Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles, who will be answering your fitness questions on a weekly basis (every Monday) and will also bring you monthly fitness tips via her regular column (resuming in April) to help us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. You can also hear Audra with her fitness tips during the early morning (5am – 7am) A.M. Blast block of upbeat tunes geared towards your morning workout and via her new “Fitness and Health” Show the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:30 pm on intraffikradio.com (http://tinyurl.com/intraffikradio) or under Intraffikradio under the eclectic section under iTunes Radio. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
QUESTION: My backside could use some toning, what are some things I can do to make sure it looks great?
ANSWER: Everyone wants to look good from behind – especially during bikini season! So if you’re dying to hit the beach looking good from the backside here are are some great exercises for your back and glutes:
Back
Seated Overhead Lat Pull-down:
-Sitting at a seated lat pull-down bar style machine using a pronated grip (palms facing away from you) grip bar about 6 inches wider than shoulder width
-Grasp bar with arms slightly bent and elbows pointed away from the body
-Make sure your knees are planted directly under the support pads and feet are flat on the ground
-Lean back slightly so bar will travel correctly down in the correct path (lean back about 15 degrees)
-Keeping your back in a natural arch in the starting position, pull your shoulder blades down and together. Begin contracting your latissimus dorsi muscles by bending the elbows down to the floor
-Contract your latissimus dorsi and keep your hands and arms relaxed as you bring the bar to your chest.
-Slowly return the bar back to the starting position and repeat
Seated Machine Row
-Seated at a seated row machine, your seat should be adjusted so that the handles in front of you are slightly lower than shoulder height and the chest pad is resting at a point where it will allow your body to stay erect
-A starting position elbows should be slightly bent and pointed down
-Retract the scapula by pulling the shoulders down and then squeezing together as you contract the latissimus dorsi by pulling the arms back until your elbows are beneath the shoulders
-Slowly return back to the starting position
Back Hyperextension Exercise
-Lying face down on your stomach with your hands resting on the back of your neck or resting on your lower back with palms to the sky slowly raise your knees off the ground while simultaneously lifting your chest off the ground
-Slowly lower to the starting position
Single leg raise
-Lying on your back, bend one leg so that your foot is firmly planted on the ground and your knee is pointing to the ceiling
-Keeping the other leg straight, lift it off the ground so that it is at an approximate 45 degree angle
-On the leg with the bent knee, contract your glutes and lift your pelvis toward the ceiling until your torso, pelvis, and quad of your bent leg are aligned in a straight line
-Slowly lower to the starting position
Squats
-Standing with you feet shoulder width apart, a dumbbell in each hand,feet pointed ahead, and knees slightly bent, flex the hips and knees
-Keep your weight over the ankles and with a slight forward lean at the trunk begin bending your knees slowly while maintaining a natural arch in the lower back
-Contract the gluteal muscles and hamstrings until your quads and hamstrings are parallel to the floor
-Slowly raise back up to the starting position
Plié Squat
-Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, leave arms at your sides, and feet pointing out at an angle
-Tuck tailbone under and contract your glutes
-Lower body into a squat as low as you can go without allowing knees to go forward past your toes
-Simultaneously raise arms to the same height as your shoulders in front of body keeping palms down
-Hold here for 2 seconds, and return to the starting position
-After 20 reps, pulse at the bottom for 20 seconds.
Lunges
-Standing with your feet should width apart and a dumbbell in each hand hanging at your sides
-Take a large step forward and keep your torso erect
-Both feet should be pointed straight ahead as you slowly flex (lower) the lead hip and knee until the back leg’s knee comes to 1 to 2 inches from the floor
-Slowly raise back to the starting position
Hip Extensions
-Facing the floor, with your forearms flat on the floor, palms facing down, place your knees on the ground so that they are at a 90 degree bend at the knee and at the hips. Place a small dumbbell behind the bend at the back of one knee
-Slowly lift the leg with the dumbbell behind the knee until quad is parallel to the floor
-Slowly lower to the starting position
Audra will be answering your fitness questions every Monday. If you have questions you’d like answered you may email her at Audra@intraffik.com or send to info@intraffik.com. To see if your questions have been addressed check out past “Ask Audra” Column Entries here