Carla Sanchez

Defining a Better Derriere

Q: I'd like to lose fat from the back of my thighs and butt. What are the best exercises to shape and tighten this area?

A: Please believe me when I say this... You're not alone in your quest for a shapelier derriere! I get this request from women all of the time. In fact, it's probably one of the top three questions I'm asked on a regular basis. The good news is there are specific exercises which, if combined with a healthy diet and plenty of hard work, can produce measurable (and noticeable) results in your gluteus maximus muscles. Better known as your butt.

For a great rear-end appearance, here's what I suggest: first, you'll want to train your lower body (like your thighs, hamstrings, glutes, and calves) at least two times per week—twice as often as your upper body. When training the lower body, for a firmer butt, we'll concentrate on resistance exercises that specifically target the glutes and hamstrings. Focusing on these two areas will help re-shape the rear part of your lower body.

The exercises I find most effective are barbell squats (or leg presses), lunges, "butt blasters," leg curls, and straight-legged deadlifts. Butt blasters are my favorite exercise. There is an actual Butt Blaster machine, but most athletic clubs do not have one. Fortunately, the "home" version is very simple and can be done anywhere! Begin on your elbows and knees. Extend one leg up and bend it to about a 90-degree angle. Keeping the foot flexed, push your heel toward the ceiling, concentrating on squeezing your glute. You can add a one-pound to five-pound ankle weight for extra resistance.

For a full explanation of the rest of the exercises, as well as many others, I would encourage you to visit the Real SOLUTIONS website weight-training section. Below is an example of how to put these exercises together for an intense butt-burning workout:

SAMPLE LOWER BODY WORKOUT

• Squats x 15 reps
• Leg Curls x 12 reps
• Straight-Legged Deadlifts x 12 reps
• Walking Lunges x 50 reps
• Jump Rope or Run Stairs for two minutes

The rep range might be a little higher than you're used to doing, but I suggest this range because we are trying to work the muscle to complete failure, without having to worry about injury. Plus, if performed in a controlled manner, such as a 3:2 cadence (in other words, three seconds on the eccentric—lowering or stretching—movement and two seconds in the contraction—raising—movement), this repetition range causes a "burn" like nothing you've ever felt before. (Your muscles will feel like they are on fire!)

In addition to resistance exercises, I always suggest adding cardiovascular exercise to your routine. If you have more than ten pounds of bodyfat to lose, I would recommend performing cardio four to six times per week for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Your choice for cardio activity should specifically target your backside as well. The best cardio choices, if you're looking to win bootie of the year, are sprinting (for instance, going to your local high school running track and sprinting the straightaways and walking the turns), running/briskly walking stairs, and jogging on the treadmill, but at a steep incline of 15% or more (taking long strides). For increased intensity, you can always add three sets of plyometric drills such as squat jumps (simply jumping out of the bottom part of the squat movement).

You can add this type of movement to any of these cardio choices or, after you're done performing your weight-training exercises, as a way to really put the "burn" into your bum.

If you're in or near Denver (or are ever just visiting), you can also join my Run the Rocks class—every Saturday morning, at the nearby Red Rocks amphitheatre, I run a class of men and women through various cardio activities on the stairs. This is the ultimate lower body conditioning class and, if attended regularly, is guaranteed to get your bootie in shape! To see a few pictures of this fun-filled, cardio-blasting weekly event, you can visit my website at www.performanceready.com.

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