Free The Fat Burn Revolution by Julia Buckley Page A

Many of the exercises focus on the muscles in the midsection of the body. I use the term ‘core’ when
describing these. The core comprises the muscles in and around the belly (transversus abdominis, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis) the lower back (multifidus, erector spinae and
latissimus dorsi) and often the pelvic floor muscles. Many of these exercises will also activate the gluteal muscles in the bum and trapezius in the upper back.
    tightening the core: Keeping your core muscles ‘tight’ is important in many of the exercises. What I mean by this is
that you should contract the muscles of the core without releasing while doing the exercise. Performing the plank exercise will give you an introduction to how this should feel if it is new to
you.
     
    warming up and cooling down

    You should always take a few minutes to warm up to get the body ready for exercise. This will help you to perform at your best,
reduce the risk of injury and get you in the right frame of mind for the session. For the first part of the warm up I recommend 5–10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (or longer if you feel
you need it). I leave this open for people to choose whatever activity they like. So, for example you could do jogging in place, fast-marching up and down stairs, aerobics-style moves, or working
at a moderate pace on an exercise bike, treadmill, rower or other cardio machine. Anything that gets your heart pumping and speeds up your breathing is good, but try to avoid exercises that involve
jumping until your joints have had time to warm up and become lubricated.
    Once that’s done you should perform the dynamic (moving) stretches described in the next section. For the workouts that focus on the upper body you only need to do the upper body dynamic
stretches and for the lower-body workouts you only need to do the lower-body dynamic stretches. For the full body sessions (Total Body Blast, Metabolic Blaster and Plyo Blaze) you should do all of
them.
    The same applies to the post-workout static stretches. The time to perform static (still) stretches is after exercise while your body is cooling down. These will help keep your muscles in good
condition and may reduce post-exercise soreness. Pay particular attention to any muscles that feel tight or where you felt a burning sensation in during the workout.

pre-workout dynamic stretches for the upper body

    arm circles

    target area
chest, upper back, shoulders               
    Arm circles are a simple upper-body dynamic stretching exercise to prepare your chest, upper back, and shoulder muscles to work out.
    1 Stand tall, keeping your core tight and head facing forward. Relax your arms, shoulders and chest. You may want to loosely waggle and swing your
arms to release any tension you could be holding in those areas.
    2 Maintaining a straight posture, swing one arm forwards in a circular motion. Stay relaxed, but control the movement, only bringing the arms up to
a point that is comfortable for your shoulders. Continue for around 10–12 repetitions or until the area feels warm and loose. Repeat with the other arm.
    3 Repeat, but reverse the movement swinging each arm in a backward circle.
     
    TIPS
    Breathe deeply and stay relaxed in the shoulders
     

    Make the movements slow and controlled
     

    Keep your back straight and your head still, only your arms should be moving
     

    This should never be painful, only go to a level where you feel a gentle stretch
     

    huggers
    Warming up is an essential part of training
    target area
shoulders, arms & upper back               
    Huggers are great for preparing the chest, upper back, and shoulder muscles for exercise. They are easy and fun to perform and will help you to feel
energised and ready to start your workout.
    1 Stand with your feet hip-width apart and raise your arms to chest level. Bend your elbows a little and squeeze your arms together until your
fingers are