Hone and tone your bottom with this supercharged exercise!

Who wants to try one of the best exercises for great glutes (bottom) and build athletic speed and power whilst you are there! Red Hot Personal Training just loves this move for the great results it gets with clients.

A step up from the 'Glute Bridge' exercise. This move adds an additional core challenge and increased range of motion. 

1. Sit on a stability/swiss ball. Slowly walk feet out until head and shoulders are resting on the ball, positioning feet hip-width apart under knees and place hands onto your hips.

2. Lower hips toward the floor, (try not to let your knees travel forwards) stopping a few inches above the ground. Pause, then engage abs and press up through the glutes and down into the heels to lift hips up in line with knees. Try no to hyperextend (don't lift up to high) Pause for 2 seconds squeezing your glute muscles (bottom).

3. Lower hips to start position. Try 3 sets of 10 reps.

(Remember to perform the exercise carefully and listen to your body, really focus on using your glute muscles to do the work). 

Want a strong core?

What is your core?

When you hear the words core training what comes to mind?  Endless crunches that seem to produce no results?

A great number of people believe that your core muscles consist of only your abdominal muscles which is just not true.  Muscles of the core region include the abdominals and the hip and spinal musculature.  In fact when you strength train your core you aim to target all the muscle groups that stabalise the spine and pelvis.

Side plank

A strong core can help you with your functional fitness (those crucial ab and back muscles you call upon every time you turn, bend and lift) and also from an aesthetic perspective (sculpting and tightening that mid section!). 

Suffer from lower back pain?  

In some instances, weak or poorly controlled core muscles can be associated with lower back pain.  Correctly strength training the core muscles will result in them being stronger and more correctly balanced with less uneven strain being placed on the spine. 

Core Workouts

A great core workout may incorporate planks and side plank exercises to encourage a neutral spine position with a natural curve in the back.  Other excellent core exercises include the glute bridge that can help stabilise the pelvis. 

Using a swiss ball to perform core exercises on can be a great tool to really target those inner hard to reach core muscles whilst also adding an element of fun to the routine. Progression can then be made onto a push up lateral row that engages all the core musculature at once resulting in a thorough core workout.

Get to the Bottom of it!

If you read my last blog regarding sitting (if not please scroll down a have a read) many of us are guilty of sitting for too long.  One consequence of this is that our glute muscles (bottom) suffer as a consequence. (Hip flexors tighten up and become overactive, which in turn deactivates the glutes). 

Who doesn't want a strong, toned bottom!  Here at Red Hot Personal Training (RHPT) we thought it would be nice to include an exercise that is a fantastic and an easy way to help all you ladies who want to hone and tone that derierr. Many of you would have come across a 'Glute bridge exercise' before but this little (no equipment required) exercise is a gem and is truly underated.

Heres how to do it: Perform 2 sets of 10 reps with a 30 second rest in between (i.e. two lots of 10)

1. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and heels on the ground.  
2. From this position lift your hips off the ground until a nice straight line is achieved, running from your knees to your chest (or slightly lower if more comfortable).  
3. Once at the top hold the position for a count of five seconds and gently lower to the starting position and then repeat.

Remember its important to squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground and not use your heels, these simply act as a support. Why not give it a go right now!

Try this exercise everyday for a week and see if you can notice a difference?  Let us know how you get on.

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