Exercises to tone stomach bum and thighs

Toning your bum, thighs, stomach and arms is a big goal and is going to take time. It's not just a question of doing a lot of exercise either. It takes a combination of regular training, sensible diet and plenty of sleep. Keep in mind that while this is a totally achievable goal, fat loss happens at around 1 to 2 pounds per week and seeing the results you want can take months or even longer.

Focus on your diet. Creating a toned look is often dependent on reducing your total amount of body fat, and the best way to do that is to watch what you eat. Focus on eating protein at every meal -- lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs or protein powder -- as well as healthy fats, plenty of fibrous vegetables and small amounts of whole grain and dairy. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed, and avoid snacking. Drink plenty of water and make sure you are getting around eight hours of sleep a night to make sure you have plenty of energy.

Train your butt and legs together twice a week. Focus on your lower body to target and tone your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and adductors. The best exercises for this include squats, lunges, deadlifts, single-leg squats, hip thrusters, leg presses and leg extensions. Split these exercises over the two workouts, aiming to do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise. To begin with, you can just work with your body weight, but as you progress, adding weights to each exercise will significantly increase the efficacy of your workouts.

Train your stomach and arms together twice a week. Focus on your upper body to tone your biceps, triceps, deltoids, rectus abdominus and obliques. The best exercises to work with include bench presses, bent-over rows, dumbbell flyes, biceps curls, triceps extensions, pushups, hyperextensions, crunches, side crunches and planks. Split these exercises over your two workouts, aiming to do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of the weighted exercises and three to five sets of 20 of the bodyweight exercises.

Add some cardio. Cardio is a key aspect of reducing body fat -- thanks to the high amount of calories a cardio workout typically burns -- and should not be overlooked in favor of the tone-boosting strength training. Interval training is particularly effective when you are aiming to burn calories in order to lose body fat and increase tone. In fact, the "International Journal of Obesity" found interval training to be significantly more effective than moderate, steady-state cardio, like running or swimming. To do interval training, you work very hard for a short period of time and then take a quick rest. For example, the Tabata sprint is a popular form of interval training where you sprint for 20 seconds, walk for 10 seconds and repeat this eight times.

Plan your workouts ahead of time so you are less inclined to skip them. Also, prep your meals ahead of time so making healthy food choices is easy and automatic.

“Having strong glutes go hand in hand with a strong core,” says Melissa Kendter, U.S. Trainer for Tone & Sculpt. That’s why she put together the following abs and butt workout. “These two muscle groups are responsible for so many of the movements that we make in our day-to-day life and our posture, therefore exercises that work them both at the same time can lead to a stronger body and overall better movement patterns.”

And, in fact, being abs-focused and neglecting your glutes sets you up for injury and inefficiencies in your workouts. “If we have weak glutes, the core will try to compensate, causing increased strain on the back, which in turn can cause unnecessary force placed upon the knee and ankle,” Kendter explains. On the flip side, a weak core makes it so that your glutes don’t have enough stability from the spine above to produce efficient movement. In other words, using exercises that work the abs and butt simultaneously are beneficial for us inside and outside of the gym, per Kendter.

3 Tips For Optimizing Your Abs & Butt Workout

Play Mind Games. “It is vital that you use your mind to properly engage and contract the muscles you are working, especially your core and glutes,” Kendter says. “To successfully work a muscle group, you have to feel it working. You need to focus your mind on contracting and squeezing the muscle with every single rep.”

Think: Belly Button To Spine. Concentrate on pulling your belly button into your spine to keep your core engaged. “Once you can achieve this, watch how much of a difference it makes not only to muscle engagement, but also to your form,” Kendter notes.

Breathe Intentionally. Kendter says it’s important to focus on your breathing technique by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through pursed lips throughout each exercise. “This will help with proper core engagement.”

Time: 30 minutes

Equipment: Mat, kettlebells, dumbbells, box or bench

Good for: Butt and abs

Instructions: Choose five exercises below for a full abs and butt workout. Complete 12 to 15 reps, per side if needed, then continue to the next exercise. One you finish the circuit, repeat it four times through.

Ideally, working a muscle group twice per week is superior for strength and hypertrophy (read: muscle growth), but if you are doing low-impact bodyweight exercises, they can be done more frequently throughout the week, per Kendter.

