If you want to boost your metabolism, you should start to add strength training workouts to your exercise routine! Strength training is a GREAT way to build muscle and boost your metabolism, which in turn helps you burn fat faster and longer – even when you are sleeping!

There are different ways to incorporate strength training into your routine when working out at home – strength training workouts with equipment and strength training workouts with no equipment.

Strength training workouts with equipment

Lift hand weights or dumbbells. Weights can help to increase the benefit of your workouts, they are readily available for purchase at a local sporting goods stores, and they don’t cost a lot – all good reasons to add them to your workouts! You can even use bottles of water if in a pinch – even a little weight will give you more for time!

Start with my strength training tips, then try this workout!!! It’s from my 2-week Natural Body Bootcamp Challenge, part of my DeniseAustin.com membership… so if you like this and want more weight workouts, start your FREE TRIAL!!

Strength training workouts with no equipment

Use your own body weight for resistance. If weights aren’t your thing, or you have none available, using your own body as resistance is soooo effective! Lunges use your body as resistance to firm up your legs and thighs, and upper body moves such as the Plank and pushups use your upper body as resistance to firm up your arms and back. This Barre Workout is a great example of how using body resistance can firm up your lower body, giving you long, lean, beautiful dancer’s legs!

I have almost 100 toning workouts that can help you target tone your body, through weights or your own body resistance, in my DeniseAustin.com membership! You CAN boost your metabolism, lose weight and firm up – and I will show you the way! Start your free trial today and you can do my Natural Body Bootcamp now!!!

Let’s get fitter, together – inside and out,
Denise

Video Transcript: Quick and Effective Arm Workouts

Today its time to firm up our arms, so we have nice, toned sexy arms. Let’s begin by using some light weights, and stand up nice and tall and begin firming our arms and shoulders just like this. Bend your knees, slightly protecting the back, and really work your arms and shoulders, keeping your back strong and straight, keep your tummy in, and let’s get started. A good way to warm up through the shoulders, your arms, try to lift those arms that’s it, that’s it, do the best that you can. We’re going to get nice shaped arms, firm up every angle of the arms – the back of the arms, the shoulders, no more bra overhang – get nice and toned sexy arms – let’s go! Two more! That’s it, feel it, last one, and release.

Now it’s time to do a little bicep curls. So, plie out, all the way out, reach your arms all the way out, and do little curls, that’s it. Notice my angle of the arms – reaching out, really extend to really get sexy, firm arms, that’s it. The bicep curl – really feel it. Pump up those biceps, yes! Get nice and strong and toned, lean, cut arms, that’s it. Look great in a sleeveless blouse, you’ll feel so confident, great – we go two more, last one – little pulses, little pulses – let me see those biceps work, yes! Tummy is in, back is strong and straight, working those legs too. Wonderful, and release, beautiful. And just relax using your thigh muscles, great.

And now I want you to bring your arms in right here, this is a little different. Now hold it, stretch it out, and it’s a hammer curl, working a little more of the upper part of the biceps. That’s it, your stomach is in, your back is strong, you’re thinking good posture, and we’re really working those arms, yes we are. Extend the arms all the way, really feel the extension. That really helps to get those beautiful, toned arms, firm…last one. Great, OK.

Now we turn to the side, and we’re going to work the back of the arms, so lean slightly forward and bend, then extend. This is now working the triceps – the back of the arms. One of the most important areas to tone so you get a beautiful shape to the arms. Also did you know the triceps are one of the most underused muscles of the body? So, in order to form them up, we gotta do something about it! So here’s one of the best exercises to get the back of the arms. I love this one. Reach way back there, think good posture.  Notice my back is straight, that’s something you all need to think about, is good posture. Your shoulders are down and back, your abs are pulled up and in. Now we’re going to hold it up, now pulse it upward. A little pulse, just lift, little lifts, c’mon you can do it! Tone those arms! Your triceps see shape very quickly, isn’t that great? Two more, last one, hold it up there, beautiful! Good work!

Let’s go the the other side, thinking about good posture, and slowly fold forward, back is strong and straight, elbow is lifted upward, and extend it and release, extend and release. Keeping your back strong, keeping your abdominal muscles in, we are now target-toning the back of those arms, the area where we all need extra help, and here we got it, right now. C’mon do it! It’s worth it! Get beautiful looking arms. Feel confident, that’s it! Feel strong and sexy and toned. Couple more just like that. You got it. Last one now we hold it up – baby pulses up. But notice you put your shoulder blades together and lift and lift, back is straight… come on a couple more, you got it! It’s worth it I promise! Last one, hold it, hold it, hold it! Great!

Ok let’s begin sexy shoulders. Bend your elbows up, little bends and down, little bend up and down, stomach is in. That’s it – up, beautiful, and down. You got it – great. Now we’re going to shift our arms back and we’re going to do a whole circle. All the way around, touching the back almost, kind of feels like you are, and pull it in. Let’s do that again. Out in an arc, pull down, it’s great for your upper back, no more bra overhang. That’s beautiful! Now pull down, shoulder blades down, and arc back up, again, out, pull down, and pull back up. But notice my back is straight – don’t let your rib cage pooch out. Pull it in – yes there you go – that’s the different tweak to make it work. Now we stay right here, now pull, pull it in, pull it in, yes that’s it – work the back. That’s great! Good! Sexy upper back – yes! You can wear those beautiful backless dresses, feel confidant back there, and also improve your posture. Very important for all of us. That’s it, keeps us young, great, two more, last one, beautiful!

