Romanian Split Lunge
This exercise will provide a deep stretch for your hip flexors and quadriceps while strengthening the glutes. It works your glutes intensely, and stronger glutes are critical for proper function for anyone who exercises regularly.
To start, prop the toes of one foot onto a flat surface that is about one foot in height and placed about two feet behind you (therefore creating a 120-degree angle in your leg). While keeping your bent leg and toes secure, stabilize your standing leg on the ground for support. Place your hands crossed and flat against your chest. Next, slowly lower your torso and lunge downward, bending your back knee as low to the ground as possible. Pause at the bottom of the lunge for a solid second while keeping optimal posture without leaning forward.
Then, rise up from the lunge to the starting position to complete the exercise. To make this more of a challenge, try to have your bent knee touch the ground gently with each lunge. On the other hand, if your balance is not quite there, use a pole or the wall to help with stabilization. Executing four sets total of two sets on each side performing 12 repetitions should be a great goal.
Shaun Zetlin, Founder, Zetlin Fitness
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Photo credit: Australian Women’s Health
Swimsuit Ready Challenge
This exercise is part of our Swimsuit Ready Challenge (April 2-30, 2012). Do this exercise and comment below “I did this!” to be entered to win our $100 and $50 giveaways. You may enter up to one time per day through April 30th.
Also – be sure to share this on Facebook, Pinterest and other sites to let your friends cheer you on or – better yet – join in on the challenge so they can hang out on the beach with you this summer! read more →
Plank Variations for Great Abs
Plank with Alternating Leg – This is a challenging movement that will get your lower body involved while building a stronger core in the process. Begin by getting into the prone plank position with your heels up and your elbows bent with your forearms stabilized on the floor.
Next, bring one leg up about one-two inches above the floor and hold for 10 seconds. Keep your leg and knee that are in the air locked to recruit more muscle fibers in your glute and hamstring.
Lower the leg and switch to the other, again holding for 10 seconds.
Repeat, alternating legs for three complete rounds totaling 30 seconds per side. Perform these three rounds twice for a successful challenge.
Shaun Zetlin, Founder, Zetlin Fitness
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Swimsuit Ready Challenge
This exercise is part of our Swimsuit Ready Challenge (April 2-30, 2012). Do this exercise and comment below “I did this!” to be entered to win our $100 and $50 giveaways. You may enter up to one time per day through April 30th.
Also – be sure to share this on Facebook, Pinterest and other sites to let your friends cheer you on or – better yet – join in on the challenge so they can hang out on the beach with you this summer! read more →
Bicycle Your Way to Great Abs
My top ab exercise is a bicycle crunch done with legs in a table top position: Lying on your back, position knees directly above your hips (table top position). Hands behind your head, elbows open lift your shoulder blades off the mat, this is start position. Lift and twist right shoulder towards left hip at the same time extending your right leg, the left leg remains at table top position. Return back to start position and hold then lift and twist left shoulder up and over towards right hip, extending left leg. Repeat slowly 8 times per side, then quickly for and additional 8.
Remember to maintain tabletop position; when one leg moves the other is completely still. Keep your lower back connected to the mat and your abdominals engaged. Avoid pulling on your head/neck, instead use your abdominals to lift and lower. To make this exercise less intense extend leg towards the ceiling and to make it more intense extend the leg parallel to to mat.
Keri Cawthorne, Owner, Iron Mountain Movement
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Swimsuit Ready Challenge
This exercise is part of our Swimsuit Ready Challenge (April 2-30, 2012). Do this exercise and comment below “I did this!” to be entered to win our $100 and $50 giveaways. You may enter up to one time per day through April 30th.
Also – be sure to share this on Facebook, Pinterest and other sites to let your friends cheer you on or – better yet – join in on the challenge so they can hang out on the beach with you this summer! read more →
This sequence is a tonic for great toned “Bikini” buttocks as well as building general strength and flexibility, calmness and a sense of wellbeing. It comes to us from Jane Ribinskas who is giving away a training package in our Swimsuit Ready Challenge.
Follow along with Jane who tells and shows us how to do this sequence:
“Virabhadrasana A” (Warrior) Sequence for “bikini Body” Buttocks
1. Start at the front of your mat with the soles of the palms together at the chest,the feet with the knuckles of the big toes together and the heels slightly apart then gently lift up through your heart.
2. Next breathe in through your nose with a slow even breath as you take the arms over head until the palms meet. Next as you exhale step back with the right leg to creating a lunge and you’ll be on the ball of the right foot. Gently work the heel into the mat so it’s a good stretch for you. Whilst you’re there draw up the right glute and gaze up to you’re palms (if your neck is sensitive gaze straight ahead. Make sure your shoulders are gently drawing down to the earth whilst you draw the navel to the spine and connect your pelvic floor for a subtle ab workout too. Keep the breath steady and even in and out through the nose whilst in holding in the posture for around 5 x breaths.
3. On the next exhalation press through the palms(good for toned arms)and take arms sideways as you fold forward down to the mat.
Once both palms are on the mat…
…take the left leg back so you’ll meet the right foot with the feet hips width apart into downward dog or in Sanskrit “Adho Mukha svanasana”.
4, Then breath in and take the right leg up in the air with the toe pointed engaging the glute.
Hold for 3-5 in-out breaths on the last out breath bring the leg through to the front in a lunge. As you breathe in take the arms up over head until the palms meet. You could repeat this sequence either side of the body from 5-20 times. Remember to also keep your pelvic floor muscles engaged throughout the sequence. This will work abs and buttocks in sync.
Jane Ribinskas, Director/Facilitator, Yoga Concepts
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Swimsuit Ready Challenge
This exercise is part of our Swimsuit Ready Challenge (April 2-30, 2012). Do this exercise and comment below “I did this!” to be entered to win our $100 and $50 giveaways. You may enter up to one time per day through April 30th.
Also – be sure to share this on Facebook, Pinterest and other sites to let your friends cheer you on or – better yet – join in on the challenge so they can hang out on the beach with you this summer! read more →
Before you head out for the weekend… time for one more ab-blasting exercise. And this one is going to earn you a break for the weekend!
In the interest of full disclosure – we got pics of Rach doing the two advanced versions, and though we thought she did well – we’ll agree that the pictures were less than “pretty” – so we let her off the hook and didn’t put the photos up.
Today’s exercise comes to us from Marty Beene – he’s a regular guest blogger here and is sponsoring one of our Swimsuit Ready giveaways (a 3 Month Block of Running Coaching).
Marty calls for doing this booty-toning move while going up and down the stairs. We put Rach onto a step stool to give you an idea of what to do with each step you take up the stairs this month:
Worried about muffin top or bulging over the sides of your bathing suit this summer? Time to grab a ball and get crunching!
(more…)
When we asked for booty-kicking exercises… Stacey Garcia heard us! She sent us this tooshie-terminating exercise that is great for toning your rear end AND working out a little aggression! It’s like kickboxing on all fours!
We’ve done this kicks to the side and to back – but since we knew that the side kicks burned a little more than the back kicks, we made sure to have Rach show you how to do those:
This exercise from Kerry Ann King seems easy at first – but try to hold it for a while, and you’ll feel the burn kick in! This move proves that you don’t have to get to the gym every day to have great looking abs – you just have to get into those abs!
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