders and allow for an increased range of motion leading to more muscle stimulation, so you’ll really feel this working the chest.
Focus on a full range of motion, making sure you bring the weight all the way down past the side of the body.
2. Bench row
Do 8-12 reps. A powerful upper body strength and muscle builder that works all areas of the back.
The biceps and forearms are also challenged, helping you to develop greater grip strength. This horizontal pull will allow you to build strength across your back and the bench support enables you to push your muscles to the max. This is a favourite with all my clients as it helps them to improve their posture and generally feel stronger in the upper body.
Aim to scoop and glide the weight up and back towards your hip, not pulling up towards your shoulder.
3. Repeat exercises 1 and 2
Repeat for 5 sets with a 90 second break between each “superset”.
4. Press ups
Do 15 reps. The press-up is used to build strength, stability and muscle in the upper body
This horizontal pushing exercise uses multiple muscle groups such as the pecs and triceps. Changing the hand positions places different emphasis on the muscles mentioned, with closer hands working the triceps more and wider hand positions working the various parts of the chest more.
Try to grip the floor with your fingertips to give yourself greater control and muscle recruitment.
5. Dumbbell reverse fly
Do 12 reps of this. This is really useful for improving posture and reducing the risk of shoulder injuries while helping to build a strong back.
It will safely prime your shoulders, neck and upper back for the demands of any larger upper body pulling or pressing exercises.
Lead with your elbows and focus on squeezing the shoulder blades back as much as possible.
6. Perform exercise 4, and then 5
Continue to failure (when you cannot go on). Then rest for 2 minutes and repeat for 5 sets.
7. Lateral banded walks
Aim for 20-30 side steps, then the same for the other side. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat for 4-6 sets or failure.
This involves pretty much all the glute muscles, which are responsible for hip abduction and stability. These are really important for optimal function of the knees, pelvis and lumbar spine as they are key in prime movements such as squatting, lunging, running and jumping. You may feel a little silly doing these for the first time, but once they kick in it’s clear why you’re doing them and how vital they are as part of an effective warm-up.
Keep your upper body completely still throughout. Don’t lean forward or feel as though you need to lean to the side.
