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Better Body Blitz - Yoga Butt
Tighten your trouble spots with YogaButt a brand new workout from the founder of YogaFit.
By: Beth Shaw
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Want shapely legs, flat abs and a beautiful butt? Forget about logging miles on the treadmill or doing hours of crunches - tighten your trouble spots with YogaButt a brand new, challenging, high-energy workout from the founder of YogaFit.
Most women share the same plea - how to tone and tighten those fat-attracting thigh, gluteal and abdominal areas. Well, relax ladies; your prayers have been answered. Now you can target your trouble spots without doing high-impact activities or endless repetitions -YogaButt is here! Created by fitness expert Beth Shaw, this energetic, yoga-based workout was designed to make you sweat as you boost muscle strength and definition.
YogaButt takes traditional yoga poses like downward facing dog, bridge pose and plank pose and mixes in a challenging element of strength using a medicine ball. For example, in downward facing dog, participants are asked to hold the ball between their legs. While their entire body is working to achieve the pose, they're activating the quadriceps, butt and hamstrings to hold the ball in place. To make things even more challenging, they might then be instructed to move from this position into a forward fold and then into a chair pose - all while holding the ball between their legs. Sound tough? It is. That's why this intense workout is definitely not recommended for beginners.
There's also an added bonus to the YogaButt workout - increased core strength. "The ball brings awareness to the core muscles and requires participants to activate the core muscles to maintain the pose," explains Shaw. This additional core strength can help improve posture, ease lower back pain and prevent sports injuries as well as allow for better, more effective functioning in day-to-day activities. |
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A beautiful body by YogaButt.
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So whether you're looking for a more demanding yoga routine or you just need to tone those trouble spots, get ready to take the YogaButt challenge.
To locate a YogaButt class, or to order the newYogaButt video, log onto www.yogafit.com.
The Exercises
Chest Expansion:
With feet hip distance apart and ball between legs, hinge forward at the hips as you interlace your hands behind your back and pull arms overhead. Keep abs firm throughout the move and a slight bend in the knees to protect the lower back.
Lateral Flexion:
Stand in mountain pose with feet hip distance apart and the ball between your legs. Extend your arms overhead. Bring one arm down to hip as you arch the opposite arm over your head. Breathe into hips/ribcage/chest. Keep glutes tight and hips pressing forward. Repeat on the other side.
Table Top:
From a seated position, slide your feet under your knees and place your hands on the floor behind your back with fingertips facing hips. Keep you neck in a neutral position and place the ball between your legs. Lift your hips and hold.
Bridge:
Lie on the floor with knees bent. Place your feet flat on the floor, hip width apart; hold the ball between your legs about three inches above your knees. Lift your hips toward the sky and hold for 10 deep breaths, keeping glutes contracted and abs firm.
Wheel:
from Bridge position, slide your hands underneath your shoulders and press into your feet as you lift your body off the floor. Continue to lift through the hips and the glutes, keeping core center strong.
Boat:
From a seated position, lift your legs [beginners: grasp the backs of your thighs]. Keep your midsection strong as you extend your legs straight out. With the ball between your legs, keep pressing legs together as you lift your rib cage.
Camel:
Kneeling, place the ball between your legs and bring your hands back to rest on the top of your heels. Lift your chest toward the sky as you contract the glutes and press hips forward. Let head drop back but be sure to keep from hyper-extending the cervical spine.
Chair:
Stand with your feet hip distance apart or slightly closer. Place the ball three inches above your knees and sit back into chair pose, extending the arms out from the shoulders. Keep your glutes contracted and your abs firm as you hold for 10 deep breaths. Repeat several times.
Cat:
Come to all fours with knees under hips and arms beneath shoulders. Place the ball between your inner thighs and keep your back straight and head facing forward. Exhale and let your head and tailbone drop as you arch your back and pull navel up to spine. Inhale and raise heel and tailbone, curve your back and look up. Alternate several times.
Down Dog:
Get down on your hands and knees and place the ball between your legs. Keep your hands shoulder width apart with fingers spread wide as you lift your hips up to the sky. Press heels towards the earth and legs together to engage abductors and adductors. Keep abdominal muscles strong.
Plank:
From down dog, drop your knees to the floor. Hold upper body in a push-up position with knees on or off the floor. Hands should bee slightly closer than shoulder width. Keep the ball between your legs as you engage all muscles.
Crocodile:
From a plank position, place the ball between your thighs and slowly lower body down to about one-inch off the floor [drop knees if necessary]. Press through the triceps as you keep glutes lifting and abdominal muscles strong.
Cobra:
From crocodile, lower entire body down to about one inch from floor, keeping ball between thighs. Pressing your hands into the floor, slowly draw chest up toward sky. Keep glutes tight to protect lower back.
Standing Backbend:
Stand in mountain pose with feet hip distance apart and the ball between your legs. Bring hands back to rest on upper glutes. Lift your ribs and arch back, making sure core center remains strong. [Imagine that you're lifting your back over a bar.]
POSES WITHOUT BALL:
- Repeaters
- Warrior Lunge Lifts
- Side Plank Lifts
- Knee Ups
- Spinal Balance
- Plank Leg Lifts
- Down Dog Leg Lifts
Namaste.
About Beth Shaw
Go to About Beth Shaw.
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