FitSugar

How Do You Refer to Your Rear?

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:13:27 -0700

It seems that women have a love/hate relationship with their butts. Either you want a smaller rear or a more shapely tush, and if you love your booty the way it is, I say shake your money maker. Regardless of your emotional relationship to your derriere, trainers and fitness class teachers use a wide variety of terms for "butt" - it's such a crass term with a schoolyard feel to it, and only slightly better than the formal "buttocks." When it comes to talking about your backside, tell me . . .

Latest Exercise Trend: Ramping

FitSugar — Tue, 01 May 2007 11:45:00 -0700

I am always looking for a way to do something new, fitness wise. At one point, step aerobics was the latest thing, but that time has since come and gone. You'll still find step classes in almost every gym, but they are not nearly as popular as they once were.

Enter Ramping. I know it sounds a little odd but ramping is very similar to step aerobics (in fact it was created by the very same person that created step aerobics) but it is requires a lot less impact on your joints because instead of stepping up onto a flat step or bench, you lunge on and off an adjustable-incline ramp (half-moon looking contraption pictured above) specifically designed for ramping. Ramping is great for really working your butt and hamstrings. Great for getting those legs short shorts ready this summer. Check out the ramping site online for more information as well as to find a class near you.

4 minute Booty Workout Video

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:19:21 -0700

Springtime is upon us and so are mini skirts and hot pants. Swimsuit season is just around the corner, so it is time to start toning the booty area. For me, a toned backside is really great for all season, but soon we will be showing more of it so let's get down to business.

Here is a 4 minute exercise video for you to try.

I will have the printable gym version ready for you all tomorrow, since I have never seen someone working out with a laptop at the gym.

Here are a few tips:

Use a soft mat when performing the first 3 exercises - be nice to your knees.
In Charlie Chaplin really pull your abs away from the floor and your hand. This will help keep your low back muscles relaxed to ensure more work in your glutes - which is what we want, right?
Bridge with your legs in parallel (heels in line with sits bones) and your heels close to your booty (this will make the hamstrings work less and the glutes more). You can use a small ball or a pillow between your knees to get the inner thighs more active too.
Read this post You don't know SQUAT for more on the technique of Squats.
For Plié Squats and Lunges remember to not tuck your pelvis under and you'll be golden.

REMEMBER: If a move hurts or feels weird, try the motion smaller. If the move still feels weird, stop and try it again in a couple of days.

Click here for: Take it to the Gym -Print out of the video.

MBT shoes = A Toned Backside, No Lie

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:45:00 -0800

My backside feels almost dead after sitting on it all day. My favorite way to resuscitate it is walking in my MBTs.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. A Swiss company put a lot of research into creating a shoe that imitates what the foot does when it is not wearing a shoe. Twist your mind around that one. I must say their research paid off and they get paid handsomely for each pair of shoes - they retail at $245.

If you can swallow the price the shoes are wonderful. They activate the back of the leg with every step and force the body into alignment. Plus they decrease the stress on your knee joint. As I move up years, further from 20 and closer to 40, my knees appreciate it.

You might have seen them in the Bliss catalog claiming to be the anti-cellulite shoe. But the Swiss makers of the shoes make no claim to this, but the shoes have been proven to increase muscular activity in the legs and glutes.

So the shoes might not be all that pretty to look at, but they turn any walk into a workout, especially if you are headed up an incline.

To learn how the shoes work and to see more styles just read more

The shoes have a sensor, or a roll bar, toward the heel of the shoe that make the shoes unstable. By stepping on the bar, rather than hard on your heel (like most us of do), you activate under used muscles that should work like when you are walking barefoot. When wearing the shoes you take smaller strides, stepping onto a slightly bent knee, then pushing off with a straight leg activating your hamstrings and glutes. I do so love that I work my booty with every step.

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Peruse the Walkers Warehouse for all your MBT needs.

Amazing Glutes: These Glutes Were Made for Walking

FitSugar — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0800

This video brings new meaning to working your buns. Check this out.

It Is Thigh Time: Bridge with Pillow

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:02:32 -0800

Here is another IT IS THIGH TIME exercise video. To slim down muscular thighs you need to strengthen the hamstrings and glutes to balance out the overworking quads and IT band. What is great about this exercise is that you can do it anywhere. You just need a pillow (a ball or towel) to place between your knees.

