booty work

just two of the many glute exercises i do to keep mine nice and lifted. get down on all fours and engage your core by pulling your belly button into your spine. in layman's terms, suck in your gut.

1st move: 8 heel ups - flex that foot and press up strong through your heel while keeping your leg bent at 90 deg. squeeeeeeeeeze whichever glute you're working.

2nd move: 8 hydrants - the name explains itself! from the starting position (90 deg angle in that leg), take that knee down and up. get it up nice and high for every rep.

3rd move: 8 kick outs - hold that leg up there, flex that foot, and kick it out straight for 8.

4th move: 8 glute circles - wide, exaggerated circles. bring your knee up over the top and to your elbow, then straighten that leg back out. the wider and bigger your circle, the better.

nice and round. the circles AND your glutes!!!:)

are you still squeezing? don't let it go.

now, do the left leg, same thing. that will be 1 set. i usually do 3 sets in a row, then take a stretch break. remember to keep correct posture the entire time. if you haven't worked your glutes in a good while, you will feel this RIGHT away, guaranteed. and yep, it's normal to feel the right glute/leg tingling if you're working the left and vice versa.

next, squats w/ side leg lifts.

again, squeeze your glutes the entire time and really get that leg up with a flexed foot.

squat nice and low into your imaginary chair either holding your hands up and bent at 90 deg.,

or down touching the ground. either way, make sure your knees stay BEHIND your toes at the lowest point of your squat. if they go forward, you are asking for a knee injury..

push up from your squat into your leg lift and keep a soft knee (slightly bent in both legs). make sure all your weight is in the heel that's on the ground. NOT your toes.

squat it nice and low back in the center,

then keep it even and work that other side. an advanced move would be to pulse that leg up in the air 3 times before you come back down to your squat. work your way up to it.

more to come; give these two a try.