Quick fixes for ideal spring break body

I am not going to see my boyfriend until spring break. I want to surprise him with an awesome new body. Unfortunately, I don't have time to go to the gym five times a week. Do you have any suggestions of things I can do in my room?

There are a number of simple exercises that you can do in the comfort of your dorm room when you have a spare half hour. Unfortunately, cardiovascular options are fairly limited unless you actually have a treadmill or a stationary bike in your room. Some calisthenics can help you get your heart rate up, such as jumping jacks, or squat thrusts (though I am sure your roommate(s) will look at you like you are crazy).

My advice for cardiovascular exercise is to try to go jogging outside, around your building. That way, you will not have to walk all the way down to Gantcher, but you will still be able to benefit from an elevated heart rate. Make the jogs last from 25-35 minutes, three times a week. If you absolutely cannot get outside to go for a run, buy a jump rope. Yes, it may seem like a throw back to the fourth grade, during which jumping rope was a recess activity instead of a viable form of exercise, but you can actually get a pretty good workout from jumping rope for twenty minutes. However, make sure the rope is not too long (obviously, you have to make sure you can jump rope safely in your room).

As for resistance exercise, a pair of three to five pound dumbbells will suffice for most exercises you can do with weights. For a basic circuit routine, try to hit each major muscle group. The following are some examples:

Start with dumbbell flies. These can be done lying on the floor, and are a good exercise to get blood flowing to the pectoral muscles. Next, you can do one-arm dumbbell rows, using your desk chair. Also, you can use your chair to do seated biceps curls, as well as seated triceps extensions. You can do military presses, lateral raises, front raises, reverse flies, etc. The number of exercises you can do with a single pair of dumbbells is pretty extensive. Lunges and squats can also be done satisfactorily with these dumbbells as well. As for abdominal exercises, you can pretty much do them all. Crunches, leg lifts, leg raises, side crunches, and weighted sit-ups will all help bring out definition in your midsection.

So you see, being stuck in your dorm room is no excuse to forgo a fitness routine. If you want an even more personalized routine, check out the TPPP program in Gantcher Center.



I know it's important to train your lower back, but I am not sure what exercises I should do. What benefit would I get from a stronger lower back, anyway? Are there certain exercises that are better than other ones?

Lower back training is very important. A strong lower back not only prevents injury, it also helps maintain proper posture, thereby helping you avoid problems associated with poor posture later in life. The lower back is a key stabilizer of your torso, and is as important in keeping your back balanced as your abdominal muscles are in keeping your front balanced.

Common lower back exercises are the back extension and the stiff-legged deadlift. The extension is performed on an apparatus specifically designed for this purpose. It consists of a bar under which you place your heels, and a pad for your quads to rest on. In this position, your body sits parallel to the floor. Slowly bend at the waist until your body forms a right angle. Now contract your back, concentrating on squeezing the lower back, until your body is straight and rigid. This exercise is a common one for beginners.

The stiff-legged deadlift is a combination lower back and hamstring exercise. Holding a barbell at your waist, bend slowly forward, keeping the lower back straight, and your eyes ahead. Hold the bar in close to your body, with a slight bend in your legs. Lower the weight until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then return to the starting position. Notably in this exercise, improper form can easily lead to injury, so keep the weight light until you are able to maintain proper form.