Posterior, booty, buns whatever glorious pet name you like to give your buttocks, the chances are we're all united in our booty goals. Bigger, firmer, rounder right? We blame Kim Kardashian and Jen Selter for this.
With more women lifting weights than ever before it looks like 'strong not skinny' is going nowhere fast. Girls are learning to appreciate their own strength and celebrating the fact that we can squat with a weighted barbell just as well as Zumba our way to our fitness goals.
And here's the good news, you don't need to become a hardcore body builder or a seven-day gym nut to see results.
We got talking to Cecilia Harris, Results with Lucy fitness expert, to find out exactly what isolated exercises we need to be squeezing into our workout routines to get that Insta-peach.
Hate cardio? This could change your relationship with the gym for life. Here's how to get the kinda glutes that can stop traffic!
Exercises
Include 2 of these exercises in every workout you do. Repeat the move for 30 seconds x 3 / approx 15-20 reps
Stability Ball Leg Curl
Areas trained: rear thighs, bottom, lower back.
Begin lying on your back, feet resting on a stability ball, arms by your sides. Lift your hips to form a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Maintaining this position bend your knees to roll the ball towards you, slowly straighten your knees and lower your hips to the floor. Repeat.
Donkey Kicks
Areas trained: bottom, rear thighs.
Begin on all fours then extend your right leg out behind you, slightly off the floor. Raise your leg, squeezing your bottom as you do. Keep it straight so your foot is just higher than your hips. Slowly lower your leg back down to just above the ground and repeat. Change legs halfway through each set.
Jumping Squat
Areas trained: front thighs, bottom.
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on your hips. Bend your hips and knees and squat down as if you were going to sit on a chair behind you, without leaning excessively forward from the hips. Quickly straighten your legs jumping as high as you can landing softly then returning to the start position. Repeat.
To lower the impact, try doing squat pulses rather than jumps. When lowering down into the squat position, hold the seated squat at the bottom and pulse a few inches up and down. Complete as many pulses as you can, coming straight up for a few seconds if you need to release. Prepare to feel the burn!
Bridge
Areas trained: bottom, core.
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms by your sides. Tighten your stomach and lift your hips off the floor into a bridge position with your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Straighten your left leg keeping your hips level, hold then lower your body back down to the floor and repeat. Change legs halfway through each set.
Walking Lunges
Areas Trained: thighs, bottom.
Stand with feet apart holding a light dumbbell (3kgs) in each hand above your head with hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Take a large step forward with your left foot, then lunge down bending both knees and lowering down until your back knee is just above the floor. Come back up to standing, step your feet back in together before lunging forward with your right leg.
Using weights will make the exercise harder as lifting them above your head will raise your heart rate and engage your core muscles too.
Your squatting posture checklist!
For beginners
Beginners should start squatting with no added weight (body weight only). Adding weight will make the squat more challenging and will stop you from going deeper down but is recommended to improve stamina and strength.
I would recommend to start with a 3kgs weight and go up to 10kgs. When using weights you are holding the dumbbells above your shoulders and keeping them there throughout the exercises
Sometimes it's not a case of not being able to do it, it's a case of doing it the wrong way, thus not getting the results you want. With this simple checklist you'll be squatting for success in no time:
1. Stand with feet a little wider than your shoulder-width apart, hips stacked over knees, and knees over ankles.
2. Roll the shoulders back and down away from ears. Note: allowing the back to round (like a turtle's shell) will cause unnecessary stress on the lower back. It's important to maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
3. Extend arms out straight so they are parallel with the ground, palm facing down (like your hands are on someone's shoulders).
4. Initiate the movement by inhaling and unlocking the hips, slightly bringing them back. Keep sending the hips backward as the knees begin to bend.
5. Whilst the butt starts to stick out, make sure the chest and shoulders stay upright and your back stays straight. Keep the head facing forward with eyes straight ahead to ensure your spines stays neutral.
6. For optimal results deepen the squat by sinking your hips below the knees.
7. Keep your core engaged with body weight in the heels and on return to standing explode back up, driving through the heels.
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