How could I NOT use Olivia Newton-John's 1981 hit classic "Physical" as a blog title?!
So I thought I'd share some of the exercises from our class. Thanks to my classmate Michelle, I have photos! All of which were taken the week prior to my crippling back injury. So here goes.
Welcome to Rio!
Okay, I wouldn't call this one a favorite, but it sure does work those inner-thighs. I've got 15-pound weights on each ankle. You lie on your back, open your legs as far as you can, then close them only half-way. Do 100 of these, twice, and your inner-thighs will shrink in record time.
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| Welcome to Rio |
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| Welcome to Rio |
Side-lunge glide with arm extension
This move is great for working the glute of the squatting leg and the inner-thigh of the extended leg. You use a Gliding Disc under the leg you're extending. It's super slippery so you really have to control the movement which works that thigh. You slowly extend the the leg with the glider, while going into a deep squat on the supporting leg. Extend you arms "Like a dancer!", as the Butt Master would say, simultaneously while extending your leg. Slowly slide your leg in and resist the movement using the muscles of your inner-thigh. I love this exercise because it feels really graceful, and I love looking in the mirror and seeing the definition in my shoulders when my arms are extended. If only my dance teachers from musical theater school could see me now. They'd say, "Why'd you have to suck so much you were my student?" Three sets of 30-reps on each leg should have you cracking walnuts with your thighs in no time.
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| Side lunge with Gliding Disc |
Weighted leg lifts
Strap 15-20 pounds of weight on each ankle. Keep your hips square while you slowly raise your flexed foot to the ceiling. You must raise your knee above your butt. Do 25-30 reps per leg, then hold the movement and pulse for 30 reps. Do that three times on each leg. Stop complaining! Sculpted hammies don't just happen. You gotta work that ass!
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| Leg lifts with bent knee |
Plank
On your elbows and toes. Flat back. Neck, back and hips in an even line. Hold the pose for a full minute. If your abs aren't on fire, you're either in really good shape and need to hold the pose longer, or you're doing it wrong and you need to adjust your form. Just posing for this picture for 15 seconds had me shaking like a scared puppy during a thunder storm.
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| Plank |
Curtsy Lunge
I love the curtsy lunge! Really. It's such a great exercise for the outer-thigh and it's really graceful. Also, my grandmother used to make me curtsy when her hoity toity friends would come play Bridge so it reminds me of her and her bygone-era mannerisms.
So you cross-lunge one leg behind you, while squatting on the supporting leg - always making sure the knee is line with your ankle. Get a nice deep bend in that extended leg. This will really work the outer-thigh of the squatting leg. 30 reps, each leg, three times outta do it.
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| Curtsy lunge |
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| Curtsy lunge |
These are just a few of the moves we do in booty school. The ones I felt most comfortable being photographed doing, that is.
You can see in the mirror that my booty and thighs, while vastly better than they were seven weeks ago, still have a ways to go. And that's where the cardio comes into play. These next 10 days are critical if I'm going to "win" the coveted extra month. I have to show Leandro and Beachbody that I deserve the extra time. My goal for next week is to add a minimum of 45 minutes of cardio to my workout every day till the last day - April 27. I already know I'll look a thousand times better in my 60-day photos than I did in my first-day photos. But one more month of strength-training combined with cardio will shed the extra fat I have and make for some unbelievable 90-day photos. Whatever the outcome, I am already a new person as a result of this experience and I will keep going with or without the Butt Master's tutelage.
