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Sweat & Tone with Air Squats
Air Squats can ramp up any workout. In this workout, you can see we alternated air squats with standard body sculpting movements. The result: One tough fat-melting, calorie-burning, muscle-toning workout! Check it out…
Air Squat Workout
Here is the written workout below, with links to video instruction for each workout. Below are tips on how to do a proper air squat. KILL IT!
- Air Squats
- Barbell Biceps Curl
- Air Squats
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
or Push-press (if weight is heavy) - Air Squats
- Weighted Plate Crunch
4 Rounds for Time
(timing the exercise ads intensity)
10 Common Mistakes For Air Squats:
1. Knees go over toes
2. Butt is tucked under – dropping down, not sitting back
3. Shoulders are rounded
4. Back is rounded
5. Body leans forward, bending at the hips
6. Head is down, instead of looking straight ahead
7. Weight is on the balls of the feet
8. Heels lift up as the body lowers into the deepest position
9. Squat is too shallow
10. Exercise is done too slow
7 tips to doing a great air squat:
Each squat is nice and deep, with your butt dropping below the knees- Hips stay open, body stays vertical (not bending at the hips)
- Butt sits backward, back is straight, shoulders are rolled back (not rounded forward)
- If you lean forward, or posture struggles, raise hands overhead to improve form
- Knees are not over the toes. If they are, use a chair to reference where your bottom “sits”. Your bottom should not sit down, but sit back as you lower, as if sitting or touching a chair. Stretch arms forward to help balance issues.
- Weight remains on the heels and not on the toes (Test: can you tap your toes while in the down position?) If you struggle with this. Squat down all the way down, like a baby on the beach playing in the sand). Settle in and stay there until you can shift your weight on your heels, open your hips, spread your knees out and get the feeling of where you need to be in that downward position. Once you feel this, and understand how to balance your weight in that position, you should be able to repeat it as you do the air squat.
- Pace is FAST and FLUID
Here is a fun video that shows the intensity, pace and form of an air squat.
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Blast the Backside: Glute & Ham Workout
Another Great Glute & Ham Workout this week! Here’s what I did. REMEMBER, I’m hitting glutes twice a week. My other Leg day is quads and glutes. 
4 Sets of 18-20 Each:
- Straight Leg Deadlifts
- Leg Curls (3 sets reg. 2 sets negative)*
- Seat Leg Curls
- Stomps (both heels hit the ground)*
- Curtsies*
Finish this workout with doing the stairs, step mill, treadmill on a steep incline or the elliptical on a high resistance setting.
TIPS*
LEG CURLS: Change things up and do single leg curls to hit your legs a little differently. Or, boost your training by doing a few sets of negatives using too heavy of weight to do alone. Have your partner help you push the weight to the fully contracted position. Then you control the weight back down on your own for a great negative exercise.
STOMPS: I always do one exercise (like lunges or stomps) to fire up the quads too, so expect them to be blazing hot! The key to stomps is making sure the heel of the moving foot comes all the way down and touches the ground – not just the toe touching. Then sit on it – meaning, your bottom should drop down low with each step in.
CURTSIES: Be sure to not put ANY weight on the back foot. Use it only for balance. Also, with each bend, you should come ALL the way back up to a stand. It’s the upward motion that works the glutes. So, all the way down, and all the way up. Add a dumbbell in the dropped hand for more resistance.
Have a great workout!!
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
GYM TIME: Leg & Abs Workout
First up: My leg workout I did this week.
Second: I share one of my favorite workouts Steve has put together.
If you are like me, you get tired of your same workouts and like to try new things, so occasionally I post my workouts for you guys to try out – or mix a new move in. Here was my quad & ab workout this week – as well as a workout by Steve that you can do at home!
Leg Workout: Do 3-4 sets of 18-20
Begin with a Warm Up
(I normally just do leg press with no weight)
- Heavy Leg Press
- Single Leg Leg Press (LOVE THESE!)
- Walking Lunges with 20lb dumbbells
- Leg Extensions (Toes pointed out)
- Leg Extensions (toes pointed in)
Ab Circuit
The thing I dislike just a little more than legs (which I reallllly don’t like) is abs. I seriously dread it – so much so, that I made “doing more abs” one of my New Year’s Resolutions. My workout wasn’t anything special or unique this particular day, but I got it done!
- Plate Crunch 3 sets of x 25 with 25lb Plate
- Ab Machine Crunch 3 sets of x 25
- Incline Sit Ups with Twist 3 sets of x 25
After my workout, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical. YUMMY!
