If you have always prided yourself on the health of your rear deck, it can feel like quite a let down when age and gravity begin to have their way with it once you are closing in on 40. But there is hope at hand; even if the bottom is one of the most maligned (and admired) parts of the body, it happens to be the very anchor that you can depend on to stand upright. That's right, the muscles in your bottom are the strongest and the most hard working in your whole body. That's good news, because with such strength, comes an ability to recover. Let's take up a women's workout that consists of four simple muscle toning moves that you'll need; over just the course of a month, you should begin to see results in a bottom that's shaping up to be "asstounding" (as the Reebok ad.s say) and thighs that no longer have to rub together when you walk or run.
There are lots of women's workout plans out there that depend on buying a few pieces of specialized equipment; all you need for this one though is the back of strong chair, and a pair of dumbbells that weigh 3 pounds each. You'll need to get with your workout every other day, and each of the four exercises below, you'll need to do two sets of, ten reps each. Are you allowed little rest between sets? You certainly are - take a minute between them.
Let's start with the easiest one. The idea of this exercise is to strengthen the muscles in your bottom by lifting the leg all the way to the back as far as you can reach. Start in a place in your home that has a bit of space for you to stretch out; place a chair a couple of feet before you, and bend forward to grab onto the back for support. You'll need to keep a dumbell handy; lift and stretch one leg out behind you, tuck the dumbbell away in the crook at the back of the knee, and hold the pose for a second. Do all the reps you need, holding it a second each time.
The next step in the women's workout for a beauty of a booty is the lunge. Find a set of stairs somewhere around your home, and stand three or four feet behind the bottom step. Pick a foot up and place it on the step; the idea is to stand far away enough from the step that your foot has to tretch a bit to get to the step. You will be reaching so far, your other heel will be forced to lift up off the floor a bit. Making sure that your other knee doesn't rest on the floor, push with the foot on the step to force yourself to stand up; lunge forward and stand up in turn, and finish all your reps. If you hold a pair of those dumbbells, you turn into a real workout.
For step 3, lie on the floor (yes, that feels good now) with your knees pulled up. Make sure that you feet are several inches apart. Stretch just one leg out, and try to prop your body up on the other leg. If you are doing it right, you should be in one long inclined state from raised leg to your shoulders - all the while supporting yourself on the other leg. Each time you do it, hold the pose for a couple of seconds.
And in the end is a simple and rather interesting little move (if your husband or boyfriend is around, he should enjoy watching this). Stand up straight with your feet a couple of feet apart. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, take a large step with the left foot towards the 10 o'clock position, and lunge forward in a crouch so that you can touch your feet with your dumbbell (not too hard now). Your back should be straight as you do this, and after holding your pose for a second, you pushd with your left foot to get back up straight. You need to do all the reps, and for both legs.
There you go then - a simple enough women's workout for the behind that shouldn't intimidate, that shouldn't take up more than half hour or so, and that should get you into the small pants right on schedule.
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