15 Minute Awesome Glute/Buns Workout

Warmup for a few minutes before doing this workout.
Complete each exercise, then repeat the entire workout 2-3 times. The entire workout should take approximately 12-15 minutes.
1. Alternating Walking Lunges 20 each side: Walk up and down the hall if you need to. Hand weights are an option but not needed to get a good workout.

2. Prisoner squats- open your feet a few inches wider than hip distance with feet just slightly turned out. Hands are behind your head. Squat up and down at a steady slower pace 20x.

3. Alternating back lunges. Stand in one place and alternate stepping back with one leg into a lunge. Bring leg back to front and step back with other leg. Repeat. Make sure your weight is on your front heel with your front knee over your heel to prevent injury and to get deeper into the glute muscles. Repeat 20x each side.
*Picture would look similar to the alternating walking lunges.

4. Kneeling leg raises: Kneeling on the ground on your hands and knees, raise your right leg parallel to your hips. Lift your leg straight or bent approximately 3-4 inches and hold for 1-2 seconds before lowering back to hip level. Make sure to keep your hips square to the ground. Repeat 20x on each side.

5. Bridges: lay down on your back with your knees up and your heels down close to
Your bottom. Your arms are at your side. Raise your glutes off the ground and hold for 1-2 seconds before lowering till you almost touch back down. Repeat 20x.

Stretch before you completely cool down to prevent your lower back from getting tight. Tight glutes can lead to a tight back.
By: Michelle Rotell
Aka Michbehavin
Sweat Cardio and Yoga
www.sweatcardio.com

Prevent Knee Injury in Repetitive Motion Sports-Rolling/Stretching/Training

 We need to train specifically for strength and power in our legs. We can prevent injury by cross training which is working your opposing muscles we work all the time. For example, strengthen  your lower back as well as your abdominal muscles. Twisting and leaning are integral movements in roller derby. Incorporate side lunges and curtsy lunges to strengthen the areas needed.  

Repetitive motion puts high stress on one area and can cause imbalance in your muscular structure as well as your skeletal structure. Tight muscles can pull bones and ligaments in one direction and loosen muscles not being used as frequently. We need to lengthen specific muscles and strengthen others. 

Lengthening your IT band and strengthening your Vastus Medialis and inner thighs are key to knee injury prevention.

First, rolling or lengthening your IT (iliotibial) Band  is key. Here is a great stretch for your IT band as well as how to roll it.

Roll Slow. Make sure to hold it in the areas that you feel pain till the pain lessens. You then move on as you roll the entire side. You should not be rolling consistently up and down your leg.

With your legs crossed and folding forward, lean slightly to the outside of the base foot to create a better stretch on the outside of your hip and down to the back of the knee. 

If your IT band is tight which is caused by repetitive forward motion, there is tension on your knee. The IT Band connects from the hip to the knee, therefore pulling your knee outward and putting unwanted and uneven pressure on your knees and lower extremities.

With a tighter IT Band comes pulling of the inner thighs; primarily your Vastus medialus muscles (inner muscle of your quadriceps) and Gracilis muscles (inner thigh). 

We need to make sure to strengthen all areas of our quadriceps but this muscles is not only neglected but really hard to trigger on its own. 

To strengthen the Vastus medialus and gracilis muscles, here are a few exercises.

Perform a wall squat with or without a ball on your back making sure your legs are at a 90 degree angle. Then take another small ball and place it between your legs and squeeze it slowly. Repeat multiple times till you feel a strong burn. Stand, recover, then repeat set 2 to 3 more times.

Curtsy Lunges. Alternate curtsy lunges from leg to leg. If you can push off with inside of your front foot you will feel more work being done to your medialis. Repeat 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. Rest and repeat 2 to 3 sets.

Side Lunges. Make sure your knees are over your heals when stepping out. When pushing back to center, it is imperative that you place most of your weight on the inside of your power foot in order to get the proper stengthening in your vastus medialus. This will also fire up your glutes, hamstrings and obliques. 

Tradition is to train as we play, but it is important in order to keep balance in our bodies to work out bodies at least once a week in the opposite manner. For example in roller derby, we need to make sure to work our right side as much as our left side. Skate non-derby direction when possible. If  you are a cyclist, make sure to do lateral movements such as skaters and back lunges for your hamstrings. 

Make sure to work at your own pace, but you will see your performance increase in your specific sport or just in your daily lives by making sure your body is aligned properly. 

You may even notice your lower back or neck have less stress as you become more balanced. Your whole body will become more balanced and will reflect on other areas of your body and life. 

Written by: 

Michelle "Michbehavin" Rotell

Owner Sweat Cardio and Yoga

www.sweatcardio.com 

Plyometrics Leg Workout Athletics Cardio

Stretches for runners and other athletes!

