Tag: post pregnancy fitness
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Now I know what your thinking, Why would I want my butt any bigger?
but the key to these 5 great exercises is they don't just lift and tone your butt, because of the number of muscles that are used in these exercises there is the added benefit of all round fat loss not just from your legs and butt, also your abs back and arms believe it or not due the elevated metabolism and increased heart rate from your legs doing so much work. I even know for a fact that you guys out there don't want to be carrying any extra junk in your trunk (I have it on good authority from my wife, that even on a guy a butt can look good in denim) and you ladies definately want some lifting and firming advice because we all want a nice booty, agreed?
Just incorporate the following best backside exercises in your regular strength routine and you'll burn fat, shape and firm your booty, sculpt surrounding muscle groups, and rev up your metabolism.
Lets kick it off! 1. Kettlebell Swings Kettlebell swings combine strength and cardio training to redefine your backside. In addition to toning your glutes and hip flexors, you'll work your core, and cardiovascular system (an all-in-one exercise). Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Place the kettlebell about one foot in front of you. Push your hips backward, with a slight bend in the knee (shins almost vertical) and reach forward, placing both hands on the kettlebell. From your "hike position" (hips pushed backward, back flat, and chest out) hike the kettlebell behind you, with a purpose (don't let go).Drive your hips forward, while contracting your glutes and tucking your tailbone under, to swing the kettlebell (always above the knees) until you are standing at "attention" with your hands about chest height. Important Tips: Always make sure to keep your abs tight (this will keep your lower back protected.) Keep your neck in line with the rest of your spine. Always drive the swing with your hips and NOT your arms. If the bell ever gets too far out in front of you, never reach for it- just let it drop! 2. Lunges Lunges are a workout staple that will firm your butt and tone your legs. Start with your feet hip width apart then step forward with one leg. Keeping your abs tight, chest high, and spine straight, sink down into the move until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your back knee is almost touching the ground. Concentrate on squeezing your glutes as you push through your front heel back to the starting position. Important tip: don't let your moving knee extend past your toes. 3. Step Ups This is a great exercise for your butt as well as your quads and calves. Step ups also increase your heart rate so you'll get the extra benefit of fat-blasting cardio. Stand with your right foot firmly planted on a step or a bench, your left foot on the floor. Push down through your right heel to straighten and stand on your right leg, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. At the same time, pull your left leg forward and up, knee bent 90 degrees and raised waist-high. Lower your left leg back to the ground, then step your right foot down. Alternate legs to make one rep. 4. Hip Extensions Like lunges, hip extensions can be performed anywhere and without equipment. The key to this movement is positioning your weight so that your butt does the brunt of the work, not your legs. On your hands and knees, you'll focus the main effort in your glutes and lower back without involving your hamstrings. Tighten your core and squeeze your butt to lift one leg toward the ceiling, keeping the 90 degree bend and flexing your foot so you're reaching with your heel as you raise your thigh in line with your spine. Keep the movement slow and controlled to the top and then back down again. 5. One-Legged Deadlifts One-legged deadlifts do triple duty, activating your muscles for a highly effective toning session that works your butt, hamstrings, and lower back. Holding a kettlebell/dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet hip width apart, knees soft. Keeping your weight firmly on your left leg, lean forward from your hips, reaching the dumbbells toward your left foot and raising your right leg out behind you. Remember to keep your core tight and not round your back. Now stand straight, squeezing your glutes as you come back to start. Do a full series of reps before switching to your right leg for the second half of the set. In case you're not a current member of our program, we cover all of these great exercises and much more. Call today for more information.... Heres to getting that hine in to shape! Carlos Dobson
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| Comments | 1 | Hits: 180 |
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Traditional Circuit Training has long been thought of as a bunch of women in leotards prancing around a room lifting tiny wee dumbbells and performing over choreographed aerobic moves but nothing could be further from the truth
These days Circuits are the go to system for not just fat loss but fitness and also muscle and strength gains meaning they are often used by elite athletes as part of their conditioning program. They key is learning how to utilize this principle of training to suit your goals.
Old school circuits usually involved as many as 10-12 different stations, usually machine based, and a timer which went off every minute or so. This meant during that minute you performed as many reps of a weight as possible (usually 50+) before moving to the next exercise at the buzzer. Often we alternated between a strength based exercise i.e. chest or shoulder press; and an aerobic exercise such as the bike or skipping.
This style of circuit is fine and will work well to help increase endurance and also promote fat loss through the buildup of lactic acid (High levels of blood lactate promotes the release of growth hormone which aids in both fat loss and muscle growth – a double edged sword) but you should not limit yourself to this type and you do not always have a gym full of fancy machines at your disposal to crank out a quick circuit session.
