It IS possible to build the perfect bikini bum. But how many of us can dedicate ourselves to a strict, clean diet along with working out 6 day/week for 90 min or more/day? Exactly. So today’s article focused and requires discipline, but it’s not so intense that you’ll give up after one day.
In all honesty, a perfect butt cannot be acheived overnight, especially if you’ve spent the last 20 years or so just sitting on it all day, what with all the desk jobs, post-work drinks and great TV and movies we have these days.
However, Rome wasn’t built in a day and your perfect butt won’t be either, but if you follow this workout, you will feel sore at first, but you will see results in six weeks, without question!
It’s not just the exercise
What you put in your body is so important that it dictates the way you’ll ultimately look, with or without exercising. This definitely does NOT mean starving yourself– which is actually the worst thing you can do and will actually hinder your ability to build muscle and dramatically slow your metabolism.
1. So the first thing I’d like you to do is start eating more often throughout the day, but cut the portions of your meals in half. So instead of eating three times a day, you’ll eat six times a day, although it seems counterintuitive to weightloss and toning, it will help keep your metabolism supercharged and force your body to use fat for fuel. And keep in mind that six is not set in stone. If you’re hungry – eat!
2. Second thing I’d like you to do is cut down the amount of simple carbs you eat every day. That is, sugar, baked goods, white bread, white pasta, potatoes, etc. You know what they are. Key words are ‘cut down’ not ‘cut out’.
3. Third thing you need to do is eat more protein in the morning, this will increase your metabolism by 20%, I kid you not! So, whether it is eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, or cheese, add some protein to your morning meals. I actually add whey protein powder to my morning smoothie and I can’t tell you the difference it has made in my body and my energy levels. (I have some great smoothie recipes –I will post if you’re interested).
4. Lastly, load up on water. It is one of the most important parts of any diet. How much water? Well, divide your weight by 2, your answer is how many ounces or water you should be drinking per day. (Example: 130/2= 65 ounces of water)
Cardio training
In order to drop the fat and allow your muscles to shine on through, you need to do cardio exercise at an intense enough level to sweat and have trouble holding a conversation!! And in order to keep the focus on your potentially perfect butt, I want you to opt for butt-focused cardio exercises like walking/running uphill on a treadmill or walking/running stairs. I know many women are scared of biking in fear of ‘bulking up’ – disregard that thought – biking has given me the best butt and legs I’ve had in my life.
Your aim should be to complete about three to four hours of cardio exercise per week.
Perfect butt exercises
There are a few mainstay exercises in the buttocks world that you will incorporate into your workouts for good. However, because the body, the fantastic specimen that it is, manages to adapt quickly, you will need to switch up your workout every four to six weeks in order to continue seeing results.
The changes could be as simple as switching up which exercises you do first to switching how you execute the actual exercises (more slowly with heavy weight, more quickly with light weight, changing # of reps). I will explain this more in-depth in future articles.
Dumbbell Squats
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your back straight and your heels planted firmly on the ground, bend down as though you’re going to take a seat in chair until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Be careful not to let your knees surpass your toes. Return to your original position.
How many: 3 sets of 10 – 12 repetitions
Lunges
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, take an elongated step forward, ensuring that both of your feet are pointing in the same direction as your body, with the heel of your back foot off the ground. Lunge down so that the upper thigh of your front leg is parallel to the floor and your knee is aligned with your ankle. Return to your stance and continue until you complete the reps with this leg before switching.
How many: 3 set of 10 – 12 repetitions (per leg)
Hip Extension
Lie on your stomach on a platform or a balance ball with your hips on the edge of it. Keep your legs straight with your toes lightly touching the floor. Balancing yourself with your hands, lift your legs into the air until they’re above your hips. Remember to squeeze your glutes and hamstrings with each repetition.
How many: 3 sets of 20 (per leg)
Kickbacks
Using a mat, get on your hands on knees with your back parallel to the ground. Lift one leg in the air with your knee bent and your thigh in line with your butt. This is your starting position.
With controlled movement, thrust your foot into the air as though you are going to step on the ceiling. Return to your starting position.