Everyone needs to stretch!! Young, old, athletes, sedentary and everyone between!!
Our bodies conform to the movements we repeat. Our muscles tighten up in areas we over work or loosen to compensate for other tight areas. As we sit at a desk all day long, our hamstrings (back of the thigh) and our hip flexors (front of the hip) become tight. These are the areas that are contracted all day long as we sit. We need to stretch those areas to ensure that we are not over compensating with our backs. They will start to round and put pressure on your upper and lower back. These areas need to be strengthen.
Runners and cyclist are moving in a repetitive forward motion sometimes for over an hour to 2 hours at a time. Some even more. Our IT Band or Iliotibia band becomes tight and inflamed as the

Gracilis and Sartorius (inner thigh muscles) become lose. This Runner's or Cyclist Knee is caused by over use and not strengthening the opposing muscles.

As we age, our hips and glutes become tight as well. In this case, our bodies need to stretch them to prevent other injuries.
Other benefits of stretching:
Relieves pain
Increases  energy levels
Increases flexibility
Give you better range of motion of the joints
Increased circulation of blood to various parts of the body
Relieves stress and increases relaxation
Can enhance coordination
Improves structural and muscular posture
Makes you feel better!

Here are a few of the basic stretches you can start with.

IT Band and Back

Groin, Inner thigh, Glutes

Quads, Hip Flexors

Hamstrings, Lower Back

Glutes, Piriformis  Hip Flexors

Sweat Cardio offers Morning Stretch classes Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:15a. They are all stretches with out the yoga involved. It is for all levels and focuses on all body parts including the smaller joints and muscles such as wrists and ankles. If you do not live in Temecula, Ca search for your local Yoga studio. You can ask if they offer stretch classes or Yin Yoga as another form of stretching.

Written by Michelle Rotell
owner: Sweat Cardio and Yoga
Check out our full class schedule at www.sweatcardio.com

Foam Roller Workshop

 Glutes/Piriformis

 

 Quadriceps

 Hamstrings

 Back of Knee/ Hamstrings

Zumba Fitness at Sweat Cardio with Stephanie Behrends

Barre Sculpt- Tightening Your Glutes

Barre Sculpt is one of the fastest growing fitness trends right now. Also known as Pure Barre, Ballet Barre, Ballet Fitness, Ballet Bar and other creative names. Essentially it is a class using the ballet bar and core strength to lengthen and strengthen your body. This class is firms your glutes and helps lift them back to your where they were in your teens. It can also increase your flexiblity by tightening the muscles then stretching it after. You do not need to be a ballerina or any type of dancer to take this class. Most exercises are designed to lengthen your muscles as well as tighten and tone. The exercises are performed with small movements or range of motion to feel a "burn" and are repeated multiple times. Many of the exercises are reflective of  a mat pilates class and keeping the core tight with short breathes to get the maximum amount of force to the muscle. Although you may feel your heart rate increase at times, this is not a cardio class. It is a sculpting class. We have heard members say that they can start seeing results of a tighter core; glutes, abs, thighs, lower back, and even calves and arms within a few weeks. Sweat Cardio offers Barre Sculpt Mondays 11a, Wednesdays 4:30p and Saturdays 11:30a. 

No shoes required. Some people will wear socks or toesox which are available to purchase at Sweat Cardio and Sweatcardio.com

For any further questions on Barre Sculpt please feel free to call 951-302-0088 or email us at info@sweatcardio.com

Michelle Rotell

Sweat Cardio and Yoga

www.sweatcardio.com 

Barre Sculpt Ballet Bar Class @ Sweat Cardio and Yoga

If you have never take Barre, or Bar Method this class is amazing!
Barre Sculpt is a total body workout that lifts your seat, tones your thighs and burns fat in record-breaking time! Utilizing the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements set to music you will stretch as well as tighten. You do not have to be a dancer or know any of the ballet moves, nor do you have to be coordinated or graceful. Barre teaches you all of that.
It combines ballet moves, with yoga stretching, small pilates like movements, lunges, leg lifts, arm raises and abdominal exercises to give you a total body workout.
It is fat burning, muscle carving, body reshaping, arm sculpting, waist trimming and posture enhancing and not to mention Sweaty and FUN!
Sweat Cardio is now offering Barre Sculpt Mondays at 11a w/ Kacy Hill, Wednesdays 4:30p w/Yvonne Davis and is adding Saturdays 11:30a with Yvonne Jan. 2nd.
We have drop in fees or membership rates available. Either way, you can enjoy this class at a reasonable price.
You can check out our class schedule at www.sweatcardio.com for more info.

