Your top enemy at the office isn't that gossipy girl in the desk next to yours... it's your chair! Sitting all day at work isn't doing your rear any favors, "The nerves that activate glutes can shut down, and the muscle begins to atrophy," personal trainer Sandra Hahamian tells SELF in the September issue, on newstands now.
So back your briefcase (Lisa Frank trapper keepers encouraged), and channel your inner school girl, because we're enrolling in Booty Camp!
To help keep our tush toned we went to Bootycamp instructor Lacey Stone, New York City-based Fitness Expert and Founder of LaceyStoneFitness.com. (She's worked with America Ferrea and Dr. Oz to name a few celeb fans.) "If you're willing to bring maximal effort you will see a pronounced butt-lift."
Stone says the best way to counteract the office sagging by focus on these three booty blasting exercises: Lunges, squats and deadlifts. Ready to de-droop your derriere? Try these 4 bootylicious exercises as demonstrated by Equinox Personal Training Manager Tabitha Sierra.
Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlift
1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in your knee, holding the dumbbells (12-15 lbs.) in your hands in front on your hips.
2. Slowly bend forward at the hips, keeping the dumbbells very close to your body barely skimming your shins (pictured). Your other leg will be raising behind the body in with a slight bend in the knee. Dumbbells should be as close as possible to your standing foot as possible (depending on flexibility) and the opposing leg should be lifting in a straight line as you tighten the opposite glute muscles.
3. Be careful not to round your spine or strain your neck to maintain a perfect posture spine position at all times - long and lean.
4. Return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps on each leg.
1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in your knee, holding the dumbbells (12-15 lbs.) in your hands in front on your hips.
2. Slowly bend forward at the hips, keeping the dumbbells very close to your body barely skimming your shins (pictured). Your other leg will be raising behind the body in with a slight bend in the knee. Dumbbells should be as close as possible to your standing foot as possible (depending on flexibility) and the opposing leg should be lifting in a straight line as you tighten the opposite glute muscles.
3. Be careful not to round your spine or strain your neck to maintain a perfect posture spine position at all times - long and lean.
4. Return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps on each leg.
Booty Band Burns
1. Place the Booty band (any closed loop resistance band, like the Versa-Loop) around your legs, 3-4 inches above the ankle (below calf).
2. Take your legs a little wider that shoulder with apart in a squat position. Make sure that your knees to come over the tip of your toes and you do not have a hunched over back position. Lengthen your spine.
3. Slowly taking a baby step with your left foot followed by a baby step with your right foot, always maintaining the space between your legs from the starting position (pictured). Start moving to left for 60 seconds, you should start to feel an intense booty burn by 30 seconds. Once you hit 60 seconds stand up tall and recover for 15 seconds, then repeat movement in the opposite direction. This completes one set.
4. Perform 3 sets of 60 seconds to the moving to the right, and 60 seconds moving to the left.
1. Place the Booty band (any closed loop resistance band, like the Versa-Loop) around your legs, 3-4 inches above the ankle (below calf).
2. Take your legs a little wider that shoulder with apart in a squat position. Make sure that your knees to come over the tip of your toes and you do not have a hunched over back position. Lengthen your spine.
3. Slowly taking a baby step with your left foot followed by a baby step with your right foot, always maintaining the space between your legs from the starting position (pictured). Start moving to left for 60 seconds, you should start to feel an intense booty burn by 30 seconds. Once you hit 60 seconds stand up tall and recover for 15 seconds, then repeat movement in the opposite direction. This completes one set.
4. Perform 3 sets of 60 seconds to the moving to the right, and 60 seconds moving to the left.
Tush Toner
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms straight out in front of you, hands clasped.
2. Squat, shifting weight to left leg and pressing left side of butt back as you cross arms over to the left side (pictured). Return to start for 1 rep.
3. Do 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.
4. To up the intensity, do the move 1 foot in front of a wall, bringing butt back to tap the wall when you squat.
*Exercise from SELF's September issue.
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms straight out in front of you, hands clasped.
2. Squat, shifting weight to left leg and pressing left side of butt back as you cross arms over to the left side (pictured). Return to start for 1 rep.
3. Do 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.
4. To up the intensity, do the move 1 foot in front of a wall, bringing butt back to tap the wall when you squat.
*Exercise from SELF's September issue.
Booty Blaster
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Squat and rotate torso to left, extending right arm across body to the left (pictured).
2. Bend elbow to bring right hand in front of chest. Return to standing as you extend right arm to ceiling (think: disco arms!) for 1 rep.
3. Do 10 reps then switch sides; repeat. Do 3 sets on each side.
*Exercise from SELF's September issue.
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Squat and rotate torso to left, extending right arm across body to the left (pictured).
2. Bend elbow to bring right hand in front of chest. Return to standing as you extend right arm to ceiling (think: disco arms!) for 1 rep.
3. Do 10 reps then switch sides; repeat. Do 3 sets on each side.
*Exercise from SELF's September issue.
Want to kick your butt into high gear? Try this bootylicious cross-training: "There's nothing like a good run to lean out those leg muscles and derriere. Surfing is also a great summer activity to work the glute muscles and stabilizers, and boot-camp style classes like my Bootycamp are great to because they often incorporate the lunges, squats and running elements," Stone says.
