FITNESS 101: ASK AUDRA
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 (more…)