Bottoms up: Shaping your rear end
fitness dispatch, MSN
UnderWire
by Erika Dillman
If you're tired of asking your friends, "Does
my butt look big in these pants?" then maybe it's time to make
some changes. But where do you begin?
"The main thing is, you've got to train
your lower body," says Reggie Gooden, an exercise specialist
at Asphalt Green, a New York City health club and aquatic center.
Gooden's recipe for success includes a variety of lower body exercise
and weight training to strengthen and tone the hamstrings, quadriceps,
glutes, calves, hips and abs.
"You want to do a combination of exercises
that really work those areas together and keep you strong as a unit,"
Gooden says. Having a strong torso is also important. "It's
your center, it's where you really move from. It's where all your
power is."
Compound exercises, exercise that work several
muscle groups at once, are ideal for firming and toning. Gooden
recommends mat exercises such as lunges, mule kicks, stiff-legged
dead lifts and thigh raises, as well as plies (a ballet move) and
the bridge (a yoga pose). In the weight room, use the following
machines: leg press, leg curl, glute machine or back-extension machine
(or free back extensions using the weight of your body). Your health
club should have trainers on staff who can demonstrate these exercises
for you and instruct you in proper form. Many clubs also offer hip
and butt classes, body sculpting, step aerobic and other exercise
classes designed to isolate and work your hip and butt muscles.
Having a great butt isn't all vanity; it comes
in pretty handy if you play sports. For activities that require
running or powerful, explosive movements, you'll have more push
off with a stronger lower body. Likewise, playing sports such as
soccer, basketball, tennis or running helps develop and strengthen
the hip, leg, and butt muscles.
With hard work, you can tone and shape your
body, but that doesn't mean your butt will look like your best friend's
or your favorite movie star's. Basically, you have to accept the
anatomy you were born with; no amount of exercise can totally change
your body. Also, different body types will benefit from different
types of exercises.
If you want to see changes, you also have to
pay attention to your diet. "Nutrition is a big factor in getting
our bodies to do what we want them to in terms of changing shape,"
says Gooden.
Sarah Scott agrees. She is president and
founder of Ironsmith, Inc., an Austin, Texas, fitness company that
offers medical and rehabilitative exercise training, sports conditioning
and professional fitness training.
"Nutrition is about 70 percent of it,"
Scott says. "The simple thing we tell people to do is to shop
around the edges of the grocery store - that's where all the fresh
foods are - the vegetables, the fruits, the meats." Scott also
suggests eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day
instead of eating one or two huge meals. Some of her favorite health
foods include broccoli, asparagus, salmon, avocado, soybeans and
lean read meat (once in a while).
Your first step should be working with your
doctor and a registered dietitian to find exercise and nutrition
plans that are appropriate for your specific health and fitness
needs.
Gooden recommends the following weight training
and exercise routines for the three main body types; ectomorphs
(thin body); mesomorphs (medium build); and endomorphs (heavier
body).
- Ectomorphs
Do an all-body strength training workout twice a week (two
to three sets of 10 repetitions); include some butt-toning work
on the leg press, leg curl and glute machines.
- Mesomorphs
Do an all-body strength training workout three times a week
(two to three sets of 15-20 repetitions); include some butt-toning
work on the leg press, leg curl and glute machines. The idea is
to life a bit less weight and do more repetitions.
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