Category Archives: Women’s Butt Blasters

Apr 27 2012

Got Butt and Hip Fat?

So, you’re sick and tired of butt fat, saddlebags on your hips and jigglin’ jelly thighs? I have four words for you—Work Your Butt Off! Don’t take shortcuts….this way, the fat will stay off…. Read these testimonials:

“Hi there Mark, I just want to say “Thank you”, your blog and your Fat Blaster ebook has been such a help for me. To my dismay, the scale isn’t moving, but whatever you have said is right because even though I have only been doing the fat blaster workout (level 1) for about two weeks, my size 12 pants are starting to fall off and I can fit into size 10 again (though they’d be too funny/tight to wear, I CAN GET THEM ON!!! This coming from someone who was upset that she started out in size 14!!” —Jennifer N.

“Great post! Oh and hey, remember when I said that I was in a size 14 and because of your workouts got to be able to put on my size 10’s but they were too tight?? Not anymore!!! I can wear them now!! Yahoo!” —Jennifer N.

You should take the approach that you will sculpt your total body, not just your butt, hips and thighs.

If you have cellulite, don’t give up, just be realistic about how to reduce your cellulite. There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite—your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite.

Don’t buy in to quick cellulite reduction stories! As usual, your best bet in reducing cellulite is with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Total body fat reduction, especially abdominal fat, should be your goal. Keeping your metabolism active will help you burn fat.

Your metabolism does not have to get sluggish or slow down. A faster metabolism helps you burn more calories during workouts and at rest. The number one reason that womens’ metabolisms slow down is loss of muscle mass. Save your muscle mass with short, effective strength and interval cardio workouts.

Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in your body. Your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass. So, muscle mass is your top fat-burning tool. Work hard to build and maintain your body.

“As women age, their metabolisms slow down, mainly because they are losing five or six pounds of muscle each decade starting in the mid-20s,” explains fitness expert Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.

“There’s no reason you can’t have the same metabolism in your 30s and 40s that you had in your 20s,” stresses Pamela Peeke, M.D., author of Fight Fat After Forty.

Here are 2 top methods to burn more fat:

1. Circuit weight training workouts with light weights increase growth hormone in your body. Growth hormone elevations during this type of exercise have been shown to decrease body fat and increase protein synthesis after exercise. Growth hormone helps promote tissue repair and muscle mass growth from lifting weights.

Heavy weight lifting (you won’t get bulky) will give you exercise-induced testosterone increases, which will help you build muscle mass.

Concentrate on compound (multi-joint) strength exercises during your workouts because they work major muscle groups and burn major fat. You can accomplish more in less time. Exercises like squats (of all types), step ups, rows (of all types), shoulder press, pullups, pushups, deadlift and bench press all fit the bill.

2. Intense interval cardio exercises such as sprints and shuttles also increase growth hormone release.

Use shuttle runs to add variety to your cardio workouts, burn fat faster and really lean and tone your body.

Shuttle runs are effective fat burners because of at least three mechanisms:

–Interval cardio - Research has proven that the benefits of anaerobic exercise (like sprint interval cardio) is superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss, fitness and heart health.

The progression of your cardio exercise should be low-intensity aerobics to moderate/high-intensity aerobics to high-intensity anaerobic exercise.

–Speed – Sprinting activates your bulkier, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers. These fast twitch muscle fibers lie dormant when you do slow-paced cardio sessions (hint).

Sprinting will really burn the fat on your butt, hips, thighs, hamstrings and lower legs. Fat will also be burned on your upper body. You don’t have to be fast, just run as fast as you can during the shuttle.

–Sudden changes in direction – This adds more intensity to an otherwise intense form of exercise. Shuttles will improve your dynamic balance, power and coordination.

Try these 2 shuttle runs for cardio in your workouts to burn more fat (run on grass or rubber surface):

Speed Shuttle Drill or 5-10-5 Cone Drill – Place three cones in a straight line, 5 yards apart. Start in a 2-point or 3-point stance at the middle cone.

Run as fast as you can to the left cone (5 yds) and touch ground with your hand, run as fast as you can to the right cone (10 yds) and touch ground with your hand and finish running through the middle cone. That’s one repetition. Rest 1 minute between sets. Do 8-10 sets per workout session.

Speed Endurance Shuttle Run – Place cones at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 yards. Sprint to the 5 yard cone and sprint back to the start. Then, sprint to the 10 yard cone and sprint back to the start. The same would be done at the 15, 20 and 30 yard cones. That is one set. Rest for 2 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.

Some top cardio exercises for total body shaping are: sprinting (including uphill), walking uphill, stair climbing and jogging. You don’t need any gimmicks or fancy gadgets!

Start burning more fat and changing your body!

Download my FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program and get started changing your body today!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Oct 18 2011

Top 3 Women’s Lower Body Fat-Burning Tips

You can burn more lower body fat by doing more effective exercises and workouts. I see too much time being wasted by women using “popular exercises” and/or fitness gadgets. By far, your body is your most effective “exercise machine.”

Tip #1 – Do Exercises That Work to Shape Your Body

Every woman I know is concerned about the size and shape of her butt, saddle bags” forming on the hips and “jiggling jelly” thighs (including cellulite).

As for cellulite, it is actually collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up.

