Weight Loss: Abs Diet Circuit Exercises  

Muscles get bigger and stronger when they're challenged with new exercises and techniques. And yet gyms are filled with guys who are still doing the same exercises they learned in their first workout program -- no matter whether they learned them 2 months or two presidential administrations ago. Chances are, their muscles stopped responding to the exercises halfway through Paula Jones's deposition.

All exercises have an expiration date. A general guideline: If an exercise uses more than one joint (for example, the bench press uses the shoulders and elbows; the squat uses the hips and knees), you can do it for 8 weeks before you should switch to another exercise for the same muscles. If it involves a single joint (biceps curl, triceps pushdown, lateral raise), find a substitute after just 4 weeks.

Below are some popular exercises and good substitutes.

FAST-SWITCH MUSCLES

 

If you've been doing . . . Leg press
Switch to . . . Squat
And then to . . . Wide-stance squat (same as squat, only with feet wider than shoulder-length apart)

 

If you've been doing . . . Leg curl
Switch to . . . Romanian deadlift
And then to . . . Good morning

If you've been doing . . . Deadlift
Switch to . . . Sumo deadlift

Squat over a barbell with your feet wider than shoulder width and your toes pointed out at about 45 degrees. Grab the bar overhand with your hands inside your knees, shoulders over the bar, arms straight, and back straight. Push with your heels and stand up, keeping the bar in contact with your body. Finish standing upright with your shoulder blades back and down and your lower back flat. Pause, then slowly lower the weight back to the floor.
And then to . . .Snatch-grip deadlift

If you've been doing . . . Barbell bench press
Switch to . . . Incline or decline bench press
And then to . . . Wide-grip or close-grip bench press

If you've been doing . . . Lat pulldown
Switch to . . . Pullup or chinup
And then to . . . Wide-grip, close-grip, neutral-grip (palms facing each other), or weighted pullup or chinup

If you've been doing . . . Arm curl
Switch to . . . Preacher curl or incline curl
And then to . . . Wide-grip or narrow-grip curl

If you've been doing . . . Triceps extension
Switch to . . . Overhead triceps extension (French press)
And then to . . . Incline or decline triceps extension

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