6 Exercises You Need To Do To Gain Muscle and Tone Your Body

If you have been going to the gym for a year and you still look and feel the same as you did when you first walked through the door then you need to start changing things up.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.

I have seen far too many women at the gym spend 30 minutes on the hip abductor machine. Please ladies do yourselves a favor and Google hip abductors.

You will immediately notice that they make up only a small portion of your leg and the truth is that you can spend an eternity on that machine and you won’t see the results that you are after.

I implore you to spend your time more effectively at the gym. If you really want to see quick results then you will want to do exercises that incorporate larger muscles so that you can build more muscle and burn more calories.

So let’s go over the 6 best exercises that most people don’t even do. There are a million videos out there on how to perform these exercises correctly.

I will just throw in a couple tips for you to keep in mind as you finally begin to effectively use your time to sculpt and tone the body that you deserve.

How To Tone Your Body The Right Way

1-Squats: They have a rep as the king of all exercises for a good reason. Squats work most of the muscles in your legs and they also work the muscles of your core because you need to stabilize the weight.

A lot of people think that they are going to hurt themselves doing squats. If squats are done correctly then you will be absolutely fine.

In fact having a good squat will save you from future injuries during sports and everyday living activities.

The best tip that you are going to get is to keep your eyes up. Yes look upward while you squat! By doing that you will keep the bar off of your neck and you will keep your back straight.

2-Lunges: If you were looking for great over all leg development then look no further. Lunges also incorporate most of the muscles in your legs. I recommended using some light dumbbells which you will hold by your side that will increase resistance and force your core muscles to stabilize.

Tip; Lower yourself down slowly until your knee almost touches the floor. You do not want to be crashing your knee down into the ground; so be careful.

Don’t let your knee pass your foot either because you do not want to over stress your knee joint.

3-Bent over rows: Bent over rows target the large muscles at the center of your back and also incorporate your biceps and forearm muscles. You will also need those core muscles again to stabilize and hold your position.

Tip: Keep your knees bent with your feet around shoulder width. Keep your back flat with your head and eyes up.

4-Lat Pull Down Machine: The Lat pull down also targets larger muscles of your back and also incorporates your biceps and forearm muscles. The machine is great because you can select a resistance that is lower than your body weight if you can’t do a pull up. Also on the flip side; if your body weight is too light then you can go well above your body weight to force an adaptation.

Tip; Many people might advocate pulling the bar down behind the neck to really isolate the Lats. That might increase your chance of injury! Play it safe by keeping your head up and pull the bar down in front of you.

5- Bench Press: For some reason many women avoid this exercise like the plague because they fear that it will leave them flat chested or looking like a Hulk. Both fears are unfounded. Remember that you want to do exercises that incorporate more muscles.

The bench press is great for overall chest development but it does also incorporate your shoulders and triceps. You also need the muscles of your core and back to stabilize the weight.

Tip; You want to have your head, shoulders and butt in constant contact with the bench. You also want to have your feet in contact with the floor.

6- Shoulder dumbbell press: This exercise is great for your shoulders but also incorporates muscles in your arms, back and core to stabilize the weight.

Keep in mind now that you have weights over your head that can fall on top of you so be careful.

Tip; Make sure that you are seated comfortably on a bench with support for your back. Keep your feet firmly on the floor or the provided foot platform.

For all of the exercises try and keep control for the full range of motion. You do not want have ballistic moments that can lead to injuries. You will also notice that you will be breathing quite heavily as compared to those simple hip abductor exercises.

That is because you are working a lot harder and thus your routine will be more effective. Oh and one least thing… please don’t hold your breath. Breathe as you contract your larger muscles and sculpt that sexy physique