You've sweated, lunged, done your pushups and crunched until your muscles were tired and sore. Why are you still haunted by those pet peeves? Whether your issue is the dreaded double butt, bat wings or that stubborn spare tire, I have some tried and true tips that will rid you of these issues, now and forever.
DOUBLE BUTT
You know you have this problem if when you put on your sexy jeans you feel like you are squeezing more than your butt cheeks into them. Do you have another butt cheek hanging below your bikini bottom? Crowned the Master of the Ass® by Victoria's Secret model Karolina Kurkova for the work I did helping transform her body, I have spent years dedicating myself to perfecting the skill of shaping, toning and sculpting some of the most famous derrieres out there. Here are the five tips that will get your butt where you want it to be:
1. For the most effective workouts, you will put YOUR BRAIN IN YOUR BUTT! Effectively, focus your energy in your butt to affect the greatest results. If you can visualize the butt you desire, you are well on your way to creating it. Form is key and anchoring in your heels a necessity for perfect execution. Done correctly, you will feel the exercises in your butt primarily, not your thighs.
2. Define your body type -- not every butt is created equally. I will help you find your best you -- the butt you were born to have. To simplify things, I have broken down three different body types:
• The pear shaped (e.g. Jennifer Lopez) bottom that carries their weight in their hips, butt and thighs. You will pick exercises that tighten tone, sculpt and lift your butt (e.g. plié toe squats, sumo lunges and reverse crossover lunges). You will avoid doing traditional squats as this will add more "junk to your trunk!"
• The apple shaped -- those that may have some butt but it definitely needs shaping and often some lifting and toning too.
• The banana -- (many of the models fall into this category) they have great legs but a flat bottom). Here, many of the traditional exercises like squats and dead lifts will help to create an enviable butt.
3. Keep the intensity up! Leg/butt workouts are very cardiovascular by nature. Things like lunges, plié toe squats and sumo lunges, definitely get the heart rate pumping and require a lot of energy and focus. 45-60 minutes three times per week should definitely do the trick here.
4. Don't underestimate the importance of good, sound nutrition. I strongly advise my clients to follow my A, B, C, D, E, F and G's -- avoiding alcohol, bread, processed carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, excessive fruits, and gluten. By adhering to these guidelines as closely as possible, my clients are better able to realize the results they have been sweating hard to achieve.
5. Cardio, cardio and more cardio -- you have to keep your body's furnace revving to burn the excess fat that usually forms the "second butt." My favorites are jump rope, rowing machine, versa climber and the Gauntlet.
BAT WINGS
Have you been wearing long sleeved shirts all summer because you weren't happy with the lack of tone in your arms? Do your arms continue to wave even after you have stopped waving to someone? Arms are one of those areas that are often neglected because they can be so easily covered up. Here are some of the tricks I use to rid clients of bat wings:
1. I always find that working with medium weights, and shooting for 15-20 repetitions each set really tones and sculpts the arm muscles nicely.
2. My favorite arms exercise is pushups. To make it more arm (in particular bat wing effective), I want you to move your hands closer together and your elbows tucked in tighter to your sides.
3. Cardio such as rowing, jump rope and boxing, is particularly good at arm toning.
4. Dare to bare arms. Whether you have registered guns for arms, or you're not quite there yet, seeing what you've got to work on is a very effective motivator.
5. The nutrition guidelines set forth in the Butt question applies here too.
SPARE TIRE
This is probably the most common body issue. Do you suffer from some belly overage when you put on your skinny jeans (muffin top)? Have you convinced yourself that keeping your shirt tucked out of your pants is a fashion statement? Even relatively fit men and women suffer this malady if they fail to follow these basic guidelines:
1. Nutrition is vitally important when it comes to battling the dreaded spare tire. Follow my nutrition rules and pay careful attention to "no starchy carbs after 2 pm."
2. Some of my ab exercises use the stability ball -- stability ball handoff, knee tucks and double crunches with a medicine ball and stability ball
3. Quality not quantity of repetitions especially applies with abs exercises. Make sure your form is correct. You should not be feeling it in your neck or lower back. Make sure you lift from your shoulders and keep your abs contracted throughout each repetition.
4. Think it, feel it, visualize it. Wearing tighter fitting workout attire should definitely dial you in to those "need to be worked parts."
5. Unless you are genetically blessed, as you get older ( I am 50), you're going to need to really blast the cardio!! You may even try integrating some power yoga into your workout routine. In particular, forward and side planks strengthen, tighten and tone the midsection and oblique area.
So now you're on your way to buns of steel, toned sexy arms, and sculpted abs!!
For more information you can visit davidkirschwellness.com.