Tank Top Arms

Posts Tagged ‘hamstrings’

Ah. The good old stability ball. I love this thing. I actually had one instead of a regular office chair back in Hawaii. Yes, I used it to sit on..and bounce on when I was being goofy. What can I say? Sometimes it was slow. Anyway, that’s besides the point.

The stability ball is an excellent tool to have at home, the office or to use at the gym. It originated from physical therapy and rehab, but it’s potential was seen as benefiting the general paopulation as well. There are many different ways to use it in order to target different areas of your body. Most people associate it with strengthening the core muscles (abs and back). But we can’t forget that you can also target the quads, hamstrings, glutes (butt), and chest! Folks, Spring is here and we are just around the corner for summer…in other words, bikini season! Or board shorts, one piece, t-shirt, whatever it is that you soak up the sun in.

If you didn’t know, stability balls come in different sizes. In general, the taller you are, the larger the ball you want. It’s really important to find a ball that fits you properly to help avoid risk of injury.  This table summarizes the general ball size appropriate for your height and how tall it is (the diameter) when it’s fully inflated.

You can find these balls almost anywhere these days such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sams Warehouse, Costco, and any sports store. Prices range anywhere from $14-$35, depending on the quality and place you get it at. But personallly speaking, I bought mine for $15 and it has lasted me years.

ONWARD TO THE EXERCISES!!!!………

1. Push-up on the ball. Start off with 5 reps, and work your way up to 2 sets of 15. Targets your arms, chest, shoulders, and core muscles.
2. Squat with the ball. Start with 5 reps and work up to 12. Rest for 30 seconds and do another set. Targets your quads, glutes
3. Overhead squat with a ball. Keep your arms lifted as you do 12 to 15 squats.
4. Ball Pass. Continue to pass the ball back and forth from your hands to your legs 10 to 12 times.
5. Bridges. Strengthens the lower back and hamstrings. Start with 8-10 reps.

These five exercises are a great start if you haven’t used a stability ball before. Remember to take it slow and make sure to have plenty of room around you. Doing these exercises take up more room than you might think!

Aside from using the ball for exercises, you will learn that this sphere is truly a diamond in the rough!

There are many benefits of training with stability balls. Here are just some of them:

• Promotes muscular balance
• Increases postural awareness
• Improves balance and coordination
• Allows you to work through a greater range of motion than you can with many traditional exercises
• Targets your core muscles
• Strengthens and tones your muscles
• Provides dynamic exercises for your entire body
• Strengthens weaker muscles
• Improves kinesthetic awareness and helps prevent injury
• It’s portable and inexpensive
• It can be used anywhere

I hope that I’ve given you enough info and motivation here to get on the ball! Good luck and have fun!!!

Booty. Apple-bottom. Money maker. Glutes. All slang names for the simple butt.

I honestly can’t say that I know one single person that likes their own butt. We are all so critical of ourselves, me included. Do I have a perfect butt? No, though I am in a positive place now because of the work I’ve put into it. It’s NOT impossible to get a nice looking butt, trust me! You can do this too. Your glutes, or Gluteus Maximus,  are not one of the easiest muscle groups to transform, but you get so much more when you work towards that. I say this because when you work your glutes, you will also be working your Quadriceps and Hamstrings AKA your thigh muscles.

Look at these two photos.

Acquaint your self with the legs. There is much to be said about a sexy pair of strong legs on a woman. Forget about spot reducing. When I hear people ask me, “what can I do to get rid of this?” (as they point to a jiggly butt). I always give the same advice to each and everyone of them: You CANNOT spot reduce. In other words, you can’t just focus on thinning out one specific area of your body…unless of course you opt for surgery. That being said, write this down: DIET and EXERCISE will reduce the problem areas for you :) But have fun doing it!

So here, I have some tried and true exercises that will help lift up your, uuhh, spirits? Ok, Ok, lift up your BUTT!

Simple Squats: Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat, keeping back straight, abdominal muscles in and knees behind your toes. If you’d like, you can use a chair to lightly touch the chair with your butt and squeeze it to stand up. Keep your head upright looking straight ahead.

Lunges: Lunges are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time. On the front leg, you’ll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you’ll work the quads and calves. Extend your leg back and slightly to the outside with your back foot flexed. Maintaining good posture, lower your body by flexing both knees 90 degrees. Return to the starting position.

Deadlifts: Deadlifts are great for your hamstrings, butt and lower back, but form is critical and you should skip this exercise if you have any back problems! These can be done with a barbell (the long bar with weights at each end) or with dumbbells like in the picture, with a weight in each hand. To do this move, take the left leg back just a bit, lightly resting on the toe. With the weights in front of the thighs, tip from the hips and lower the weights as low as your flexibility allows. Keep your back flat or with a natural arch and make sure you keep the abs contracted to protect the back. Squeeze the glutes of the working leg to raise back up.

These three exercises will give you amazing results! Try to do 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. Doing your part of cardio exercise/physical activity and weight training activities (like squats and deadlifts) can make a big difference in your backside and help you get those winning cheeks :)

So go and kick some butt!