1

Bird Dog With Elbow-To-Knee Touch

How to: Start on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees under hips. Draw your stomach in, then raise your left arm and right leg, until they're both extended straight out. Keeping your spine aligned, bring your elbow to your knee, extend back out to a long line. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to:Start standing with feet together and arms by sides. With control, tilt torso forward while lifting left leg behind body (foot flexed) and extending left arm forward until both are parallel with floor. Return to start. That’s one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Start lying on back with right leg and arm straight on the floor and at a 45-degree angle from body, left leg bent so foot is flat on the floor, and left arm extended up toward ceiling (elbow locked out) holding a kettlebell. Keep eyes on kettlebell, press into right arm, and sit up, coming onto right forearm. Then, press through right palm and left foot to lift hips into air, keeping right leg straight. Slowly reverse the movement to return to starting position. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Rest your arms on the floor, palms down. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Brace your abs and lift your right knee toward your chest, maintaining a 90 degree angle with your leg. Then. lower it back down to start. Repeat with the other leg. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Holding two dumbbells in your hands, stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Position the weights in front of your thighs, palms facing your body. Keeping your knees slightly bent, press your hips back as you hinge at the waist and lower the dumbbells toward the floor. Squeeze your glutes to return to standing. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

How to: Start standing with feet under hips holding a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height with arms bent and elbows by sides. Sit hips back and lower down into a squat. Push through heels to lift up, pressing weights overhead and rotating torso to left side. Lower back into a squat, then repeat, twisting to the opposite side. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

How to: Stand up straight with your feet wider than hip-distance apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Place your hands behind your head. Hinge at your hips and lower your torso down until it is nearly parallel with the ground. Then, sit your hips back and bend at the knees until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Push through your heels and reverse the movement, returning to stand. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

How to: Start lying on stomach with arms and legs extended on the floor so body forms one long line, forehead on mat. Engage abs, squeeze glutes and lift all four limbs, plus chest and head a few inches off the ground, keeping your neck neutral by gazing at top of mat. Hold for 3–5 seconds then slowly lower back to the starting position. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

9

Lateral Lunge To Knee Drive

How to: Start standing. Step to side with right leg, push hips back, and lower body until leg is bent 90 degrees. Transfer weight to left leg as you drive right knee up to hip height. Return to start. That’s 1 rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Get on all fours on top of your mat. Extend your left leg back behind your body, so it's lifted slightly higher than hip height. Flex your left foot and lower it to the left side of your body, just outside your shoulder, until your toes touch the ground. Lift your leg up in an arched motion and touch your toes to the ground on the right side of your right foot. That's one rep. Complete for four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Start standing facing away from a box (or chair) with weight in left foot, right foot hovering, and arms at sides. Engage core, bend left knee, and push hips back to sink down into a single-leg squat until butt touches box, simultaneously extending arms out straight in front of body and right foot out slightly for balance. Once seat taps box, press through left foot to return to standing position. That’s one rep.Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Start on all fours. Hover right knee off floor. With control, circle it toward right elbow, then up and out to the side at hip height with inner thigh parallel to floor, then backward until quad is parallel to mat. Return to start. That’s 1 rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor 12 to 16 inches from your butt. Brace your core, then press into your heels and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips toward the ceiling. Hold the position for two seconds before lowering to start. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

14

Half Kneeling Kettlebell Windmill

How to: Start by kneeling on your left knee, and bring your right foot to the side of your body, with foot firmly on the ground and toes pointed to the right. Hold a kettlebell in your right hand. Rack the kettlebell at your chest, then lift it overhead, keeping your eyes on the weight. Slowly lower your body down until your left hand reaches the ground. Then continue lowering until your elbow and forearm reach the ground. Reverse the movement and return to start. That's one rep. Complete for four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How to: Start on all fours with shoulders over wrists, hips over knees, and toes planted on the floor. Keeping left leg bent to 90 degrees, engage core and squeeze through outer left glutes to lift left knee out to the left, until upper leg is parallel to floor (or as close as possible). Slowly and with control, return leg to starting position. That's one rep. Complete four sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

How long does it take to tone thighs and buttocks?

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