The modern circuit is a lot simpler, instead of so many exercises often we often concentrate on smaller circuits with more repeats. Rest is taken after each circuit and can be varied depending on fitness levels or desired outcomes.
To put together a circuit we work on 4 main areas
We select an exercise for each of these areas then perform each exercise for 30-120 seconds with little to rest between exercise and 1-2 minutes rest after the circuit, and then we repeat again for the set number of circuits.
Sample Fat Loss Circuit for Beginners
The following are 2 very simple fat loss circuits you can perform at home with NO equipment. All you need is a clock, a towel and a couple of square metres to move around in: Circuit A
Circuit B
Start with Circuit A and perform each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest between exercises, rest 30 seconds then repeat circuit, repeat 3-4 times before moving on to Circuit B.
Once completed perform static stretches for 12-15 mins. You can download a PDF copy of The 5 Secrets System Static Stretching Guide from my website here:
8 Awesome Advantages of Circuit Training
Disadvantages of Circuit Training The one and only disadvantage of traditional circuit training is that you may struggle to build a lot of muscle and strength but by modifying rest and reps this can easily be fixed. We can reduce the rep range to between 5-12 and increase rest after each circuit to 60-300seconds and problem solved.
Remember if you are using circuits for fat loss like I do you, still need to keep a check on your nutrition or you could be missing out on all the benefits of your training.
If you are in need of some fresh workout ideas, I have put together a small collection of my favourite Bodyweight Circuits and they will be available to you guys soon so keep and eye on your inbox over the next couple of weeks.
Carlos Dobson
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| Comments | 1 | Hits: 175 |
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Today is about how you can pretty much exercise anywhere you want, anytime you want WITHOUT any equipment. These very exercises I use with my Fast Burner Fitness Group Training on a regular basis. These are also included in The 5 Secrets System - my book on Total Body Transformation in 12 weeks which will be avaliable in the next few weeks. As I said, fortunately, it's easy to do a bodyweight workout when you have these exercise substitutions you can use instead of weights.
1) For Squats -> You can do:
- 1-leg squats - 1-leg bench squats - Bulgarian split squats - Split squats - Forward lunges - Reverse lunges - Step-ups - Reaching lunges - 1-leg deadlifts - 1-leg hip extensions - Jump squats - Power lunges - Cossack Squats
NOTE: For many exercises, including pushing and pulling too, you can play around with the 1&1/2 rep style - lowering to the bottom position, coming halfway back up, and then lowering again, and then coming all the way back up. I also really love slow tempo reps or even slow up, fast down (These help to promote fat loss by creating lactic acid which in turn boosts growth hormone levels, a great fat burning, muscle building hormone)
2) For DB Chest Presses (of any kind) -> You can do one of these:
- Wall Push ups - pushups - close-grip pushups - decline pushup - elevated pushups - off-set pushups - pushups with your feet on the ball - pushups with your hands on the ball - spiderman pushups - pike pushups - One foot push ups - Clap Push Ups - Drop Push ups (a plyometric move for advanced trainers) - or possibly the hardest two-hand pushup of them all, decline close-grip spiderman pushups
3) To replace lunges if you have knee soreness:
First, see a doctor and have them diagnose the problem. Second, see a therapist and have them treat the issue. Third, see a trainer and have them assess where you need to work on flexibility and how you can include some "knee-friendly" exercises in your workout program.
These exercises include:
- Lying Hip Extensions (also known as Lying Hip Bridges) - Single-leg Hip Extensions - Lying Hip Extensions with your feet on the ball or a step - Lying Stability Ball Leg Curls
4) To replace DB Rows -> Using the smith machine or as I like to do a chest, belly button or waist height bar, you can do...
- inverted rows - Wide grip inverted rows - Alternate grip inverted rows - underhand inverted rows - inverted rows with your feet on the ball - inverted rows holding the ends of a towel hung over the bar
5) For DB Rows -> Using the pullup bar, you can do...
- eccentric pull-ups - regular pull-ups - sternum pull-ups - chinups - side to side pull-ups
Whoa. I think that was 40 replacements in total. Tons of ideas to keep you going. Try cracking out a few when you are in the park with your kids next time or even when no one is looking if your a bit shy.
Pretty soon you will see how I combine all of these exercises to help you create a Lean, Fit Body the Fast Burner Fitness way in the 5 Secret System.
Stay tuned, stay focused and stay in touch
Carlos
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| Comments | 15 | Hits: 444 |