Durban - With summer on its way, now is the time to shape up for a beach body.
Here we give five easy exercises to help you get your butt bikini-ready
The glutes (butt muscles) are the biggest muscles in your body, according to personal trainer Sid Cameron.
“Working your glutes is a great calorie burner and will also help prevent a saggy rear,” she says.
“Ideally, to become cossie ready, you need a total body workout with an emphasis on your abs and glutes.
“One of the fastest ways to firm things up is by doing squats.
“Here are quick and easy exercises to help kick-start the process.”
Cameron says the most important thing when engaging glutes is maintaining a neutral pelvis.
“Consider your pelvis as a full bucket of water and any tilt in your pelvis will leak water.
“Basically, you need to keep the bucket full all the time.”
Sumo squats: Hold the top of the kettlebell with both hands. Make sure your legs are in a very wide stance. Drop down as low as possible holding the weight. Return to starting position.
Deep squats. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight on your heels. Keeping your abs tight and your shoulders squarely over your hips, sit back and down as if you were going to sit on a bench. Keep your back straight. Then stand up, straightening your legs, and repeat.
Glute bridges: Lie on the floor with a flat back and knees bent. Legs should be about one foot apart. Thrust your hips up and push through heels. Pause at the top and squeeze glutes. Return to starting position. You can step this up a bit by doing a glute bridge, making sure your hips are off the floor so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, keeping your hips parallel to the ground. Then, maintaining that straight line, lift your right knee upward, so your foot comes up off the ground. Then, return it to the starting position and lift your left knee the same way. Continue alternating (as if you are marching in place), keeping your butt muscles contracted the entire time for a total of 10 on each leg.
Walking lunges with dumbbells: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, step forward with your left leg and drop the right knee to the floor, keeping your left knee behind the ankle. Then, repeat with the other leg. Make sure you are walking in a completely straight line and that your knees are always facing forward. Focus the weight on your front leg (heel).
The plank: This is good for all over body tone. Get in a push-up position with your elbows on the ground and hold. Make sure that your back is level and keep the abs tight. Hold for as long as you can.
l Cameron is a personal trainer at Virgin Active
Sunday Tribune