Celebrity Fitness Trainer Jillian Michaels, creator of the My Fitness app, knows a thing or two about losing weight and toning physiques. But before she’ll tell you her secrets to ripped abs or toned arms, she’ll make sure you know one thing: If your main goal is to lose weight, even in a specific area of your body, you need to exercise more than just one part. “You can’t spot reduce fat,” Michaels says. “To get love handles away, that’s a total body workout.”
Lunges. Michaels says one of her go-to butt-toning moves is the lunge because it works multiple muscle groups in the legs at the same time, including the quads and glutes. As a bonus, it even engages your abs. The exercise has multiple variations, like the lateral lunge or curtsy lunge, so you’ll never get bored of doing the same motion each time you hit the gym.
To do a classic lunge, stand with your feet hips-distance apart, lift your right foot up and step it behind you a couple of feet. Then bend both knees until your front quad is parallel to the floor.
Do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of the lunge on each leg.
Squats. As with lunges, Michaels loves squats because they work various muscle groups – the glutes, quads, and core – and can be done in countless variations, including the goblet squat, jump squat, and sumo squat.
Deadlifts. Deadlifts can look intimidating at first, but the exercise is pretty straightforward and can tone your glutes, core, hamstrings, and inner thighs. If you’re new to a deadlift, first try the movement with a barbell that doesn’t have any added weight. If you focus on your form and holding your abs tight you will protect your back from injury.
To do a deadlift, stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart with your feet almost touching the barbell on the ground. Then bend forward at your hips while keeping your chest lifted, grab the barbell, and press your feet into the ground.
You can also do deadlifts with dumbbells. Do three sets of between eight and 10 deadlifts, depending on your fitness level, and adjust the amount of weight you use too
Sumo Deadlifts. Unlike a classic deadlift, a sumo deadlift requires a wider stance with your legs. Your arms will also be positioned inside of your legs, rather than outside like in a classic deadlift. A sumo deadlift also relies more on your quad muscles than a classic deadlift.
Do three sets of between eight and 10 sumo deadlifts, depending on your fitness level, and adjust the amount of weight you use too. Beginners should start out with just the barbell, for example, and then add weight accordingly.
With all of these exercises, Michaels recommended doing them just twice weekly to factor in recovery time. “Recovery is where the progress is made,” Michaels said. “So two days of rest between those two sessions, like Monday and Thursday.” On the other days, Michaels suggested focusing on different muscle groups, like your arms or abs, or getting in some cardio.
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