It seems like a ton of couples got engaged over the holidays (congrats!). And yes, the flowers and venue and photographer are all super important, but every bride-to-be wants one thing above all else: to look FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC on the BIG day! So when Brides start planning their wedding, they start planning what their body will look like in the wedding dress. They typically want toned arms (sleeveless dress), toned back and chest (strapless dress), a cinched waist (for the corset) and to get rid of that yucky fat spillage around the underarms (you know what I’m talking about). To tell them how to do all of the above safely and effectively, I went to Chris Rimer, Fitness Director at Core Concepts Personal Training at Mountainside Fitness Chandler. He’s been a trainer for 5 years, and knows just the right exercises and advice to give brides their fittest body ever. Here he tackles all your wedding day shape-up questions, from the best toning exercises to workouts that will help you de-stress…
Trainer Q&A: Chris Rimer, Fitness Director at Core Concepts Personal Training at Mountainside Fitness Chandler
Q: How can I get in shape for my wedding?
In looking to lose weight and tone up in a hurry, a bride will want to look at increasing the intensity of her workouts. In weight training, that means incorporating super sets or giant sets (performing two or more exercises not working the same muscle group back to back without rest) and/or decreasing the amount of rest time between sets.
During bouts of cardio, increase your intensity by interval training on your favorite cardio equipment (Example: 1 minute of low-intensity recovery cardio followed by 30 seconds of high-intensity sprint cardio, repeat 10 times). I’d recommend performing weight training and cardio training both at least three times a week.
Q: How can I tame those wedding dress trouble spots?
Here are some exercises that will target a Bride’s most exposed areas (namely shoulders, upper back, triceps and biceps):
*Dumbbell Lateral Raises (shoulders)
*Dumbbell Frontal Raises (shoulders)
*Dumbbell Rear Flies (shoulders & upper Back)
*Single Arm Dumbbell Row (back)
*Dumbbell Bicep Curl (biceps)
*Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions (triceps)
*Push-ups with Shoulder Taps (chest & shoulders)
Q: Any training advice to help de-stress before the BIG day?
Don’t be a Bridezilla! Exercise can also soothe the anxiety that comes with planning a wedding. Participate in a boxing class to get out some of the pent up aggression or do yoga to help with some meditation
Q: Is doing a crash diet or last-minute cleanse a good idea?
Make sure you give yourself enough time to reach your wedding goals. Crash diets and/or last-minute cleanses are not a safe and effective way to get into that wedding dress.
Q: How can I turn healthy wedding habits into lifelong habits?
Don’t make a healthy lifestyle a fad just to look good for your wedding, make it something you continue to practice. Now that you’re married, you and your husband can work together in making healthy nutritional choices and activities that will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle together – go to the gym, go running, hiking, play tennis…. you get the idea!
