Showing posts with label Butt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butt. Show all posts

Exercises to Tighten Inner Thighs & the Butt

Targeted resistance exercises can help you achieve a tighter, more defined physique. If it's your inner thighs and butt that you're most concerned with, you need the right exercises for the major muscle groups in these areas. The inner thighs or adductor muscles include the adductor brevis, adductor longus, and adductor magnus muscles, (see Reference 1) while three of four gluteal muscles -- gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus -- make up the buttocks.

Squats are Superb

Squats are an essential compound exercise to include, working nearly all of the muscles in your lower body. Proper foot positioning is essential to hit the right areas; to target the glutes and adductor muscles, stand with a wide stance, toes pointed out on a wide angle. (see Reference 2) Squat down, putting most of your body weight on your heels, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. You should feel a light tension in your legs and butt. Push yourself back up off your heels to a standing position, then repeat. Hold dumbbells at your sides or position a barbell resting at the back of your shoulders to increase the resistance.

Lunge Your Way to Tightness

Lunges help strengthen the glutes and adductor muscles, and the side lunge variation is particularly effective at targeting the adductors. For the forward lunge, stand straight up with a narrow stance, dumbbells grasped at your sides. Lunge to straight ahead with your left leg, landing your left foot a couple of feet away from the other, left knee aligned with your left foot and not beyond your toes. Lower the knee of the right leg almost to the floor or ground. Push off the heel of your lead leg to return to your starting position. Repeat with your other leg for one rep. For side lunges, initiate the exercise by stepping to the side with your lead leg, knees not forward of your toes, and do not bend the trailing leg.

Step-Ups Do It All

Step-ups are an essential exercise to include in your routine, because they target nearly all of the muscles in your lower body, including the adductor magnus muscles and the gluteus maximus muscles. Stand in front of a step or platform, feet about shoulder-width apart, back straight and shoulders back. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight down at your sides. Step up with your right foot first, then your left, then step back down. Start with your trailing foot to return to your starting position. Repeat, then do with your opposite foot as the lead foot.

Lie to Tone the Adductors

An isolated exercise, the weighted lying hip adduction exercise directly targets the adductor muscles along your inner thighs. Lie on your side, resting on your lower forearm, your legs extended straight down with your knees bent slightly. Move your top foot behind your bottom foot, a barbell with weights loaded on one side positioned on your bottom foot so your foot rests on the top of the plates, holding onto the top end of the barbell with your hand. Raise your bottom leg off the floor slowly, as high as possible. Lower your leg back down and repeat, then switch sides.

Cardio for Fat Loss

It's important to include an adequate amount of cardio activity in your weekly workout plan. You can't spot reduce, but cardio exercise such as rowing, cycling, running, jumping rope, and swimming will burn fat from all over your body, revealing the muscle you worked so hard for underneath.Try to include at least three to four 30-minute sessions of moderate to intense cardio a week to keep your body fat percentage low, so your butt and thighs stay tight.

The Best Foods to Eat for Fat Loss in the Butt & Hips

If you have a "pear-shaped" body and want to lose weight from your butt and hips, it can be done, but there are several misconceptions regarding weight loss that you should understand. First, there are no foods that actively burn fat off your body. Second, "spot reduction," or in this case, targeting your butt and hips for fat loss, is not possible. You will have to diet and remove body fat proportionally from your entire body to lose inches off your butt and hips.

Fruit

Fruit is a food that can support your fat-loss goals. This is especially true if you are prone to snacking on foods that are high in sugar, such as candy, ice cream or soda. Fruit is low in calories, high in nutrients and fiber. Even though fruit has sugar, it is not refined or processed sugar that can raise your blood glucose levels, trigger insulin release and promote fat storage. The American Council on Exercise recommends blueberries, grapefruits, oranges and watermelon. Any type of fruit makes a good replacement for high-calorie foods or desserts.

Vegetables

Eating vegetables in place of higher calorie foods can help you lose fat off your entire body and your posterior. The Centers for Disease Control recommends steaming your vegetables and using low-fat salad dressings or herbs if you want to add flavor. Like fruit, nearly every kind of vegetable is a suitable low-calorie, highly nutritious replacement for high-fat or high-sugar foods. The exception to the rule is potatoes. The CDC suggests eating green beans, broccoli and bell peppers. The American Council on Exercise recommends artichokes, spinach and bok choy, but any green vegetable is a good choice.

Lean Protein Foods

Eating lean protein foods can significantly help you lose weight. Replacing high-fat protein foods such as red meat and beef with lean protein foods can significantly reduce your caloric intake. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, flounder and herring are all low-calorie sources of lean protein. The American Council on exercise recommends canned tuna because it is a high-protein food source that has no carbohydrates and virtually no dietary fat. Skinless chicken and turkey are also lean sources of protein. Egg whites, soy products and beans can support your fat-loss goals as well. Saturated fat is the type that you want to avoid and keep below 10 percent of your daily calories with the rest of your fats coming from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that total fat consumption should not exceed 35 percent of your daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 35 percent equals 65 grams of fat or 700 calories.

Eating Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, in addition to exceeding your daily calorie needs, the type of fat in your diet not the amount of fat is what causes weight gain and increases your risk for disease. A Harvard study published in the June 23, 2011 issue of the “New England Journal of Medicine,” followed 120,000 men and women’s lifestyles and eating behaviors for 20 years. Researchers discovered people who ate more nuts -- a high-fat food -- whole grains, fruits and vegetables gained less weight than people who ate more red meat, processed meats, french fries, sugary beverages and refined grains. Foods that increase satiety, such as healthy fats, may help reduce overall calorie intake.

How to Lose Weight With These Foods

Regardless of how many fruits, vegetables or lean sources of protein you add to you diet, you must understand how weight loss occurs if you are going to lose fat. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. The CDC says the key to achieving this through diet is to replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods. Replace ice cream with fruit. Replace rice or pasta with vegetables. Replace prime rib with salmon. While exercise will certainly help, creating a caloric deficiency by burning more calories than you eat, is the key to losing weight. Weight loss is not particularly complex, but it does require a commitment and often many dietary and lifestyle changes. Consult your doctor or a registered dietitian if you need further assistance with your weight-loss goals.