How many: 3 sets of 20 (per leg)
Enjoy building your perfect butt
Eventually, I will discuss variations of these exercises and will help you perfect the deadlift, an exercise that requires perfect form but very effective in the battle against the saggy butt.
Until next time, perform your own ‘’butt-lift’!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteHow can a person use exercise bike or elliptical trainer without gaining large muscles?
I noticed that you dont have large leg muscles and i want to produce a figure like yours and not a "bulky one".
I know you said dont worry about this problem happening and that it didnt happen to you but
some people do seem to be prone to get bulky muscle for some reason when using these machines.
Why is this?Is it that people are using different types of muscles?Or pushing down on the machine differently?
I noticed that some people really push down their muscles really hard when pedalling and that some others dont.It seems to be the ones that have all their strength/muscles/weight pressed down heavily,that end up getting the bulkier muscles.This is something i wish to avoid.
Also,some women when using pretty light weights will not get bulky muscles but like a 'streamlined' look,where as other women who use the exact same light weights end up with bulky upper arm muscles.I wonder has this to do with some testoterone or estrogen?
Some sources,say exercise increases testosterone,ohes say it lowers it.So im wondering if by doing a certain techniques/using certain muscles are some women increasing their testosterone-hence the bulky look-and whether others are using their muscles in a different way which doesnt increase testosterone/give their muslce that thick look?
Here are examples what i mean.
"Bulky" muscles which i do not want to get:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/adam/images/en/weight-lifting-and-weight-loss-picture.jpg
http://noblerexk1health.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/woman-lifting-weights-fb.jpg
Non bulky more feminine look:
http://mammaiform.blogg.se/images/2009/kvinna-tra_nar_573499b_26092974.jpg
http://www.powerblock.com/info/dumbbells_images/dumbbell_arm_exercises.jpg
http://www.all-about-arm-exercises.com/images/arm-exercise-pictures5.jpg
http://www.realmensfatloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fit-and-healthy-girl-lifting-weights.jpg
Are you able to provide any information,insight or advice about this please?
Thankyou
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your detailed question and examples and also for your kind words! I completely understand your concern and have had this question A LOT, especially from women who are concerned about getting ‘big legs’.
To do a thorough assessment of your exact issue, I would need a full assessment of you, your routine, your diet and your history. I will be taking on new clients in the new year, so feel free to reach out. In the meantime, I will do my best to answer your question.
I think part of the issue is the ‘setting of the bike’; you want to make sure the seat is the right height. A good measure is to sit on the bike and when you do a complete rotation, your leg should be almost straight without being locked at the most extended position.
Another important aspect is to use the straps on the foot pedals and tighten them. To secure your foot. You want to be sure you are pulling up as much as you are pushing down. Focus on making full smooth circles with your legs rather than a choppy up and down motion.
As far as the elliptical, again you want to try to use as much range of motion as possible, try to use ellipticals that incorporate arm movement. In order to balance out your legs and give you that all-over toned look, try switching back and forth between going frontwards and then backwards on the elliptical For example 10 minutes forward, 10 minutes back etc.
It is true that women are naturally pre-conditioned to build more mass in their quads. Unless you are biking for hours every day at an intense resistance or aggressive hill I would not worry about bulking up. Cycling and elliptical training is a great workout and can burn a ton of calories you put the effort in. I actually have one client who wanted to slim down her thighs and it was the elliptical machine that helped her do it (something different works for everyone, it is a matter of finding the ‘right’ program for you).
I do not think you need to worry about hormone levels unless you are doing intense body building. Plus the only way to really know the hormone levels in your body is to undergo very specialized testing ordered through a doctor.
Doing light weight/high repetition strength training is designed to give you that long, lean look, it should not bulk you up. Some people are naturally susceptible to building bulk, but the bottom line to being ‘streamlined’ as you say, is to keep up with the cardio and lift light/high rep weights.
It is also important to switch up your exercise routine everyday to keep any part of your body from overdeveloping. So try biking one day, swimming or elliptical the next, kickboxing the next, etc etc.
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, or need more detail, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Your question are also the same things as other people!
Amanda
This is a really informative post.Thanks! I think I will repost it on my fitness site and share your info with my readers. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Steph (TuckTakesOff.com)