Overstuffed pie booty…cottage cheese container…flying squirrels…bat wings…these are just some of the terms I hear when asking my over 40 female clients which areas they would LOVE to improve. Care to take a stab at what the most griped about areas are? If you guessed, butt, arms, belly, back fat and thighs, you would be right.
While these are the most frustrating areas for women as we age, today, I am going to focus on the BUTT. As we age, some seem to head south, some head east and west, but rarely do they ever head further north. Well, that is, unless we really work at it, right? Let’s face it, the older we get, the more our skin loses its elasticity. Not only do we fight the battle of losing muscle mass, we also get to look forward to our skin no longer being tight as a baby’s bottom!
So, what’s a gal to do? It just so happens that I have a few tricks up my capris! Okay, so they aren’t really tricks, just good ole fashioned weight training to help you build and maintain muscle. Not only will my recommended exercises help to round and lift the backside, having fuller muscles will also tighten up the skin. Take that, aging body—we’re not going down without a fight!
Oh, and guess what? All of these exercises can be performed at the gym or in the comfort of home, so there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t take that booty to new heights!
SQUATS, SQUATS & MORE SQUATS
I don’t care what anyone says, nothing creates gorgeous glutes like SQUATS. And there are so many variations to target the “overstuffed pie booty!” Try this quick circuit for a shapely derrière.
BOOTY BLAST GIANT SET
Repeat three times. Rest 1 minute between sets.
20 PLIE SQUATS
20 WIDE STANCE SQUATS
20 NARROW STANCE SQUATS
20 PULSING SQUATS
PLIE SQUATS
Stand with your feet nice and wide and have your toes pointing out to the side like a ballerina. Be sure that your core is tight and chest is lifted. Focus the weight through your heels. If you are using a dumbbell, hold it between your thighs. If you using a barbell or smith machine, make sure the bar sits on the meaty part of your back and not your neck. As you sit back, lead with your hips and make sure to sit down and back. Do not come straight down. The object is to target the glutes by isolating them and to also protect the knees by keeping them in alignment over the ankles.
WIDE STANCE SQUATS
These vary slightly from plié squat. The feet are pointed forward rather than turned out, and the legs are slightly wider than hip-width. Same rules apply for form and execution.
NARROW STANCE SQUATS
These squats differ from the wide stance in that the feet are positioned shoulder-width apart. Toes are still pointed forward. Once again, same rules apply for form and execution. However, if you are holding dumbbells, hold them out to the side of your thighs rather than between your legs.
PULSING SQUATS
These are definite stingers! You can position the feet in any of the squat positions for this. I prefer a slightly wider than shoulder-distance position. The pulse takes place at the bottom half of the movement, so sit into the squat and only come halfway up. Then, go back down into the squat and continue that 20 times. OUCH!
Perform this BOOTY BLAST GIANT SET two times a week, and you will definitely start feeling like you’ve turned that frown upside down! Of course, you must also keep up with your clean eating and training regimen.
CHECK BACK
Next week, I will focus on another ‘flab’ area with one my incredible “to do” lists that are guaranteed to firm, tighten and tone!
References
ACSM – American College of Sports Medicine
