Three Simple Summer Exercise Tips For Female Readers

Meredith Butulis at her most recent show

Here are three tips for female readers to look and feel their best this summer. 

1. Fix the Hips and Glutes: In nearly twenty years in the fitness industry I have yet to meet a woman who doesn’t want a better looking booty. One of the easiest drills you can do is a dynamic stretch for your hip flexors (Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch) for 10-12 reps. Immediately after you have done each leg, lie down on your back with your knees bent and perform 12-15 reps of Glute Bridges. When doing this exercise try to focus on pushing through your heels. Make sure you feel your glutes squeeze on the top of the movement. If you feel your hamstrings (Back of the legs) move your heels closer to your hips. Perform two sets of each. Not only will these two exercises make your behind look better, they are great activation exercises do to prior to running, tennis or group fitness classes. 
2. Work the Core “Inside Out” Not “Outside In”: Unfortunately due to the mass media women are conditioned to think they need to do hundreds of crunches in order to have a “Magnificant Midsection.” Unfortunately doing too many exercises that work the “Outer Unit” can decrease core function and cause the pouch nobody wants. Simply focusing more on exercises that work the “Inner Unit” like Dead Bug variations, basic Pilates core exercises, Plank variations and dynamic stability variations can go a long way towards “Midsection Magic.” As far as how much focus, spend 3X as much time on the inner unit exercises than the outer unit. 
3. Sprint Once in a While: This is one of Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Laws. Take advantage of the great outdoors and sprint once in a while. Once or twice each week find a flat strip of lawn at a park and set two cones, flags or any other markers up anywhere from 40-60 yards apart. Sprint as fast as you can to one cone and then walk back to recover. Based on how you feel and what your Metabolic Tech says do this 5-10 times in one workout. It doesn’t take very long and has lots of health benefits if not over done. 

The next post will cover steps 4-6.