Bowflex Fit Tip | Trouble Spots: The Hips

You've probably heard it said before: “You can't spot train”. It’s true, you can't exercise one part of your body and expect the fat to just melt away. We have to be working our entire body for strength and endurance (as well as watching our diet) to really see changes in body composition. However, you CAN "spot tone" or "spot strengthen." You can help reach your fitness goals by spending a little extra time working the muscle groups where you’d like to see results. Here are a few tips to train for stronger, leaner hips + workout! Tips: Work in all planes of motion. So much of our everyday movement happens in the sagittal plane (moving forward or backwards), and often our workouts can get stuck in this plane, too. Moving laterally in the horizontal plane as well as rotating diagonally in the transverse plane will force the body to work in less common ways directionally, thus strengthening and sculpting those underdeveloped muscles. Add some weight! I know, this is a tip I give often, but there’s a reason. Throughout my many years of working in fitness, I’ve experienced how women in particular can be fearful that using heavy weights will add more bulk to the areas where they already store excess fat. It won’t! Making those muscles work harder will not only tighten, tone and lift, it will burn more calories! Both during your workout (it takes more energy to lift more weight), and after your workout (more muscle fiber can increase metabolism even at rest). Keep the big picture in mind. Many traditional exercises focus on the big muscles of the lower body like the quads, hamstrings and glutes; these are our prime movers and the hips are often assistors. Because of this, we sometimes think of hip training as isolating the smaller muscles with resistance bands, barre or Pilates type movements, or leg lifts. While both are effective, find compound exercises to work the entire area, like the ones listed in the workout below, to get the most bang for your buck (or butt). Leaner Stronger Hip Workout: Do each for 20 repetitions on both right and left sides. Then repeat. 1. Side lunge pulse and lift 2. Curtsy lunge tap in 3. Squat and side raise 4. Side plank side leg lift Want to see more? Check out our other blogs here: https://ift.tt/2HFia6Q Want to see more about Bowflex and our products? Check it out: https://ift.tt/2Nn9RAh https://ift.tt/2V9TQ2B Bowflex October 03, 2019 at 01:46PM