Six days in the gym, located on the sixth floor of her building, is what gives Shamita Shetty a super-toned bod. And she sportingly agrees to share her secrets of getting into shape.Shamita has some pointers:
>> I change my exercise routine every two months because my body gets used to a particular kind of workout and then it stops responding to exercises. It's the same with others too.
>> Introducing new exercises shocks the body. Once your body gets used to the new one, go back to your routine workout. I change my exercises once in every four weeks.
>> I normally have a tight stomach but there are times when it goes loose. Yes, some times abdominal exercises don't work for a person like me too! Especially for someone who does abs three times a week, leaving a gap one day. At such a time, I stop the exercises completely. Like I said before, it's important to shock your body from time to time.
>> I normally work on different parts of my body. I distribute - I do upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week. One day I will do my chest and back, one day I will do my arms.
>> After the exercises, it's important to do your stretches. In fact, I do my stretches in-between each sets. It's important for your oxygen and blood flow. I also do three days of yoga. Yoga loosens the muscles and increases the flexibility.
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Currently, Shamita is doing circuit training.
She does this once in four weeks, and there are two ways to do this: A full body circuit training or just the upper or lower body circuit training.
So, what does circuit training actually mean?
"It means you take one exercise each and mix it together to make one set of three or four different exercises, depending on how strenuous you want the workout to be. Let me explain, one set will have exercises for the upper body, one back, one tricep, one biceps, that would be one set all put together back-to-back. Like this you make four sets," she explains.
You can also do full body circuit training. Here, you choose one big muscle and two small muscles. Your back is a big muscle. And when you really want to burn calories, you work on the legs. "So you do one exercise for your back, one for tricep and one for your bicep," says Shamita adding, "Remember these exercises are done back-to-back."
Each exercise in the sets is to be done 15 times. Shamita shows us full body circuit training, with a set of four exercises each, but before that some warm-up. It's a must.
Shamita's Daily Fitness Routine
The Beginning
Warm-up is very important. It helps ready your body to the strenuous workout ahead. Your heart rate has to go up to a certain level, so that the blood flow to your working muscles is sufficient.
Though 30 minutes of warm-up is not necessary, Shamita prefers doing 30 minutes - 15 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the cycle.
Treadmill:
"I do brisk walking on the walker on 6.7 speed," Shamita informs. She hates doing cardio and to compensate for that, she hits the treadmill a little longer.
Cycling:
From here, she gets on the cycle. "I don't pedal too fast, but just enough to ready myself to the workout," she says.
Circuit Set 1
Squatting:
Rest your arms backwards on a low bench and support your body weight. Bend your legs a bit and do squats. This exercise takes a lot of strength and should be done at the beginning of circuit workout.
Tricep Pulley:
This exercise I do sitting down where the pulley has to be pulled down. This targets your lats, which is the side of the back.
Bicep Pulley:
For the biceps, you need to stand and do the exercise. You don't rest during the sets really since it's a circuit. But you can take a break to take a sip of water if you feel like.
Dumb bells (sitting):
Sit straight with arm stuck to the shoulder. Now raise the dumb bell with bending just the elbow. I normally like to concentrate on my triceps because that is generally my weak area. I put on weight here easily and I tend to lose weight on my lower body.
CircuitSet 2
Leg extension:
Targets your quadriceps, which is the front portion of your thighs. It's an isolated exercise for the quadriceps.
Chest press (lying down):
You need to stand with your legs slightly apart, with equal balance on both of them. Then you pull the lever down. This exercises your chest as well as a bit of your arms as well.
Leg curl:
Lie flat on your stomach and curl your legs around the machine (see picture) and pull it upwards.
With dumb bells (sitting):
This one is for your triceps. You need to sit, with back straight, and then take the dumbbell over your head. I give support with my other hand, just two fingers, because your hand tends to move with you are moving the dumb bells up and down. Do it for both hands.
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Circuit Set 3
Dumb bells with ball to support the back:
I do this exercise using a ball for my back support, since I have a weak back. I move the ball on my back up and down holding the dumb bells downwards.
Rowing:
The rowing action is for your centre back. This helps tone the back muscles.Bendover rose: You half squat with hips jutting out and raise both your hands backwards. Make sure your elbows aren't bent. This works on your triceps.
Hammer curl:
This exercise works on your biceps. This is done sitting on a bench, with your feet on the ground. Your arms should be on the sides, and you just lift the dumb bells (holding it vertical), bending just the elbow.
Circuit Set 4
Repeat:
I would repeat one of the back exercises.
Leg Press:
Lie back and push the weight away from you. The term leg press also refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. This works on your quadriceps, and partially on your Hamstrings and calf.
Inclined chest press:
Again, the weight you use entirely depends on your requirement and also your comfort level. Do this 15 times.
Preacher curl:
This is done resting the elbow on an inclined board or support. All you do is bend the elbow to lift the dumb bell, one hand at a time.
Shamita's Gym Mantra: Exercise regularly, eat right and on time, choose fruits over juices and go slow on carbs after 7 pm
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