Butt, Leg & Abs Workout
Don’t have access to gym equipment? Try this workout at home!
The Workout:
- 15 Skaters
- 5 5-Second Crescent Pose/5-Second Warrior 3 Combo on one leg only
(Repeat above & do other leg)
- 15 Slam Ball (or Plyo Jump Squats)
- 15 Slam Twist Abs
- 15 Double High Knees
- 15 Stomps (one side)
(Repeat the above couplet and do the other side)
Repeat 3-5 times for a complete workout.
Simple Quad & Glute Workout
We are approaching bikini season so it’s time to take our lower body workout up a notch! Cardio burns fat, but weight training is what plumps up the bottom, smooths out the skin and minimizes the appearance of cellulite – plus it gives us the “right” kind of curves!
Personally, I’ve always wondered why we break up our upper body workouts into smaller body parts, but we expect to do our legs in one day and it be just as effective. So, I decided I needed to change this.
I started breaking up my legs – one day I do quads and glutes and later in the week I do hamstrings and glutes. I LOVE it – and considering I hate doing legs, that’s a really good thing!
Here was my workout yesterday!
Simple Quad & Glute Workout
Warm Up: Air Squats
4 Super Sets:
15 Back Squat (Heavy)
15 Overhead Squat with just the bar or pipe (DEEP!!!)
4 Sets – Walking Lunges (with 20lbs dumbbells) 30 steps
3 Sets – Leg Extension (toes pointed out)
3 Sets – Leg Extensions (toes pointed in)
Finish with step ups, knee repeaters, curtsies or skaters to really kill it!
PS: Just in case you noticed my new shoes! OMG I love them! They are my new Reebok SubLite Train. They are nice and flat (great for lifting) and super light. They have a high heel (for good achilles support) and they lace up a little higher than running shoes (great for mountain climbers and other exercises where a shoe might want to slip off the heel). The SubLites & Nanos are my favorite shoes for the gym!
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3 Easy Ways to Ramp Up Your Workout
1. TIME: The less you rest, the more difficult the workout will be. Take little to no rest between exercises to completely fatigue the muscle.
2. WEIGHT: When doing lunges, step-ups and single-leg workouts, put all your weight on the working leg. Many people will shift their weight on the opposing foot to give the working leg a rest. Or, they will step up, and then step their weight down. To amp your workout up, using step-ups for example, only tap the back foot on the ground instead of shifting your weight back on the ground. You will feel a noticeable difference just focusing your weight on the working leg without even trying a new exercise.
3. ROM: ROM stands for Range Of Motion. If you want to really work those glutes, it’s important to squat and lunge as deep as your knees will allow. The deeper your squats are, the more you’ll work the glutes, hamstrings and inner thigh.
CLICK HERE to view my Butt Blasting Workout for Designer Whey
THE SIX-PACK: 6 Awesome Ab Workouts
In a Crunch (Literally!)?
I know how easy it is to get bored of workouts, but there really is life outside of traditional crunches and sit-ups. It just takes a little imagination, knowledge or guidance from a pro like my hubby Steve. Over the last year Steve has come up with some great workouts – and ab workouts are always a fav! I mean, who doesn’t want great abs?!
Here are some of my favorite ab exercises that Steve put together for various brands and workout programs – and as you can tell in his pic, they work! Not only will they give you a great workout too, but you’ll learn some new moves to broaden your exercise library.
Give them a try and let us know which one you like the most!
#1 Four-Minute Abs
20 Rock Climbers
20 Figure 8 Ball Pass
20 Reverse Crunch
20 Ball Crunch
4 ROUNDS
#2 Core & Cardio Workout
Thrusters
Left Handed 2-Point Stance
Right Handed 2-Point Stance
Left Elbow Plank with Pulses
Right Elbow Plank with Pulses
#3 Abs & Core Circuit with Balance Ball
25 Rotational Crunches
25 Dynamic Plank
25 Take It or Leave It
25 Oblique Side Bend
#4 Design Your Abs Workout
25 Sit Ups
25 Roll Ups or Toes to Bar
25 Oblique Sit Ups (25 on each side – 50 total)
Repeat 3 Times.