Let me know how it goes by commenting below.

Keep a look out for more exercise videos. New ones are coming soon.

Work It Girl: Step it Up (a Stair Technique)

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:30:00 -0800

They say that there's more than one way up the mountain. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is more than one way up the stairs. Yep, that is right - there are different techniques to it.

Try this:
Step onto the stair with your entire foot and press your heel into the stair to push yourself up to the next stair. You should feel your upper hamstring and your lower glutes working.

Not only does this "technique" work the often underused muscles of your backside, it is better for the health of your knee.

Fit's words of caution: This is a little difficult to do in heels since the heel can get stuck on the back lip of the stair.

Work It Girl: At Your Desk BOOTY

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 11:50:00 -0800

You sit on it all day. You fear it might be spreading. Stand up and take a few moments to work your BOOTY while at work.

Move 1) Place your hands on the back of your chair for balance. Reach left leg out directly behind you, pointing your toe.

Move 2) Keeping your knee straight, lift your leg just using your booty, without leaning forward. Don't worry, it won't go very high. Use your deep abs to keep from arching your back to lift your leg and to help you stabilize. Repeat 15 times at a fairly quick pace, then switch legs and do the other side.

Try to do this multiple times a day. It gets the blood moving in your seat.

And to see how NOT to do it, read more

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DVD Review: Core Fusion - Thighs & Glutes

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:29:03 -0700

Our friends over at the Exhale Spa have done it again. First they brought you their Pilates Plus and Body Sculpt Core Fusion DVDs, and they've just come out with a new one to target your lower body. Core Fusion - Thighs & Glutes ($15).

This video is divided into five, 10-minute sessions, so you can do them separately (you always have 10 minutes to spare, right?), or do them all at once. The exercises are designed to efficiently enhance the shape of your booty and thighs - the result is long, lean thighs and round, lifted glutes.

I like that the two instructors leading this video - husband and wife team, Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, are the creators of Core Fusion. So I felt like I was having a private lesson with them in my living room. Many of the moves they demonstrated were new to me, and extremely effective. Expect to do some creative squats, leg and knee lifts, and booty kicks. My buns and thighs were burning in a short amount of time, and the following morning I was sore just walking to the bathroom, so I felt like this video was worth the price. If you're looking to tone your lower half, I definitely recommend this video.

To see a clip of this video read more.

Booty Work: Part One

FitSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Many of the women I know focus on exercises that tone their lower bodies. Hey, who doesn't want a nice butt and lean legs to show off? In order to shape your gorgeous booty, you need to learn to love and stick with these butt-burning moves. Here are five for you to try:

Lunges: These are great because they target so many muscles all in one move. They'll work your glutes, quads, and hamstrings on the front leg, and on your back leg, they'll work your calves and increase flexibility in your hips. You want to be careful to have correct form when doing lunges, so watch yourself in a mirror to make sure your front knee doesn't go out past your front ankle when you lower your hips down. Some examples of lunges are stationary reverse lunges, walking lunges, and side lunges.
Squats: This move is great because it doesn't take much to feel your glutes and quads burning. Form is important here too, so be sure to lean your weight back into your heels. You can do regular squats, squats on a BOSU, squats in the bathroom, above your chair at work, or try this yoga sequence.

Want to see the others? Then read more

Step Ups: This exercise requires the use of a step, platform, or chair. You place one foot firmly on the step, then straighten that leg and step up off the ground. It targets your booty and abs, and depending on what you do with your other leg (the one not on the step), you can work your outer thigh, your quad, or your hamstring. Step aerobics, ramping, and this exercise called the Step Up and Kick all involve step ups.
Hip Extensions: Want to target just your bum? This move involves your belly facing the floor, either lying down on a ball or standing on your hands and knees. You bend your knee, squeeze your glutes, and lift your foot straight up. You can make this move even more challenging by placing a dumbbell behind your knee as with this move called the Knee Lift With Reverse Row.
One-Legged Deadlifts: These strengthen your butt, hamstrings, and lower back, but you should skip them if you have back pain or an injury. To learn this move, check out mymaria's post submitted in the Fitness Challenge Group.