photo credit: adifansnet

The squat is the queen of all exercises. It will help you tone your legs and butt and it will help you lose weight extremely fast. Every single woman should be doing squats on a very regular basis. In this post I am going to talk a little bit about squatting and show you how to get the most out of it.

Why are squats so good?

The main reason squats are so good is because they target a large number of muscles all at one time. This is called a compound exercise and it is very effective at burning fat and toning muscles. When you do a squat you will be working your:

• glutes (butt)
• hamstrings
• thighs
• calf muscles
• abs
• back

Imagine all the calories that get burned doing this kind of exercise as opposed to an exercise that only works one or two muscles at a time. It is for this reason that all women should be doing squats on a regular basis.

How to tone your butt and legs with the squat

The squat is fantastic because there are so many variations of it that you can do. And when you change your exercise style you shock your muscles and prevent them from reaching a plateau. This is a very good thing. Here are a few ways you can use the squat to lose weight and tone your legs and butt.

1. Slow them down
Super slow squats are extremely hard to do. When you slow an exercise down you force your muscles to do all the work as you take gravity out of the equation. When you do exercises super fast you rely too much on the momentum. Slowing down is a great way to up the intensity.

The best way to do this is to take a weight and place it on your shoulders or hold it in your hands. Slowly squat down to a count of five and then slowly rise up to a count of three. Make sure you feel all the muscles working and really focus on tensing them. This will bring you excellent results.

2. Use jumping squats
It seems as though I write about jumping squats every five minutes on this blog. But there is a reason for that – they work. I love them. Jumping squats are one of the best exercises you can do if you want to change the shape of your body.

Basically, start with your left foot flat on the ground and your right knee touching the ground next to it. Then use your left leg to spring into the air as high as you can. Mid air, swap your legs so that you land in the opposite position and then repeat without taking a break.

Check out this post on jumping squats for more details and benefits. I really encourage everyone to try them out as regularly as you can.

3. Add weight
If you were to lift a pencil up and down 100 times do you think it would do anything? Nope. But what if you lifted a 5kg dumbbell 20 times. Would that do something? Of course. If you want to make progress with your figure you need to add weight.

The best way to add weight to squats is by using a squat rack and adding a barbell to your shoulders. I see women at the gym doing this all the time – the real dedicated ones have amazing legs. Each week you should try to add a few pounds so that your legs and butt do not get used to the work. Try to keep them progressing as often as possible.

When doing weighted squats your technique is vital. If you do not squat properly you can hurt your back, legs or hips. The knees are particularly vulnerable. I suggest you read as much as possible about the squat before trying it. Never go below parallel and always get a personal trainer to watch you do it at least once.

Conclusion

Squats really are the best thing you can do if you want to change the way your legs and butt look. Start out slowly with a few sets and reps and gradually increase to higher levels by adding more weight and intensity. I guarantee you will see results faster than you expect.

photo credit: © sunflour

Calf muscles are very important to a gal. They are often on display when wearing shorts or a skirt and look fantastic when they are toned, tight and well shaped. Well one of the best ways to tone your calf muscles is with the calf raise. This time and tested exercise is easy to do and super effective.

How to do the calf raise

Here is a simple instructional video that we made to show you how to do the calf raise. All you need is an elevated platform (that is very stable!) and something to hold on to. Check it out.

You should start of doing around 20 repetitions and then have a break and perform another set. Once you become stronger and more adept at the exercise you can start to add weight to your body by wearing a heavy backpack or holding some dumbbells. This really kicks the muscles into overdrive!

Make sure you warm and and warm down before doing this exercise as the deep stretch you feel at the bottom of the motion can sometimes be too much for your muscles if they are not properly prepared. Enjoy.

The triceps dip is one of the best exercises for toning the triceps muscles. It is extremely easy to do – you can do it at the gym or at home on your lounge room table. In this post I will show you an instructional video as well as a step by step guide for how to do the perfect triceps dip.

Triceps Dips Instructions:

1. Warm up
Start with a light warm up in order to get the muscles warmed up and the blood flowing.

2. Position your hands
Place your hands on the bench around shoulder width apart. Every woman has a different comfort zone when it comes to triceps dips so make sure you find yours. If your positioning is too wide, however, you will injure your shoulders.

3. Extend your legs
You can place your feet on the ground out in front of you or you can put them up on another bench in order to make the exercise harder. Make sure you are well balanced.

4. Dip
Use your triceps muscles to hold your body while breathe in and dip down. Do not dip so far that you feel a big stretch in your shoulders. There should be some stretch but not too much.

5. Push up
Push your body back up slightly faster than you dipped down whilst breathing out and tensing your triceps muscles.

Yoga is a fantastic way to beat stress. Every day millions of women around the world use yoga as a means of combating anxiety while strengthening and toning their bodies. Today I would like to show you one simple pose that everyone can do in their home or office in order to reduce their levels of stress. It is called the Child’s Pose or Balasana in Sanskrit and it is one of the best ways to get your anxiety under control.

When you do this pose make sure you breathe deep into your belly and really feel your ribs expanding and closing. Make sure your hips are not too wide but wide enough to let your buttocks rest back as far as possible. Breath through your nose and rest your third eye point on the mat.

Some benefits of this pose include:

• Decreased stress levels
• Increased blood flow to the head
• Improvement in muscle recovery
• Increased back health
• Better sleep

This pose is also said to be good for extroverted women who want to slow down their mind and become more gentle, relaxed and quiet. Try it and see how it works for you.