Beruflich Dokumente
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By Rachel Cosgrove
photographs BY Chris shipman
Firm your rear and tighten your abs with these 10 remarkably effective moves.
Youre always busting it, saving it, covering it, or laughing it off, but how much time do you actually devote to sculpting your butt? Not enough. Pretty much anytime youre standing on two feet, your glutes and hamstrings are hard at work. Problem is, like most Americans, youre probably spending more and more time parked on your backside in front of a computer or flatscreen. Thats too bad, since your glutes are your largest (and possibly most powerful) muscle group and therefore an all-star calorie burner and metabolism boosteras long as you use them. Neglect them long enough and your bum becomes your bodys problem childloaded with potential, but lazy, forgetful, and unmotivated. And not so hot-looking either. Show your buns some love with these 10 killer moves. They work the glutes and the muscles that support them (the hip flexors and hamstrings) to tighten and tone your booty and core. Whether you choose to add them to your existing routine in place of lower-body exercises or combine them for a calorie-frying buttock-toning circuit (see Build-a-Better-Butt Workout, right) is up to you. Either way, youll wind up with a superior posterior.
Build-aBetter-Butt Workout
> Single-Leg Hip Extension > Sideways Band Shuffle The WorkouT:
Challenge the glutes with high-intensity supersets. do 10 to 12 reps of 1a, then immediately do 10 to 12 reps of 1B. rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then work through the pairs until youve done 10 to 12 reps of each move. do each superset twice.
You wont have much range of motion in this move. Focus on contracting your glutes as much as possible, rather than how high you lift your knee.
knee, keeping both hips on the floor (a). Contract your right butt cheek and lift your right knee a few inches off the floor without raising your hip (b). Pause, then return to the starting position. Complete all reps on the right side, then repeat on the left side.
Focus on form, and this move will be your butts new BFF. Do it: Grab a pair of five- to eight-pound dumbbells and hold them in front of your thighs, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent (a). Bend at your hips to lower your torso until its almost parallel to the floor, keeping the weights close to your body (b). Return to standing, keeping the weights close to your body (as if youre shaving your legs with the dumbbells). Thats one rep.
w o m e n s h e a lt h
womenshealthmag.com
Dumbbell Step Up
a b
Quick tip
Keep your spine neutral by bending only as far as you can without rounding your back.
The reason this was the inspiration behind an exerciseclass empire? It works. Do it: Grab a pair of five- to 10-pound dumbbells, stand in front of a bench or step, and place your left foot firmly on the step (a). Press down with your left heel and push your body up until your left leg is straight (b). Slowly lower back to the starting position. Thats one rep. Do all reps with the left leg, then repeat with the right.
Quick tip
Squeeze your glute to raise your leg behind you, and keep your core braced and chest up throughout the move.
> Always on the run? Download free workouts for your portable media player at WomensHealthMag.com/Downloads.
w o m e n s h e a lt h
womenshealthmag.com
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