And there you have it, a total arm exercise workout!

Video Transcript: Barre Workout To Tone Thighs

Hi, I’m Denise Austin. Today we’re going to do barre work workout. All you need is your chair. This is going to target tone. Our thighs and booties and especially the front and back of our thighs, so let’s get started. The first exercise is very simple but very targeted with the use of the chair to balance. Feel as though you’re at your ballet class. Lift and lower the leg, squeeze the buttocks. Try to think about good posture. Pull up and in your abdominals. That’s it. The leg that you’re standing on, slightly bent it. Beautiful. This is now target toning the buttocks to help lift and tone the back of the thighs. That’s it. Making beautiful, sexy legs lifted buns. That’s it. Very easy, but targeted last one and now I’d like you to hold it and flex your foot and bend up lean slightly forward. Lean into the bar, into your chair and lift and lower.

Lift and lower. Now you’re working the back of your thighs, the hamstrings. They are targeted to firm up the buttocks. That way your booty sits up a little higher. That’s it. Got a lift and tone and strengthen through the buttocks. That’s really important. When you walk away, you have a nice, toned tushy. Last one. We hold it up there. Hold it up there. Beautiful lift, lift, lift, and release. Great. That it switch legs, switch sides. The first one is to lengthen and strength in the legs, so lift up a little taller and squeeze the buttocks of you lift it. You got a toned tight tushy lift, and release. Pull up those abs, zip up the abdominals. That’s it. Always think about good quality over quantity, thinking about good posture, the back, the technique, and focus your energy right here on the but that’s it. To bootay, lift and lower that leg.

Really squeeze. Make sure that leg is straight as you can make it so you get the quadriceps. That’s right. All the leg muscles and buttock muscles firmed up. We got two more. Last one, hold it up. That’s it. Flex your foot. Bend your knee, lean slightly into the chair and do lifts and lower baby lifts and lower. Now we’re target toning the hamstrings. They help lift the buttock muscles. That’s it. You’re great. Foundation to really give that beautiful shape back there, the great near jeans. Make your backside, your better side right there. Come on, lift and lower. That’s really. Feel it in. Squeeze it tightened up. That’s it. Lift the buttocks, sculpt it, shape it. We got two more. Last one, hold, hold, hold hold, beautiful, and now let’s do a pull away stretch. Just lift your hips up, tailbone lifted, and stick at your chest out and pull away.

Feeling the stretch through the spine. Your spine is your lifeline. Keep it healthy and slowly come all the way up. Now standing up nice and tall. Let’s work the front of the thighs to lift and lower the leg. That’s it. It’s all about those thigh, the quadriceps to shape and tone. Think about your abdominals as you lift your leg. Tighten up that tummy. That’s it, and lean slightly forward. Don’t lean back. It’s all lifted up and a little forward. That’s it. Great. Always do. The best that you can do. This workout is for you. I want to help tone and shape your legs where you feel stronger, improve your balance. That’s it. No more cellulite will firm it all up. This is also a great way to shape the top of the leg so it lifts up above the knee cap, so it looks really great.

Last one, hold it and just shift it back and stretch it out. Now to stretch it out, you log in the arm, you’re lifting all the way through. Hold the stretch. Beautiful. Relax. Let’s go to the other leg. It’s all about those thighs right now. Thinking about tall, good posture, nice technique, lift and lower than a. that’s it. Great. The more you practice pulling your abdominals in, the more natural stay, nice and flat. That’s right. Toned abs. Pull it in, practice. That’s great. You could do these exercises each and every day. You will see a great shape, a good result. That’s it. Thinking about good posture lake, you’re standing on. You want to slightly bend the knees so you don’t lock out your knees slightly bent. That’s it. We got two more lifts. Last one, beautiful. Take it back, lean into it and lunge bath.

Oh, does that feel great? Almost feel it all the way through the hip flexors. All the way up. Beautiful. That’s it. Stretch and tone. That’s what we’re doing. Great. Last one, and relax. Now I’d like you to turn your chair around and we’re going to do a little ballet stretch. Lift up your chest and place your heel. We’re right on top of the chair. Now bring your arms up, overhead, stretch, and now just ease and melt into the leg. Hold the stretch, hold and stretch. That’s it. Beautiful. Just relax. Try to think about keeping your back somewhat straight, not too hunched. That’s a different stretch. Okay, and slowly come up. Can you lift your leg up and then put it down? Great. Let’s switch legs. Hands on your hips to support. Get your balance, your toe, and now slowly come up and go down to the leg.

Hold that stretch hold. If you need to reach for the bar or your chair, that’s great to flex the toe. Try to keep your back a little straighter or flat back. I know you’ll feel it. It’s a great protective way to stretch your hamstrings. So great. Okay, and relax. Now. Lift Your Body Upright and balanced by lifting the leg up and bring it back down. Taking a nice deep cleansing breath, bringing in the oxygen. That’s it equals energy and that out. Any stress, just exhale out. That’s it. And begin another deep cleansing breath. Bring it. Inhale. Let me hear you inhale. Let it all out. Ha, beautiful. And there you did. Fabulous bar workout for these exercises and more. Visit my website at deniseaustin.com.

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