With Rio Carnival in full swing, it’s a good time to remember that Rio will be in the spotlight again this summer when it plays host to 2016 Summer Olympic Games. As famous for its white sanded beaches as the beautiful people that populate them, consider this your friendly reminder that great butts are made not born.
The good news is, if you normally just do a lot of cardio (or indeed nothing at all) then hitting the weight stack is going to start to transform your bottom line in no time at all.
Says 38 Degrees North founder and fitness expert James Davis, “The best thing you can do is go for a series of five exercises, aiming for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, slow cadence repetitions for each (count two to three seconds down and back up for each movement). Do one after the other with 60 seconds rest in between each set. Then finish with a cheeky butt busting Tabata round to really get things moving in the right direction.
Here’s how you get a killer butt:
1. wide squats – 3 X 12-15 repetitions
2. glute bridges – 3 X 12-15 repetitions
3. goblet squats with kettle bell (or dumbbell) – 3 X 12-15 repetitions
4. lunges (weighted or unweighted) – 3 X 12-15 repetitions
5. single leg deadlifts with dumbbells – 3 X 12-15 repetitions
Aim for three sets of twelve to fifteen reps of each, with a weight that brings you to failure on the final reps of the final set, and take sixty seconds rest between sets.
Just to finish the set, use a Tabata timer (you can download these on app stores) for a four minute block of 20 seconds working, 10 seconds rest. You’re going to alternate squat jumps with jumping lunges for the full four minutes. Not only are you hitting up those already fatigued muscles, but the interval and intensity is creating an oxygen debt and spiking your metabolism for the rest of the day! Hooray! Aim to do this work out two to three times a week with at least a full day’s rest between workouts.
It may be miserable, rainy and gray right now – but it’s never too early to start working on getting a booty-ful body in time for summer.
*(images from google, popsugar fitness, mensfitness, menshealth: wide squats, glute bridges, goblet squats, lunges, single leg deadlifts with dumbbells)