Losing Weight and Improving Booty-Part 1

Part 1: Using Stairs to Shed Fat and Shape Your Butt

 Note: This exercise is intended for those who wish to lose weight while improving the look of their glutes, if you wish to pack on glute mass this is not for you.

Climbing stair is a great way to get your heart rate pumping and shedding pounds.  Using correct technique, you can also help get your glutes into shape. 

Correct Techniques

1. Step with heel FIRST onto the step.  This is crucial if you want to target your glutes and not just other leg muscles.

2. Skip a step in between.  This allows for your thigh to be more parallel to the ground and in turn reaches deeper in to glutes.

3. Mind to muscle connection.  Each time you step up literally think about using your glues and SQUEEZE.

Why this sheds pounds:

In a 10 minute walk, I burn around 50 calories

In ten minutes of stair climbing, I burn about 100 calories

That's a 50% increase in the amount of calories burned!

(Based on heart rate monitor and being 132 lbs, if you weigh more you'll burn more calories)

Why this helps shape your booty:

The action of hip and knee joints is extension, this type of movement uses your leg and glutes muscles to propel you not only forward (as in walking) but also upward.  The more you can make the connection with your glutes and the deeper you can sink with the leading leg, the deeper you will reach your butt muscles.

Beginners: start with walking up the stair focusing on squeezing the glutes and descend back down the stairs quickly (but safely!) to keep heart rate up. 

Intermediate to Advanced: Change it up! Step out wider, move faster, add in leg lifts, change up descending patterns.