文章基本信息

标题：Shape shifters: my eight-week total-body makeover
作者：Valentina Chepiga
期刊名称：Flex
印刷版ISSN：8750-8915
出版年度：2002
卷号：July 2002
出版社：A M I - Weider Publications

Shape shifters: my eight-week total-body makeover

Valentina Chepiga

My personal journey from obscurity in Ukraine to realizing my ultimate goal--snagging the 2000 Ms. Olympia heavyweight title--taught me the importance of hard work in the gym and a total commitment to success. I was able to add well-honed muscle and shape to my physique, which used to be overweight and formless. If I could do it after years of being out of shape, there's no reason other women can't enjoy the same results.

For the longest time, I could not lose weight and was trapped in a pear-shaped body. I finally got sick and tired of looking in the mirror and being disgusted with my appearance. So I cleaned up my diet--cutting back on fat, salt, sugar and processed foods--and experimented with a variety of training programs in pursuit of my ideal physique.

Let's cut through the complex jargon of exercise science and simplify the process of remodeling your body to suit your goals. I'm going to share my five-step plan for making quantum leaps toward quality muscle

in just eight weeks. Try it and trust me completely, as my personal-training clients do; you won't be disappointed.

STEP #1: CLEAN UP YOUR DIET

Many women are hot and bothered about shaping up, but they don't want to ditch banana splits, chocolate and pizza. The basic rules of thumb--trimming carbs such as pasta, bread and potatoes; eliminating refined sugar; cutting back on sodium; and reducing dairy down to nil--must be followed to the letter. To boost metabolism and the fat-burning process, your diet must be based around fish, chicken, egg whites and fresh vegetables and fruit. Furthermore, space your meals so you're eating about every three hours for a total of five or six meals daily. Stick with this format for the entire eight-week workout and you'll be pleased with how you look and feel.

A typical day's menu plan is shown in the accompanying sidebar, Valentina's Meal Plan.

STEP #2: BUILD UP CARDIO SLOWLY BUT SURELY

This shape-up plan requires burning calories you would otherwise store as fat. Start with 30 minutes of aerobic training twice a week. (I prefer to train at 60-80% of my maximum heart rate to accelerate fat burning. Find a comfortable pace that you can maintain.) Add one cardio session per week until you peak at four days weekly, aiming for as much as 45 minutes per session on a treadmill, stationary bike or stair climber.

STEP #3: KEEP REPS HIGH AND MINIMIZE REST BETWEEN SETS

Boosting your metabolism will help you shed fat and lay the groundwork for sculpting sexy rounded muscles. For all exercises in my makeover program, lift in the 12- to 20-rep range. Work toward minimizing rest intervals between sets, eventually limiting rest periods to less than a minute. High-rep fast-paced training will promote calorie burning and elevate metabolism for prolonged periods of time.

STEP #4: TARGET TRAIN TO REACH YOUR GOALS

I know what women want from a training program: a tight butt and sharp-cut abs. I always include squats and lunges on leg day to shape and sculpt my glutes, and I insist on two leg workouts per week to prioritize the hard-to-train lower extremities and because leg training is responsible for burning the most calories.

Abs require a lot of stimulation if the goal is to make progress in a tight time frame. I'm well aware that you can't spot reduce--that's why I'm asking you to clean up your diet and do cardio in addition to a four-days-per-week weight-training regimen. Three 20-reps sets of crunches and leg raises twice per week will help you dial in the cuts as you lose fat via diet and aerobics.

STEP #5: SPLIT THE SPLIT

Hit the weights four times each week: two days for legs and abs, one day for back and chest, and one day for arms and shoulders. (Follow the workout as laid out in the "Shape-Up Guide" sidebar.) Don't cheat on your diet or training program, and focus on making week-by-week progress. By the end of the two-month plan, you will be well on your way to the physique you desire.

VALENTINA CHEPIGA'S EIGHT-WEEK SHAPE-UP GUIDE

EXERCISE                          SETS  REPS

Day 1: LEGS AND ABS
Squats                            3-4   15-20
Lunges                            3-4   15-20
Leg curls                         3-4   15-20
Crunches                           3     20
Leg raises                         3     20
Day 2: REST
Day 3: BACK AND CHEST *
Seated rows                        3     15
Wide-grip pulldowns                3     15
Flat flyes                         3     15
Incline dumbbell presses           3     15
Day 4: REST
Day 5: REPEAT DAY 1
Day 6: REST
Day 7: SHOULDERS AND ARMS *
Dumbbell shoulder presses          3    12-15
Standing dumbbell lateral raises   3    12-15
Barbell curls                      3    15-20
Triceps pressdowns                 3    15-20

* Begin the program with 30 minutes of aerobics twice a week. Work up to
as much as 45 minutes four times per week - your choice of days for the
two additional cardio sessions.