Work your rear at this time of year
Now we’re in the full swing of summer, many of us want to firm, lift and tighten one of the most coveted parts of the body — the bum.
The bum or ‘glutes’, is an area a lot of women and even men wish to tone up.
Everyone seems to want to focus on it but are we training these muscles correctly?
The glutes are the biggest muscle group in the body and are predominately made up of fast-twitch muscle fibres.
Therefore, we then need to train the glutes in a fast and powerful way in order to target these muscle fibres effectively.
Exercises such as squats, lunges and deadlifts will target the glutes but we also need to incorporate moves like jumping, hopping and sprinting to really get the backside working at its full potential.
During these exercises, the thigh needs to be lowered below parallel to the floor in order to fully engage the glutes, otherwise the quadriceps will do all the work.
When it comes to squatting, a variation known as sumo squats that require an open leg stance with the feet turned out will engage the glutes a lot more, as the thigh bone sits at a greater angle in the hip joint and needs more stabilising than a regular squat.
During single leg exercises like lunges, we should focus on turning the front foot in slightly, which will allow the shin and thigh bone to rotate inwards consequently stretching out the glutes.
These muscles love to be stretched so they can snap back and create ballistic movements.
With all lower body exercises we should push through the heels rather than the toes to ensure the all extensor muscles are working to their maximum.
Using all these tips will not only give your bum a great shape but also leave the rest of your body in great shape too… just in time for summer.
Visit www.CoconutFitness.com for more information or ring Colin Ayliffe on 07804 920007 for a free phone consultation.
