Hips, Glutes and Tummy

Someone wrote me a letter asking how to have perfect nice rounded hips, butt and tummy. well... i would suggest to first do a warm up, then a cardiovascular exercise, and before you cool down, do a conditioning workout for hips, butt, thigh and tummy. If you want fast results (+ - 3 months) you will have to do this 6 days a week together with a controlled diet .

The hips tend to easily accumulate fat especially for women. Most women find this a major problem although i must say it is actually an asset for some. Personally, i find squats to be the best exercise for this area (hips, butt and thigh). Probably you can do a different squat everyday not forgetting to do it correctly because it can be hard on your knees.
Just do simple squats on the first two weeks, when you are comfortable and when you find it less challenging, you can add weights to give more resistance. There are other equipments besides dumbells. You can use the dyna bands/tubings , medicine balls or fitballs. If you dont have these equipments at home, you can do it using your own body weight.

For example, after a few weeks, you find the regular squats less challenging, try leaning your body against a wall and do single leg squats. Once comfortable, try balancing a squat on one foot to target your hip/butt area. After a few weeks, do the same routine but now carrying dumbells as you do it. Make sure you use manageable weights for yourself as knees injuries can occur if you try to lift too much. Below are some pictures to give you an idea on the variety of squats that you can do at home.

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   Kickbacks is another exercise for the butt. You must make sure that you do not arch your back too far. Stand tall, put your hands by the hips or hold on to the back of a chair or a wall and tug in your tummy, pushing your legs backwards and squeezing your butt muscles. Add ankle weights for more resistance as you build up strength.
   

Another fun way to do a hip/butt/thigh exercise is by inline skating. With this you will not only tone and get a beautiful butt, you will also have a combination of a great cardiovascular workout.

Many years ago, there was this equipment called 'the slide' which was used to imitate the act of skating. Its a slippery mat with a stump at the the end of each sides, measuring about 6ft long by 2 ft wide, and you have to wear special socks to slide yourself from side to side. Its a great cardiovascular workout and really tone up the glutes. Unfortunately for reasons i do not know, it didnt go well with the market

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3. Stomach/Tummy

4. Your stomach/abdominal consists of four major muscles namely the transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus and the obliques on both sides. These muscles respond best when you concentrate on each area separately. In this case, we will refer them as upper abs, lower abs and obliques.
   
5. For the upper abs, the best exercise is the basic crunch. Remember not to sit all the way up. When you sit all the way up, you're using your back instead of your abs. Do the crunch slowly in order to give more resistance to the muscles. This will make the muscles work harder. Do not forget to breath.
   
6. For the lower abs, try the reverse crunch. This exercise is similar to the basic crunch, but you're lifting yo ur legs instead of your upper torso.
   
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   A great exercise for the obliques is the oblique crunch ( as per above picture) This is also similar to the basic crunch, but you rotate your upper body left and right to target those side areas.
   

Remember, you can do these exercises at home, the office or anywhere else with just a minimal space

**This article is specially dedicated to (I think you know who you are) and i really hope it will help you out. Good Luck yea :) **