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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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Best Beach Buns: The Bikini Bottom Workout
Need More What?
Most of us don’t need more exercises to follow – we need more motivation to do the exercises we already know. However, as soon as I write a post about a new exercise or workout routine, people flock to it like bees to honey. bzzzzzz!
Fresh new moves are not only great to learn, they can give you a new boost of motivation as well – and staying motivated is half the battle.
The Best Beach Buns
Since everyone loves a good butt and leg workout, and bikini season is now officially here, what better buns are there than volleyball players. I mean LOOK at that body!! I just looked at PAGES of volleyball players and almost every single one of them had amazing buns and legs! They squat, they lunge and jump their butts into wedgie worthy shape – and you can too!
Get ready to sweat & tone that Beautiful Bikini Bottom!
BEACH BODY WARM UP
Bcx Express™ Warm Up
BIKINI BOTTOM WORKOUT
20 Crisscross Squat (Burn fat & tone those thighs!)
20 Sumo Squat (Glutes & inner thigh – go deep!)
20 Overhead Walking Lunges
20 Curtsy/LEFT (Keep weight off back leg!)
20 Runner’s Pose Stomp/LEFT (Burn those buns!!)
20 Curtsy/RIGHT
20 Runner’s Pose Stomp/RIGHT
(Repeat 3 X with no rest between exercises)
NOTE: Consistency trumps any one killer workout any day – so remember, no matter how awesome you think this one workout is, commit to staying consistent and repeating this workout on a regular basis.
Tell me. What keeps you motivated? What kind of motivation do you need and enjoy the most? Do you like words that pierce the heart of all your excuses? Do you like to see crazy fit bodies that remind you someone is reaching their goals and that someone could be you too if you got off your butt? Do you love a new workout routine and new move to try in the gym? What is it that moves you to put your tennis shoes on and Get-R-Done? My inquiring mind wants to know! 
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SUPER BUNS 2012: Get your NFL Fit Fanny
Body Parts that Count: Part 2 – Glutes & Hams
In this 3-part blog series I address the most important body part to train for a woman. Part 1 was all about the shoulders and why women need train them. Today, I’m giving you Part 2 – and we’re talking about the glutes and hamstrings. Besides, what better time to talk about the fanny than Super Bowl day! Everyone knows football players have great bottoms – and I personally think we could learn a few things from them.
I’m not really one to look at some random guys’ butt as they walk by – BUT (pun unintentional but totally keeping it) I do remember being intrigued with those tight little bottoms in the infamous stretchy pants, only football players can pull off and still look tough in, when I was in high school.
One reason I was probably intrigued was it was the only time I actually saw the outline of someone’s bottom in such detail. The other reason I probably was captivated by their derrieres was because all the players bottoms were all so tight and fit looking.
Train Like a Football Player:
“Strong enough for a woman, made for a man?”
So why can’t women train like a football player? Of course they can! What do you think makes football player’s butt so tight, compact and perky? It’s their training. There’s no reason a girl can have a bottom just as tight, compact and perky too!
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a BIG difference between training like a football player and eating like one, but how their fanny looks is primarily due to their training. As long as you don’ bulk up your calories, you’ll get all the positive benefits of the training without looking like a linebacker.
12 Super Buns Exercises
They squat. They basically start each play in a squat, the 3-point stance – just like these girls are doing here. The need to get low is important, but that’s not all. There’s all the blocking and pushing. That power requires strong legs – as they basically push their bodies into their opponent, and leg press them out of the way. That’s why weight training is an absolute must.
1. Barbell Squat
2. Leg Press
3. Barbell Deadlift
They plyo. Since the players have to explode out of their starting stance as soon as the play begins, their glutes, quads and hamstrings need to be powerful and quick. Plyometrics is a key training component in order for these guys to dodge their opponent, leap over a downed opponent, jump to catch a ball, and powerfully pop up quickly after being hit.
4. Crisscross Squat
5. Ski Jump
7. Mary Catherines
8. Burpee
9. Plyo Squat Jump
10. Squat Thrust
11. Heismans
They sprint. You probably don’t want to look like a linebacker, but the guys you see running the field – they have got it going on! They didn’t get that position for being fat and bulky – they got it because they are quick and agile. Sprinting and agility drills are a must for these guys – and it pays off both on the field and in a pair of jeans!
12. Sprints
They cross train. It’s not enough to be fast, and it’s not enough to be strong. Football players need to be fast and strong. You won’t see football players solely concentrating on their bench press in the gym. No way! They’re doing a little bit of everything – they’re lifting weights, running, doing agility drills, conditioning exercises – and they putting it all to the test on the field. To truly be fit, you can’t isolate one type of workout or one body part. That’s why I like functional training with an emphasis on a body part.
For instance, you can blast your glutes and legs – but why not get your heart rate up to and work your entire body at the same time? Here are 5 functional workouts that will build strength and stamina while training your legs and glutes too:
1. Dead Legs
5. The Bomb
Subscribe to this blog for the rest of this series: Body Parts that Count!
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2-N-1: My Butt & Shoulder Workout
I combined legs and shoulders today just in case I couldn’t get shoulders in tomorrow since we are preparing for a 5K & Mini-Mudder Saturday and have been crazy busy. This ended up being a great workout – quick, a bit painful and plenty effective. Since 2 of the best body parts on a woman, in my opinion, are the shoulders and legs/glutes I thought I’d pass it along. :)
Below are the exercises I threw together and the weight I did. Of course you can modify to fit your needs.
15 Thrusters (Squat Press) – 55-65lbs (barbell)
3 X
15 Squats – 135lb (barbell)
3 X
40 Overhead Walking Lunges (25lb plate)
40 Walking Lunges with Arms out straight in front (5lbs dumbbells)
Super Set – Alternating exercises, 40 steps 3 X
15 Leg Extension (110lbs)
12 Standing Military Press (Shoulder Press) (15lbs)
Super Set – Alternating exercises, 3 X
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Changing My Training
Starting in November, I changed up my training and I’m really liking the results.
You know how people look like their dogs? Well, I too look like my long lanky Great Dane – Tank. Point is, I struggle with putting mass on my legs. I used to do legs once a week and then it hit me – I work upper body everyday (as I break down all my body parts…chest one day, back next, etc). No wonder my legs need more work …they actually need more work! (many guys also have this problem. So many guys hit chest all the time but neglect their legs) Read the rest of this entry
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Toning Shoes Should Tone Down Their Claims
Over the last few years a new trend of tennis shoes, claiming to tone the legs and glutes, have popped up in every shoe store. Although I believe they have their place, the shoes are misused and misunderstood.
Although each brand of toning shoe may be shaped differently, their message is similar and, in my opinion, their claims are extreme. Do they have their place? I believe so, but people need to know how to use them properly.
Toning shoes are not for every activity. The idea behind toning shoes is they are much more unstable, forcing you to use your leg muscles to stabilize your body. The action is not extreme, but can strengthen stabilization muscles in the legs and improve balance over time.
Will this type of strengthening reshape your legs? Not in my opinion.
Wearing the shoes may slightly increase muscle tone, but Read the rest of this entry
