While working out should be an all year round activity, even more so given the limbo of the pandemic, the summer body is still somewhat of a fitness goal. We get fitness trainers to share a well-rounded guide for your vision board body

Let’s just agree, we all want a physique that is good enough to post on Instagram. It is a common saying that the summer body is built in winter, but most of us wake up on the last day of winter, in panic, and the need to build that perfectly toned body.

Are you a beginner? Paraj Primlani, founder of ParaFit, says that even if you are, you should stop thinking like one. “I see so many people struggling in the gym doing absolutely nothing, thinking that they’ve just begun, and that an unplanned workout would do any good to them. Even if you’re a beginner, your workouts should be planned professionally. Of course, you can go easy on the intensity, to begin with but your workout should be a perfect mix of cardio, core workouts, HIIT/functional workouts, and strength training. Hitting a separate body part every day is pivotal.” 

WORKOUT TREND FOR THE SUMMER

Primlani thinks H.I.I.T is the workout trend of 2021. He says, “High-intensity interval training is a training protocol where you have hard bouts of work, inter spread with periods of recovery. So, you do four power pact exercises back-to-back for 30 seconds, each followed by a 1-minute test, and you repeat this five times. HIIT is a bummer for fat loss, can be done anywhere without any type of equipment and you only need 15 minutes for it. So, definitely, HIIT is changing the game this summer.”

Body recomposition and transformation specialist Avinash’s Mansukhani emphasises on the importance of hydration beyond water. “If your level of intensity is a bit on the higher side and your workouts generally go over the hour mark, you may want to also supplement with an intra workout electrolyte or carb source to make sure your pH level and glucose levels are not extreme. There are electrolyte effervescent tablets to add to your water, or you can just use good old coconut water. If sipping electrolytes during workouts is not your thing, you can also make sure your post-workout meal is high in them,” suggests Mansukhani. 

“The benefits of working in humid weather is that it makes you sweat more, which regulates the water retention in your body. Also, exercising in the heat increases blood plasma, which helps in better blood circulation and better nutrient absorption. After working out in this weather, take adequate rest, and don’t compromise on your sleep. Your body needs rest to rebuild and build endurance,” opines Primlani.

Fitness enthusiasts Jitender Rajput, Pranav Saini, Jitendra Chouksey and Avinash Mansukhani share some of their routines to follow this summer.

THE OVERALL BUILD

You should never focus on just one particular muscle group as your workout routine, as you will then definitely land up with muscle imbalances across the body, which will further down the line lead to certain muscles and tendons taking more stress than needed, and thus, result in injuries. Focused muscle group training should only be done for sports specific training or as rehab work to correct an already present imbalance. Instead, work on all your muscle groups and energy systems equally. Make sure you’re progressively overloading stress to that workout each week by adding more volume/intensity/weight/ time under tension etc. and you will see the results.

GET THE ABS

Start with ab crunches, where you lie face up on the floor with your knees bent, and feet flat. Place your hands behind your head, allowing your elbows to bend out to the sides. Contract your core so that your lower back gently presses against the floor. From here, exhale as you lift your head and shoulders a few inches off the floor, contracting your abs. Now, breathe in as you slowly lower back to your starting position, with control. Another exercise would be lying leg raises. Lie on your back, legs straight, and together and with your arms at your sides. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, lift them all the way up until they point to the ceiling. Slowly lower your legs back down till they’re just above the floor, and raise your legs back up. Lastly, the most important: Planks. Lie down flat on your stomach, legs stretched out. Come up on your arms with the torso in a straight line with your legs. Rest your forearms on the floor and keep your torso tight and hold this position for as long as possible. Take it to the next level by adding weights to your back. Working out alone cannot help you lose fat and achieve your goals. It is equally important to focus on your diet, following quantified nutrition, and creating a calorie deficit.

STRONGER SHOULDERS 

To test if your shoulders are balanced, try performing a wall slide. Stand with your back against the wall, bring your arms to shoulder-height against the wall, and bend your elbows about 90 degrees so your hands are pointing upward. Now simply move your arms up and down along your body, in parallel with the wall, while keeping your back against the wall. You should feel your shoulder blades moving downward. If your arms keep moving forward, you’re probably too stiff, or your shoulders are simply overdeveloped in the front. Stretch the chest, and front delt. Grab a towel with both hands, and your arms extended. Try to bring it over your head and behind your body, while keeping your arms extended. You might struggle with this exercise at first, but over time you should be able to bring your hands closer together. Do three sets of 20 reps before workouts. Always start your shoulder workout with rear delt exercises, such as rear delt flyes. Setting up your workout in such a manner will create symmetry, and keep you healthy.

LEG DAY

Before leg workout, start with warm-up exercises like 10-minute bicycle riding, and 50 squats. Begin the workout with squats and do four sets each with 12 reps, move on to leg extensions, where four sets of 20 reps should be performed. Thirdly, leg curls that include four sets of 20 reps and another four sets of dumbbells standing lunges 10 reps of each leg, make a wholesome leg routine. For calves, seated calf raises with four sets of 20 reps and standing calf raises with the Smith machine will do wonders. Make sure that you are resting one to two minutes in between all sets. Once the workout is over, make sure you cool yourself down and end with some stretching exercises. Eating a healthy snack an hour before workout is a must.