Authors: Christmas Abbott
Tags: #Health & Fitness, #Diet & Nutrition, #Diets, #Exercise, #Weight Loss
The Badass Body Diet: The Breakthrough Diet and Workout for a Tight Booty, Sexy Abs, and Lean Legs (28 page)
SINGLE-LEG SQUAT
The Payoff:
This exercise not only sculpts and tightens your booty and thighs like nobody’s business but also indirectly promotes muscle growth across the rest of your body, in places such as your abs, chest, and back. It can also increase endurance in the hamstrings, hips, and thighs, as well as some other leg muscles. This movement is great for balancing your stability.
Where It Burns:
Glutes, hips, and thighs.
Blunders to Avoid:
Your knee should not drift over or past the toe. Also, try not to round your back during this exercise. When your lower back is rounded, you’re more susceptible to injuries such as a bulging (herniated) disk.
Tip:
If you slow down during the descent, you’ll stimulate greater muscle toning and development, particularly in your booty and thighs.
THE JUMP SQUAT
The Payoff:
Here’s a move that gives you the same benefits as standard squats—full-body conditioning, core strength, and stability—plus some extras: balance, coordination, explosive power, and one heck of a cardio burst. Also, this exercise is a great butt lifter, which I love.
Where It Burns:
Thighs, butt, hamstrings, and calves.
Blunders to Avoid:
Don’t mistakenly think that if you go faster but not as low, you are getting more out of it. Not at all. You need to ensure the movement is done properly every time with the proper depth of the squat. If you are injured you can use a target to butt tap on so you know what depth to go to. Keep your chest up as much as possible in the entire movement.
Tip:
Use your full feet to jump up, not just your toes, and try not to let your shoulders lean out too far beyond your knees, because this can stress and potentially hurt your back. Always keep a tight tummy.
LUNGES
The Payoff:
In my opinion, the lunge (also known as the walking lunge) and all variations are the best exercises for the glutes. So for that sexy booty (a booty that looks so good in barely there shorts that men drool when they see it), lunges are a must.
Where It Burns:
Glutes, hips, thighs, and calves.
Blunders to Avoid:
Don’t take baby steps as you lunge forward. Little steps place too much stress on the front knee, increasing your chance of a tendon strain. Take a large enough step so that your front heel is nearly two feet in front of your back knee as it flexes down toward the floor. You can feel your weight in the heel, not the toe. To alleviate stress on your knees, don’t let your knee to move too far over your toes as you step forward.
Tip:
Keep your torso upright through the move, and focus on moving it up and down, not rocking backward and forward. This balances your weight evenly, allowing you to target more muscle. Try not pausing in between lunges for more intense results.
VARIATIONS OF THE LUNGES
Variation: The Jumping Lunge.
Begin by standing straight, with your feet about shoulder width apart and your hands on your waist.
STEP-UPS
The Payoff:
When the American Council on Exercise sponsored some research to identify which exercises work the butt best, one of the moves that made the grade was the Step-Up. Add this to your workouts and you’ll never stress about a saggy butt again. Also, this exercise is excellent for strengthening your core balance, the thighs, and it puts minimal stress on your knees.
Where It Burns:
Hips, glutes, thighs, and tummy.
Blunders to Avoid:
Go slowly and resist the desire to rely on momentum; controlled movement is the secret to faster results. Keep a strong back, meaning stand tall during the entire exercise.
Tip:
You can gradually increase the difficulty of this exercise by increasing the step height, holding dumbbells in either hand, or increasing the speed of the movement during the exercise.
PUSH-UP
The Payoff:
Push-ups build endurance, strength, and muscle.