There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite—your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. There are no quick fixes for cellulite (despite what some commercials promote)! Some treatments such as liposuction and mesotherapy may give you some temporary relief from your cellulite.

Liposuction is actually meant to remove deep fat tissue (visceral fat) and not cellulite. In my opinion, your best bet would be to reduce overall body fat through weight training and high intensity interval cardio.

Some exercises that you are wasting your valuable time (very little benefit) when it comes to toning your butt, hips and thighs:

–Seated hip abductor machine (skip this machine and do side lunges),

–Seated adductor machine (skip this also and do side lunges),

–Slow, long cardio sessions that wastes away your muscle mass (short burst such as intervals are better),

–Any fitness gadget that supposedly “tones” your butt and thighs,

–Elliptical machine cardio sessions,

–Seated hamstring machine (better alternatives such as glute/ham drops),

–Seated leg extension machine (better alternatives such as front squats) and

–Leg exercises done on BOSU balls, balance discs, etc. (overrated).

Tip #2 – Short Burst Interval Cardio Burns More Fat

Use cardio to blast the butt fat and overall body fat—-just do the right type and intensity. All it takes is 20 minutes per session.

Top cardio exercises to blast butt, hips and thighs fat are:

a. Sprint Intervals - Sprinting activates the bulkier fast-twitch fibers. Just check out the lady sprinters at the next track meet you attend. You may not go to that extreme, but you get the idea!

–on grass (incline)
–on grass (flat surface)
–on sand
–on astroplay
–DO NOT RUN ON CONCRETE, ASPHALT OR OTHER HARD SURFACES

If you play soccer, it is a great change-of-pace exercise activity. Basically, all you do is sprint and jog the whole game.

b. Bodyweight Leg Circuits

c. Intervals on Stepmill

d. Intervals on Treadmill

e. Intervals on Bike (preferably outside)

Forget about doing cardio on elliptical machines. There’s just not enough benefit when it comes to burning fat—especially butt, hips and thighs fat.

When you have a choice, choose non-machine cardio. That way, you won’t have a machine generating momentum for you. Don’t go beyond 30 minutes on a cardio session—20 minutes is better because you can push yourself harder.

Leg circuit cardio is great because you can incorporate exercises like squats, lunges, step ups and jumps. And, to get even more fat burn, do some of these exercises as full speed power exercises.

Make sure you have mastered proper jumping and landing techniques before incorporating power exercises into your cardio routine.

Its pretty simple. Just do 3 days per week of intense cardio and you’ll be fine (hot)!

Tip #3 – You Must Commit to Regular Strength Training

Okay, let’s look at some strength exercises. Your body type does matter when it comes to sculpting your body, especially your lower body. Two people following the same program can get different results.

As with any strength training, you need to train your lower body in all 3 planes of motion to insure balance and maximum toning. You definitely want your butt, hips, thighs and overall legs to look good in 3-D space!

As for strength training, make sure you do squats! Bodyweight squats, front squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, Bulgarian split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs. The same can be said for deadlifts (traditional, stiff-legged or other variations).

Other top glute/hip/leg strength exercises are:

–Step ups (front, side, transverse)
–Lunges (front, side, transverse)
–Standing cable or ankle weight hip abductors/leg adductors
–Standing cable or ankle weight leg kickbacks
–Good mornings
–Glute/Hamstring Drops
–Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
–Floor lateral thigh raises
–Glute bridges and marching glute bridges

If these exercises become easy for you, then increase resistance or intensity (such as full speed power versions of some of these exercises).

If you need help burning fat, speeding up your metabolism and losing weight, download my Free Women’s Fat Loss Guide now!

“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Check out my other great blogs:

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named one of the 50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

May 9 2011

Shape and Tone Your Glutes for Summer

Shape and tone your glutes with hard work. The eating part is always important too for burning fat. But, mostly, you have to “work your butt off!”

GLUTES! Oxygen Magazine has special issues dealing only with SHAPING AND TONING YOUR BUTT! So, it is a very important topic to women. Problem areas for many women are the butt, hips (saddle bags) and thighs (jiggling jelly)…..

To be effective, glutes (and leg work for that matter) should be trained with cardio and strength training.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) research found that the top cardio exercises for shaping your glutes (and legs) are: lunges, walking uphill, stair climbing, jogging and running (I suggest sprinting to get better results). No big surprises here and no gimmicks!

Just hard work! And research has proven that high intensity interval cardio is superior to longer duration, slow cardio (interpretation: go hard for 20 minutes instead of slow for 40 minutes)! Do 3-4 days of cardio exercise.

As for strength training? You can’t leave out squats!

Do your squats—bodyweight squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs.

Other top glute exercises are:

1) Step ups (front and lateral)
2) Standing cable or machine hip abductors
3) Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
4) Floor lateral thigh raises
5) Glute bridges and marching glute bridges
6) Pelvic raises and posterior pelvic tilts
7) Glute Ham Raises (pictured above)
8) Good Mornings
9) Romanian Deadlift
10) Bulgarian split squats

Do 3 days-a-week of full body strength training. If these exercises become easy for you, then increase resistance or weights.

Blast the butt and leg fat!

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get a FREE Special Report: “10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips” and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Check out my other great blogs:

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named one of the 50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!