Help…I’ve Lost My Derrière!!
Question: I started working out doing cardio activity and I lost weight…but also lost my butt! How do I get it back?
Answer: First, congrats to you for committing yourself to exercise and successfully losing weight. When we do cardiovascular activity, we burn calories and consequently fat. Fat is burned all over the body. However, each person’s body is unique and we have no control over exactly where we are going to lose it the most. This is a bummer if you’re losing fat in places where you don’t mind a little bit of padding! What can be done is performing exercises that target the gluteus (butt) area to sculpt, strengthen and enhance the muscles that are there. The “glutes” refer to any of three large muscles that form the buttock and move the thigh. The glutes are composed of the gluteus maximus (outermost of the three), medius (middle) and minimus (innermost). The classic exercises in this issue target the glutes; squat, lunge and kneeling leg extension (shown in the Exercise of the Month). Remember, muscles like variety…these will get you started but it’s important to change it up by altering your weight, repetitions, tempo and exercises. For more exercises visit arc.sdsu.edu/fitnesscatalog.
Squat: This exercise may be done with body weight, dumbbells or a barbell.
1) Begin standing with legs hip width apart, legs straight with knees soft to avoid hyperextension of the knee.
2) Bend at the knees and hips while sitting hips back (as if sitting in a chair). Keep the spine neutral (maintain the natural curve) and abdominal muscles engaged. Continue to lower toward the ground until knees are at 90 degrees. As a general rule, knees should not go past the toes.
3) Pushing through the heels, straighten legs to return to starting position. The entire foot should remain on the ground throughout the movement. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Lunge: Try this with body weight first and when ready, progress to hand held weights or a bar.
1) Stand with knees slightly flexed, one foot in front of the other (feet should be a bit farther apart than in a normal step). The further apart the feet, the more the glute is targeted; this also requires more balance so place your body accordingly. Over time, you may find that your balance increases and you can maintain a wider stance. Place hands on hips.
2) While keeping your back straight (neutral alignment) and chest slightly forward, inhale and bend the front thigh until it is parallel to the ground.
3) Exhale and push back up to the original position, straightening out the front thigh.
Emphasize keeping most of your weight in the front leg and really pushing through the front heel. The back leg is there for balance and just follows along through the movement. The exercise should be felt in the glute and quads of the front thigh. Make sure the hips descend straight down toward the ground rather than forward. This will allow the front knee to stay aligned with the foot, not traveling past the toes. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Kneeling Leg Extensions: Exercise of the Month
