Variety in your workout - GulfToday

Variety in your workout

Elaine Superio

Elaine Superio

Fitness 180° Manager Sharjah Ladies Club

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Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Butt and Hips Training
There are endless exercise to add some variety to your butt and hips workout. You can use a medicine ball, Swiss ball, kettlebell, dumbbells or any resistance tool. This will help give an extra challenge to your workout program. In case you do not have any equipment, do not worry. Body weight is your best option. What is important is how you perform your workout and how you keep to safety techniques. Alternate with a variety of repetitions to tempo; how slow you do the movement or even sets will do the trick.

Back Squat
Place a barbell in a rack just below shoulder-height. Dip under the bar to put it behind the neck across the top of the back, and grip the bar with the hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift the chest up and squeeze the shoulder blades together to keep the straight back throughout the entire movement. Stand up to bring the bar off the rack and step backwards, then place the feet so that they are a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Sit back into your hips and keep the back straight and the chest up, squatting down so the hips are below the knees. From the bottom of the squat, press your feet into the ground and push your hips forward to return to the top of the standing position.

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Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Elevated Glute Bridge

Lie on a flat bench so that the body is perpendicular to the bench with the upper back and shoulders lying across the pad. Press the feet into the ground about hip-width apart, hold one dumbbell in each hand and rest them on top of the hips to add external resistance. Slowly lower the tailbone towards the floor while holding the weights on the hips, and to return to the top press both feet into the floor and squeeze the glute muscles.

Glute Bridge
Lying face up, bend the knees and place the feet on top of a stability ball. Keeping the ball still, press through the heels and raise the hips into the air by squeezing the glute muscles. Rest on the shoulders and the upper back while keeping the body in a straight line from the knees to the head. Slowly lower the hips back down to the ground, keeping the ball still.

Lateral Lunge
Stand with the feet hip-width apart holding one dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing each other. Step directly to the right, keeping the right foot parallel to the left as it hits the ground, and push the right hip back while reaching for the right foot with both hands on either side of the right leg. To stand up, push the right foot into the floor while pulling the body back to the center with the inside of the left leg.

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Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Single Leg Hamstring Curl

Lying face up, keep both legs straight and rest the heels on top of a stability ball. Press through the heels and raise the hips off the ground. Lift one leg straight up into the air directly up from the hips, and drive the other heel into the ball. With the leg on the ball, bend at the knee and drive the hips into the air while pulling that heel in towards the body. Slowly straighten that leg until the body is in a straight line, but keep the other leg straight up in the air.

Standing Hip Adduction
Place a cable pulley at the lowest position with a cuff attachment. Position the cuff just above the ankle on the right foot, take three to four steps to the left, and stand so that the right side of the body is the closest to the machine (the weight should be pulling right leg away from the body.) Keep the back straight and the left knee slightly bent while bringing the inside of the right foot closer to the center of the body. When the right foot is directly in front of the left foot, pause for one second before slowly lowering the weight, allowing it to pull the right leg away from the body.

 

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