Curves are Beautiful! Daily Motivation #3

Curves are beautiful. Everyone has them. Everyone should love them! Its all about how you use them. Work them and appreciate them! Make them stronger and more defined! That is our ultimate goal!! Lunges, squats, abdominal exercises, cardio training such as running, Zumba, Spinning, Sculpting classes, interval training and 80% nutrition. Eat clean, healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats and drink lots of water. If you are not sure if a food is "clean" it probably isn't!
www.sweatcardio.com

Building a Better Butt

Building, shaping and toning are the first things people request when going to a trainer or class.  How do I get a nice 'booty"? "I just want a nice butt." Are the most common comments. The latest trend is to have a backside that is round, firm and above your thighs.  It must have started when Jennifer Lopez came on the scene and showed her round shapely curves and flat abs. 

The best way to get your glutes firm and round is to train them hard and properly.  Once a week is not going to do it. You will need to take two to three days per week to train your backside to look good. 

There are three base exercises that you need to do and 20 to 45 minutes of cardio per day to hit your goal.  Overtraining could become a problem if you are not giving your lower body and core muscles a day of rest in between body parts. That means you need to break up your body parts and work upper body as well so you are not spending two hours six days a week at the gym to get the desired body you want.

There are a few exercises that are standard for training legs.  Squats, lunges, and step ups are your base for your leg days. There are numerous ways to train each one to incorporate different muscle groups. These exercises are complex exercises and will work your entire lower body and core. 

The more exercises you can do standing, the better.  Standing forces you to use your abdominals, lower back and glutes (core muscles) for balance and stability. The standing rule applies for upper body exercises as well.
There are many group exercises classes that incorporate lower body exercises that you should be focusing on. Sculpting classes, kettlebell, SPIN, RIPPED, kickboxing and even Yoga.

Squats can be used with dumbbells or a straight bar. Ball squats are a great way to incorporate more thigh muscles. Hold a large exercise ball, or your childs basket ball on the wall.  Lean your back against it with your feet in front of you.  Lower yourself down to a 90 degree angle in your knee.  If your knees are over your toes, you will need to put your feet further forward. Raise yourself back up.  Try a set of 15 with your feet hip distance apart and repeat another 15 repetitions with your feet closer together to work your inner thighs as well.

Lunges are the number one exercise for legs.  Walking lunges, standing lunges, front lunges, back lunges and even step ups combined with lunges. Your heart rate will go up, so take your time.  Form is very important.  Same rule applies with lunges as squats. Your knees should never be over your toes.  If this occurs, shift your body weight back or separate your feet further to perfect your positioning. Press your front heel into the ground as much as possible to feel your glutes working.  Because lunges use all the lower body muscle groups, it is a great exercise to do in between upper body exercises to raise the heart rate and to get your lower body toned.

Step ups can be done anywhere.  Or taking a step class or sculpting class using steps. Make sure the step or bench is not too high.  The knee over the heel rule is true for this exercise as well.  If your are bending your knee past a 90 degree angle before you step up, lower your step or use a different bench.  Step one leg at a time for 15 to 20 repetitions and then switch legs.  You can also raise your opposite knee up as you stand on the bench to incorporate even more muscle groups.

Plyometrics are another way to hit every lower body muscle group and burn fat rapidly.  These explosive movements put high amounts of force and intensity in your workouts and force you to train at a more powerful state. Your heart rate will jump up. Rest in between sets to recover the muscle and allow the same intensity for the next set. Jump with two feet or one at a time by bending the knee and pushing off with your toes. Keep your abdominals tight and land with your knees slightly bent to take the pressure away from your knees.

Last, but never forgotten, are the abdominal exercises.  Sit ups, crunches on the floor or on the ball, twists and reverse curls will strengthen your core to ensure you are getting a balance workout.

Be sure to stretch your legs and lower back after each workout. A tight back and hamstrings can cause future problems.  Exercise is our form of preventive medicine, so use it wisely and it will treat you right.

Personal Challenge

Increase the intensity of your cardio workouts by adding resistance or speeding up for one minute intervals every two to three minutes.  Decrease the recovery time and increase the intensity time each week till you are able to do two to three minutes of high intensity and 1 to two minutes of recovery.  Each cardio workout should be at least 20 to 30 minutes, if not longer.

 Fit Tip

1. On the stair climber, skip one of every five steps.  Then, take one large step to get back to your normal walking pattern.  This fires up your glutes and makes them work harder.
2. Triple set all three leg exercises to mix things up.  Your heart rate will go up and you can trigger your fat burning zone after a few sets.  Performing back to back exercises is a great way to accomplish the most work in the least time. 

Written by Michelle Rotell
owner Sweat Cardio and Yoga
www.sweatcardio.com