Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Top Five Exercises for Great Bums and Thighs

Bums and thighs are two areas that many people want to improve upon. My favourite exercises that help work on my bum and thighs are listed here. If you have others that you enjoy, I would love to hear about them!

1. Stair Climbs

Depending on your fitness level, running or walking up stairs is a great way to improve your bum and thighs. Try to use a flight of stairs that is outdoors rather than a stepper so that you can avoid cheating. Stairs can often be found in parks or you can use the emergency stairwells of some buildings like car parks or apartment buildings.

The number of stairs that are available will impact the number of repetitions that you will need to do to ensure you have a challenging workout. Make sure you count how many sets you do so that you can work toward increasing it as your fitness and strength improve. You can also use a time measure to challenge yourself, for example, how many flights can you do in five minutes?

2. Bike Riding

Using your bike is a great way to work on your bum and thighs. You can either ride as a workout or start using your bike for short trips so that you build your strength over time. This is a simple and relatively low cost method of working on your bum and thighs that is also great for the environment as well.

3. Squats

Squats, or for those that are relatively fit, jumping squats, work all of the muscles you need for an amazing bum and thighs. Ensure that you work to a deep squat with multiple repetitions in order to have the desired effect. Keep your legs shoulder width apart and stick your bottom right out so that your legs are at a right angle. Keep your upper body nice and straight so that you are not bending through the waist and placing strain on your lower back. You will need to remain strong in your legs and core to do squats properly and avoid injury. If you are doing squats properly, you will feel it starting to burn in your bum and thighs – just to prove it is working!

4. Lunges

Lunges are great for building your strength in your bum and thighs. You can use static holds or repetition depending on your preference. As your strength increases, you may want to try switches or jumping lunges where you swap legs from forward to back with a jump. To do this, you will need to use all of your strength and it is a great way to use your body for natural resistance.

5. Step Ups

Step up are an alternative to stairs. You can use a step of various heights depending on your fitness level. Make sure you work evenly on both legs and keep the pace up. You should be getting a cardio and strength workout from your step ups so that you are targeting bums and thighs as well as burning fat at the same time.

These are the basic moves that target the muscles in your bum and thighs. There are lots of variations available to increase the intensity and avoid boredom over time. Good luck and if you experience any pain, stop and ask a professional to make sure you are doing it properly.


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