#5 Core & Glutes
Plank (10 seconds)
Upward Facing Dog (10 seconds)
10 Rounds
Sunbird Leg 3-Position Leg Lifts
10 circles per position (back, 45 degree, 90 degree)
3 Rounds
Plank + Knee to Opposite Elbow (a sit-through)
10 times on each side
REPEAT ENTIRE CIRCUIT
#6 BCx Core
25 Sit-ups
25 Crunches
25 Obliques (Left)
25 Obliques (Right)
25 Bicycles
Reebutt Workout: It’s Time to Rock Your Winter Jeans
Can I have my young bottom back please?
If only you could Reebutt. You know, get the butt you had when you were 10. When I see young little girls at the beach, I marvel at how nice their little bottoms are – but think about their lifestyle. They can sit squatted down playing in the sand for hours. No wonder those little things are perky!
Let’s be honest. Most women aren’t hanging out, wearing bikinis and skintight workout shorts like you see in many of the fitness motivational pictures or magazines. Most of us just want to look good in clothes, much less half naked.
Cold weather is coming, or is already here for some of you northerners. For us beach-town folks, we finally get to cover up a little – and it doesn’t matter how much you pay for your jeans if your butt is flat as a pancake or big as a house.
Don’t get me wrong, being in a bathing suit definitely makes me want to work on my derriere, but it doesn’t stop there. Good glutes can also change your appearance in clothes too. Specifically training the legs and glutes can get your booty ready – and I love me some Miss Me Jeans! Unfortunately, even a nice pair of jeans with enough bling on the pockets to blind someone, can’t hide our imperfections, no matter how flashy they are. So, don’t let the extra layer of clothing fool you into thinking it’s okay to get lazy. Keep working!
Benefits of a good glute routine:
1. Lifts your butt
2. Turns pear shape bottoms to apple bottoms
3. Reduces the appearance of cellulite
4. Smoothes skin (wrinkles) and improves texture
5. Improves strength
6. Gives you a youthful appearance (at least from the rear! ha!)
7. Fills out deflated bottoms that otherwise sag, shake, rattle and roll.
The Reebutt Workout
Yes, his workout is a tribute to Reebok - because they are totally kicking people’s BUTTS these days – and people are loving it!
Try this super simple, but SUPER EFFECTIVE (ouchie) workout. Be ready to feel fire in your pants!!
This workout is HOT! (the burning muscle kind that is).
Follow Along with me!
Written Workout:
Go from one exercise straight to the next without rest for the best results. If it starts to burn (like a UTI, as Steve says), then shake it out and get right back at it. The reason this workout is so effective is because we’ll stay on one leg the whole time, and then swap legs and focus on the other leg.
20 Squats
20 Right Lunges
20 Right Stomps
20 Right Leg Cook Hip Lifts
20 Squats
20 Left Lunges
20 Left Stomps
20 Left Leg Cook Hip Lifts
REPEAT 2 TIMES (4 total)
Don’t be lazy this winter! #GetAfterIt – or I’ll have to get after you!
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
WORK YOUR BUTT OFF: Hammy Over Miami Workout
When you’re over 40, your poor lower body requires quite a beating. Between the spankings I got as a kid and the countless times this clumsy girl has fallen flat on her rump, I’d say this butt is no stranger to a beating though, so it should be able to handle it!
Truth is though, 41 years has done a number on my toosh. My skin isn’t as tight as it used to be and it is difficult to shape and reshape that area for me. BUT (pun intended) it’s not impossible.
Did you hear me? I SAID, IT’S DIFFICULT BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
Why Women Must Weight Train
Here is a photo of a woman who got butt implants. To me, this is a PERFECT example of what building muscle with a workout (like the one below) can do. It plumps up muscle tissue and gives the bottom shape. The new muscle smooths out the skin and reduces the appearance of cellulite. It even gives the skin a more youthful appearance. And although I’ll never walk around in a thong, a nice bottom and shapely legs improves your overall shape – plus it makes you feel healthy, fit and strong. You can have expensive surgery OR you can workout and get it for practically FREE!
Getting My Butt (and Mind) In Gear
It’s always easy to get discouraged but when you think of the alternative it’s easy to get ENCOURAGED. The fact is, if I don’t do anything I’ll look and feel much worse. If I don’t ever try, I’ll never know what I CAN do. If I don’t keep it up, I’ll never know what it would have been like to stick with it. No matter which way I look at it, NOT trying is simply not an option.
Workouts must be tough and regular. My diet must be tough and regular. I must throw motivation out the window and replace it with determination and discipline. Once that kicks in, and begin seeing results, I’ll pick up a new bit of motivation along the way.
I may not have a perfect body (and likely never will) but I can sure as heck do what I can to make the best with what I have – and so can you!
