Saturday, June 25, 2011

Swim Suit Ready Series: The Butt Workout

     Sorry I've been MIA for the last few weeks! My husband was preparing for his first clinical rotation which involved us moving temporarily out of our apartment and into my parents' house for six weeks and let me just say, I'm not a fan of packing for a 6 week vacation (I say vacation because we weren't fully moving out of our apartment, just getting 6 weeks worth of vacation-like things together and then some - crazy!). But here we are, all nice and settled for the most part and ready to blog again. (Just a side note, I didn't proofread before posting so please excuse any mistakes, I'll fix them later!) I really hope I can crank out the rest of this Swim Suit Ready Series for you so that you can get cracking on ALL parts of the workout and feel confident this summer!
     You'll start off with The Butt Workout and while you're waiting for me to post more of the Series, start The Butt Workout every other day for a nice, toned and lifted rear that you'll be proud to show off and not to hide with your cover-up!

The Butt Workout:
     You'll need to be looking at a clock for this workout, one that will show the seconds go by, not just the minutes. This workout doesn't take long - only 5 minutes with a little bit of set up time in between exercises - but you will feel the burn by the end and you'll be so happy I didn't make it longer. ;) You will need to be near a wall, and you will need a chair for balance at some point in the workout so have one nearby (don't worry, the chair is not going to affect the difficulty of the workout, it's simpley there to help you out so you can do the exercise without having to stop and regain balance).
     Stand with hands on hips, feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed forward. Squat down nice and controlled and then jump explosively off the ground landing back in the squatting position. Continue with the squat jump for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, hold your squat postion and pulse for 10 seconds (be sure you are pushing through your heels, not the balls of your feet). After 10 seconds of pulse and the lowest point in your squat, continue to jump squat for another 20 seconds and then pulse at the bottom of your squat for another 10 seconds. Stand up and immediately get ready for the next move.
     Stand behind your chair and hold on lightly with both hands, without leaning over the back of the chair, extend your right leg straight out behind you as far as you can, squeezing your glutes. Bring the leg back to the starting point. Continue to lift and lower your leg behind you (please don't lean over your chair!) for 20 seconds and then pulse for 10 seconds at the height of your lift. Return your right leg to the starting point and then switch to do the same thing for your left leg. Return to the starting point and immediately get ready for the next move.
     Stand with your chair-back at your left side and hold on with your left hand. Then chair is only here for balance so do not lean on your chair. Place your right hand on your hip. Lift your right leg straight out to the side as high as you can and lower again. Lift and lower your right leg for 20 seconds and then pulse at the height of the lift for 10 seconds. Return to the start. Switch the chair to your right side and perform the same exercise for the same number of seconds for your left leg. Be sure to stand up straight and not lean while performing this exercise. Return to the start and immediately get ready for the next exercise.
     Get down on your hands and knees, back straight and knees hip width apart. Keeping your right leg bent, lift your heel to the sky as high as you can and then lower. Continue to lift and lower for 30 seconds. Return your right leg to the start and then perform the same exercise for 30 seconds on your left leg. Stand up and immediately get ready for your last exercise (yay!).
      Back up against a wall and perform a wall squat by squatting down so that your legs are bent at a 90 degree angle and your back is flat against the wall. Place your hands in whatever position is most comfortable for you as long as they are not helping to support you at all. You should be pushing throuhg your heels and not the balls of your feet. Hold this squat for 1 minute. It is okay to take small breaks during this minute but you should be working up to being able to hold the squat for 1 minute. Stand up and you're done! Way to go! Now go and give your glutes a well deserved stretch!

Just to recap, here's what the routine looks like without all the explaining:
Jump Squat - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
Jump Squat - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
Standing Rear Leg Lift Right - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
Standing Rear Leg Lift Left - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
Standing Side Leg Lift Right - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
Standing Side Leg Lift Left - 20 sec.
Pulse - 10 sec.
 - Down on your hands and knees -
Kick Back Right - 30 sec.
Kick back Left - 30 sec.
 - Return to standing -
Wall Sit - 1 min.
Stretch!

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