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Ladies, I don't mean to alarm you, but not since
the days of Marilyn Monroe has our posterior gained so much attention. It was
hard enough to try and keep our bellies flat and our arms toned but with the
celebrity likes of Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce, our back sides are again in
becoming center of attention..
Whether you have a rear that's too big, too small,
or one that's lets just say a bit saggy, the following exercise will firm and
shape up your gluteus maximus.
Squats
Squats are known as the king of butt exercises,
and for one good reason - they work. Standard squats however can be hard on the
knee joints so if you have weak knees you may prefer to perform chair squats as
explained here.
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Place a standard kitchen or dining room chair
about six inches behind the heels of your feet.
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Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
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Now suck in your abs and hold them in while you
bend your knees and begin lowering your butt towards the chair. Making sure to
keep your knees directly behind your toes and not at a side angle.
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Now sit on the chair for a few seconds, then use
your butt and hamstring muscles to pull yourself up and off of the chair until
you are back to a full standing position.
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Complete this exercise 15 times. If possible, and
your legs are not shaky, try to complete 3 full sets of 15
repetitions.
A few key things
to remember during this exercise
Although you are pulling in your abs
during this exercise remember to breathe normally and do not hold your breath at
any time.
To get the best possible benefit from chair squats perform them
slowly and don't try to rush through them.
If you have not exercised for a
while you may not be able to complete the full 15. That's ok, every day you will
try to do a few more until doing 45 in one day becomes easier. Once you are able
to complete 45 repetitions, try lowering your body until you almost touch the
chair, then lift without sitting.
Don't lift with your knees, but use your
butt and hamstrings to do all the work.
If you continue to do your squats or chair squats
five times a week, you should start seeing a shapelier caboose in only a few
weeks. One major benefit of doing squats is that they also help to exercise the
thigh muscles at the same time and if you remember to hold in your abs, your
working three areas of the body at once. Now if squats could only get rid of my
bat wing arms...but that's another story.
For more fitness tips for the rest of your body
please visit http://www.squidoo.com/weightloss-dieting-fitness/
Have a big event but don't have time to get your body in shape? Try Spanx, the power
weapon for bulges on the red carpet.
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