Two weeks is a long time in exercise – if you do the right things. “Abbreviated training” is a way of exercising to the maximum in a short space of time. This program is designed to use the largest amount of muscle mass possible to increase your metabolic activity, both during and after your exercise sessions.

So here’s the deal. For my “Beach-fit in 14 days” program to be effective, you need to commit to exercising for 30 minutes a day for the next two weeks.

Starting tomorrow, I need you to get up an hour earlier each day, and get your workout out of the way before you go to work. Sounds gruelling – but at least this way, you’ll have a better chance of sticking to the regime and achieving your goal.

This program alternates resistance exercises that you can do easily at home (or in a gym, if you prefer), with some cardio-vascular activity. If you cannot walk, jog or run, try an alternative, such as cycling or swimming.

The key to effective exercise is intensity – which is why it is important that you work hard at each element of this program, rather than just go through the motions.

When you perform these exercises – in the combinations outlined opposite – they should leave you out of breath and sweating. You should find that you can speak but that a conversation would be difficult. Be honest with yourself: you should be working at about seven-out-of-10 effort, where one is sitting down with your feet up and 10 is running away from a rabid dog.

I’m going to assume that you have no medical condition that might prevent you from training. At the end of your 30-minute workout, make sure you stretch.

Ready? You will be in just a fortnight…

THE PROGRAM:

DAY ONE

Kickstart your regime by heading out into the morning sunshine for a warm-up.

Start with some simple, steady shuttle runs – jogging to the end of your garden and back, or between two trees in the park – for 10 minutes. Work to a level where you are out of breath, but not gasping for it. Remember to take sips of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Next, we’re going to start getting your midriff in shape for the beach. Neurologically, the best way to work your abdominal muscles is to engage the deepest layer of muscle first, before working the more superficial ones.

So, for the first week of this program, we are going to focus mainly on the lower abdominals, before moving on to the obliques (sides) and finally the upper abdominals. By engaging the deep muscles first, you will be able to achieve a flatter-looking stomach, which will instantly make you feel more confident in your beachwear.

Do the following exercises in “supersets”, which means alternating between two sets of exercises until you have completed the required number. Rest for 30 seconds between each superset before moving on to the next.

Superset 1

Perform the Alphabet once, then 15 repetitions (reps) of the Ball Cobra.

Superset 2

Perform 15 Reverse Crunches, then assume and hold the Plank position for 30 seconds.

Superset 3

Perform two sets of Oblique Ball Crunches, 10 per side, then 15 Medicine Ball Sit-Ups With Twists.

DAY TWO

The body works at a higher intensity for longer if you have regular but short rests, which is the thinking at the heart of interval training.

Rather than aiming for a certain number of reps of a given exercise, you perform as many as you can against the clock. After a timed rest, move on to the next exercise.

You should also stick very closely to the rest times since the rest time effectively dictates the workload on the muscles in this instance.

With today’s routine, beginners should do the exercises for 20 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds; those already in good shape should work for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. In total, you should complete eight sets of each exercise before taking 60 seconds’ rest and starting on the next exercise. Now complete these exercises in the order shown.

Body weight squats

Press-ups

The Lunge

Standing Rows

The Cobra

DAY THREE

Time for cardiovascular interval training. For this, you’ll need to head outdoors. Take five minutes to warm up with a gentle jog, then alternate running hard for one minute and walking for one minute as recovery. Repeat this minute sprint, minute rest 10 times, before spending five minutes cooling down.

DAY FOUR

Repeat routine from Day One

DAY FIVE

Repeat routine from Day Two

DAY SIX

A day off!

DAY SEVEN

Repeat routine from Day One

 

THE EXERCISES

1. THE ALPHABET: Lie on your back, arms by your side, feet together in the air and stomach pulled in tight. Now “draw” the letters of the alphabet in the air with your toes.

2. BALL COBRA: Face down on the exercise ball, hips in the two o’clock position, with toes on
the ground, hands behind the ears. Now raise your body up off the ball so that your spine is straight. Pause, and return slowly to the start position.

3. REVERSE CRUNCH: A good exercise for the lower abdominals. Lie on your back, legs straight up in the air, arms by your side. Slowly lower your legs down towards the floor until you feel your lower back rising from the floor. Keep your feet a few inches off the floor and hold, before slowly returning to the start position.

4. THE PLANK: Assume a press-up position but with your arms bent and your elbows pulled in directly below the shoulders, so you assume a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Hold your abdominals in tight in this position for 30 seconds.

5. OBLIQUE BALL CRUNCHES: Lying sideways over the exercise ball, with your feet against a wall and your hip on the ball in the two o’clock position, cross your arms over your chest and drop sideways over the ball until you feel a stretch in your sides. Pause, and return to start position.

6. MEDICINE BALL SIT UP AND TWIST: Lie on the floor, with your knees bent and your feet flat. Take the medicine ball in both hands and hold it o nthe floor above your head. Now sit up and rotate your upper body slightly to touch the outside of your left hip with the ball. Return slowly to the start position and repeat, this time turning to the right.

7. BODY WEIGHT SQUAT: Stand with your feet just wide of hip-width apart, with your feet slightly turned out. Bend the knees and sit back as if you were going to sit on a chair, until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your spine straight, your head up and chin tucked in. Try to keep the weight in your feet between the mid-foot and the heel. Continue reading How to get your body fit for the beach in just 30 minutes a day →