Attention must be paid...to The Booty.
Left to its own devices and genetics, the backside is prone to sagging, inflating, drooping, or flattening into a pancake. Left alone, the gluteus maximus region can easily just become ...more "bad" than Badass. This is not what we ladies and gentlemen want. (Yes, guys, it's true: we'd rather you NOT have a pancake butt! :) )
Instead of giving in to gravity or other forces, we work to defy them - and not necessarily harder, but smarter.
Some exercises and cardio strategies are more effective than others in shaping the backside, or "keeping a lid on the junk in the trunk," as the fellow fitness bloggers of Fit Bottomed Girls say.
Today's routine, set to a slightly tweaked 'Booty Mix' shared last week by the FBG crew, focuses on strength moves for your lower half as well as plyometric drills that will get your cardio on while putting those glutes to work.
You can do this in about 20 minutes if you go through it once with minimal rest in between sets, and you can of course double up if you're feeling especially Badass!
Here's to a Bootylicious Hump Day!
Hump-Day Booty Drill
Warm-up:
- 20 jacks
- 20 squat jacks
- Side squat lateral shuffles, 30 seconds back and forth
Cardio Blast:
- Squat jumps, 30 seconds
- Right leg lunge jumps, 30 seconds
- Left leg lunge jumps, 30 seconds
Circuit 1
- Walking lunges: Weights-free or holding 8- to 15-lb dumbbells, 25 forward and 25 back to where you started
- Squats: Weights-free or holding 8- to 15-lb dumbbells, 25 squats then hold low for 20 seconds before doing 25 more. (Yes, this will burn!)
- Wall sit: 1 minute
Cardio Blast:
- Squat jumps, 30 seconds
- Burpees, 30 seconds
- Leg thrusts, 30 seconds
Circuit 2
- Sumo Squats: Weights-free or holding 8- to 15-lb dumbbells, place the feet wide apart, and turned out about 45 degrees. When you come down, the legs should be at a 90-degree angle (no knees tracking beyond the toes). Do 25 sumo squats, moving straight up and down and squeezing the glutes and inner thighs. Hold low for 20 seconds before doing 25 more.
- Step-ups: Plant the right foot on top of the step or bench. Step up, lifting the left knee as you come up (this lift is key - it squeezes and works the right glute). Lower down, tapping the left foot. That's one rep. Try 15 to 20 reps, then switch to do the same thing on the left side.
- One-legged hip thrusts: Lay back down on a mat/floor. Plant the right heel into the floor and lift the left leg, flexing the foot so that it is flat like you're about to walk the ceiling. Keeping the right heel pressed into the floor, lift and squeeze the glutes, pushing the left foot up toward the ceiling. Do 25 reps on this side; switch legs and do 25 more
- Wall sit: 1 minute
Cardio Blast:
- Burpees, 30 seconds
- Right leg lunge jumps, 30 seconds
- Left leg lunge jumps, 30 seconds
STRETCH! (Or, repeat and stretch!)
Badass Booty Mix: End-of-Summer Edition
- Backseat (feat. The Cataracs & Dev)-- 3:44 New Boyz Too Cool to Care (Deluxe Version)
- Rock That Body -- 4:29 Black Eyed Peas
- Boom Boom Pow -- 4:12 Black Eyed Peas
- Ms. New Booty (Edited Radio Shorter Version) -- 4:12 Bubba Sparxxx & Ying Yang Twins
- Rump Shaker -- 3:57 Wreckx-N-Effect
- Ragtime Interlude/I'm Really Hot -- 3:31 Missy Elliott
- Booty Bounce -- 3:14 Dev
- Run the World (Girls) [Single Version] -- 3:56 Beyoncé
- My Humps -- 5:27 The Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business
- Back That Thang Up -- 4:34 Juvenile with Lil Wayne & Mannie Fresh
- Shake Ya Tailfeather -- 4:55 Murphy Lee, Nelly & P. Diddy
- Bossy (The Scumfrog Vocal Mix) -- 7:39 Kelis
- Baby Got Back -- 4:23 Sir Mix A Lot
- (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty -- 3:07 KC & The Sunshine Band
Coming up: We check in with #360to30 Chris after his knee surgery - and take a few measurements!