Hammy Over Miami Lower Body Workout by Steve Pfiester
Click on the links below to view instructional video at FitStudio by Sears. Complete the workout below with little to NO rest between exercises in each circuit. When working the GLUTES in the 2nd circuit, try to remain on one leg through each round for the best results (with little weight on the “resting” leg).
LOWER BODY CIRCUIT (3 Rounds)
20 Overhead Walking Lunge
30 3-Position Squat
#1 10 Plea Squat (Wide stance)
#2 10 Regular Squat (feet shoulder width apart)
#3 10 Sissy Squat (Feet close together)
15 Prone Hamstring Curl (Prone = laying face down)
15 Straight Leg Dead Lift (barbell or dumbbells)
(Complete 3 rounds/sets)
GLUTES (3 rounds/ 25 repetitions)
Perform Round 1 all on left food, then do right, and move to round 2, etc.
25 Repeater Knees (lunge position, repeatedly bringing back knee up)
25 Squat Abduction (Squat with alternating outer thigh lift)
25 Romanian Dead Lift (also called One-Leg Dead Lift)
25 Step Ups (use bench or plyo box)
25 Lunge Kicks
(3 rounds on each side, 6 rounds total)
Like what you see? Try our 4-Week BCx Boot Camp program at FitStudio!
ABC Butt & Abs Treadmill Workout
Millions of people buy treadmills with high hopes of using them to get fit, only to have them collect dust – or in Brittany’s case, hang clothes (as you can see here in her picture from her blog)!
It’s understandable. Walking on a treadmill can get boring. However, there are ways to keep it fresh! It’s time to take the clothes off the treadmill and put it to good use again – and this time, you can do MORE than just walk on it it!
You can burn calories, while firming your glutes and core, on your old treadmill with some fresh new treadmill moves – all with the treadmill running at only .5 – 1.0mph. Take it slow, practice the moves first and then get ready to feel the burn!
GLUTES, CARDIO & CORE!
A - 5-minute warmup:
Light jog or power walk
B - Treadmill Circuit:
1. 1 Minute of Walking Lunges
2. 1 Minute of Skateboard Lunge on the left side
3. 1 Minute of Skateboard Lunge on the right side
4. 1 Minute of Ab Wheel Walk
5. 1 Minute of active rest (moderate walk or jog)
C – 5-Minute Cardio:
Fast Power-walk or Steady Jog
Repeat B & C 2 more times for a 35 minute workout.
More Treadmill News & Tips
Learn How to Buy a Treadmill by Andrea Metcalf
Get more treadmill exercises and fresh new workouts at FitStudio.com!
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE WORKOUTS!
Is Your Behind BEHIND?
If you were keeping score on how often you did arms, chest, back, quads, hamstrings and glutes, what would be behind?
Have you ever thought about how we divide our body parts up? Many of us do chest one day, shoulders on another, etc – yet we hit our legs all on one day. That little jewel hit me this year, so I decided to make some changes.
If you’ve seen my legs, you know they don’t look like this girl in the pic. They look more like legs on a giraffe – knobby knees included. I can’t change the way God made me but, by-golly, I can at least make them more fit looking! So, I started incorporating walking lunges in my morning run every other run and started dividing my legs up more.
Butt Why? – Pun Intended
The more I thought of it, the more I realized my glutes and hamstrings didn’t get the intensity the rest of my body did. My behind was behind! What do I mean? After leg press, squats, and leg extensions, I was always worn out by the time I got to the back of my legs on leg day. So, in order to make sure I gave my backside just as much attention as I gave the rest of my body, in addition to my interval lunges & runs, I started adding in a hamstring and butt day once a week.
One day a week, I hit heavy quads and light hamstrings and another day (later in the week) I hit light quads and heavy hamstrings and glutes. Here’s an example of one of my glute & hams workouts with the weights I used on my last workout:
3 -4 Sets of the Following:
18 Seated or Prone Hamstring Curl (80-90lbs)
18 Straight Leg Dead Lifts (30lbs dumbbells)
20 GHD Glute/Ham Developer (25lb plate)
18 Standing Hamstring Curl (40lbs on Hammerstrength)
30 Steps Walking Lunges (15lb dumbbells)
1 Set Each, Repeating Circuit 3 Times with No Rest
20 Stomps Left
20 Curtsies Left
20 Stomps Right
20 Curtsies Right
Don’t let your backside backslide! Give it the attention it deserves!
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