Are you tired of performing endless squats and lunges in the hopes of shaping your booty, but instead just ending up with bulky thighs  - beyond that, never quite getting the peach lifting  results you’re hoping for?  Don’t worry, I have a sequence for YOU that will help reveal the toned, strong and lifted tush you’ve always wanted, minus the squats and lunges!  Plus these moves will help smooth away cellulite, build a proper foundation to stabilize your body and ease compression on your joints. 

We all know the tush can start heading south and start frowning as we age.  And nobody wants that look or function. We all want to keep our booties smiling, perky, and strong. And this is not just an aesthetic thing.  The muscles in this area are a vital part of keeping our bodies strong, balanced and in alignment. In fact I actually consider the muscles that help shape our booties to be an essential part of the core. And a strong core is the foundation of everything else.

So, are you ready to lift and tone your tush - and improve posture, balance and core strength while you do so? I thought so!  So here are 5 quick and easy moves that will get your booty smiling in no time. Check out this  video to see the moves in action! (This video is taken from Week 5 of the  Taller, Slimmer, Younger 10 week challenge which opens again in Fall 2020.)

Let’s get started. 

1. First, let’s warm up with  BRIDGE

• Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat and hip-width distance apart. Reach your arms long by your side, shoulders down, and head and neck long. 
• Inhale as you lift your hips up to warm up your booty, making a concerted effort to use your glutes, rather than your hamstrings, to lift your body. 
• Exhale as you lower. 

Repeat this movement  8 times.

 

2. Next, smooth things out with the INVERTED TUSH ROLL

• Lay down on the mat with your knees bent and feet hip-width distance apart.
• Lift your hips up off the mat and slide the roller under your hips/sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine), just above the tailbone. Lift your knees up so they are hovering directly over your hips. 
• Inhale as you release your knees over to the right. 
• Exhale as you release your knees to the left.

Repeat this movement  8 times on each side. 

 

3. Make your booty smile with the INVERTED FIGURE FOUR CIRCLES

• Lay down on the mat and come to a bridge position, sliding the roller under your hips/sacrum. 
• Hold either end of the roller to stabilize and prevent it from slipping. Bend your knees and lift them so they are directly over your hips, and then cross your right ankle over your left knee into an inverted figure four. 
• Inhale as you twist your hips and knees to the right while keeping your ribs and shoulders stable. 
• Exhale as you roll to the other side. 

Repeat this motion  5 times on each side, alternating sides.

 

4. Re-shape the booty with the ROLLING GRASSHOPPER

• With your torso facing the mat, rest the fleshy part of your legs right above the knee onto the roller and place your hands directly under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward. 
• Inhale to bring your spine into extension (like you would in Cobra or Swan pose), reaching your heart forward and your legs long behind you. Holding the roller in place, keep yourself suspended by engaging your core and the intrinsic muscles of your abs and triceps. 
• Exhale to start rolling the roller up your thighs (this will smooth out the fascia and flush toxins), while bending your elbows and lengthening your triceps until you are hovering over the mat. Do not lower all the way to the mat. 

Repeat this movement  8 to 10 times.

Roller Pro-Tip

As you inhale and lift in this pose, be sure to engage your hamstrings to keep the pressure out of your low back. Think of your body like a teeter-totter: You want to keep your weight equal as you go up and down.

 

5. Perk up your booty with the BOTTOM LIFT

• Lay down on your back, with your spine long and neutral and your arms pressing down on either side of you. Place the roller under the arches of your feet. Shift your feet into a V-position to work the outer thighs and tush.
• Keeping the roller stable, inhale and slowly lift your hips, engaging your hamstrings, tush, and thighs while lengthening the front of your body. 
• Exhale and lower down, one vertebra at a time, slowly and with control.

Repeat this movement  5 to 8 times. 

Physical Benefits

• Decreases pressure on the knees and lower back.
• Increases stability throughout the entire body.
• Lifts and tones the bum.
• Creates a more shapely booty.
• Reduces cellulite.

Movement Reboot

These moves aren’t the only thing that you can do to keep your booty perky. Make sure you’re also staying present, breathing deep, and releasing tension you might be holding in your body. 

As a culture, we are a bunch of tight-asses - LITERALLY! Whenever we get stressed or tense we tend to clench our butt … and most of us are stressed or tense way too often, especially during this crazy time we’re all living through. But here’s the thing - all that butt-clenching is actually one of the reasons that our tush starts to sag with age. Your butt gets stuck in a tucked under position and the muscles lose the ability to not just flex but also extend. This is exacerbated by the fact that we do a lot more sitting then we are designed for these days. 

Check in with your booty right now: Do you feel yourself gripping? When the butt does its gripping thing all the tissue around the area where you’re holding tension will thicken, tighten, compress, sag, and sometimes even cause pain. Not only that, but overuse of these muscles can shut down healing movement throughout the entire spine. 

So make a point of checking in with your tush throughout the day (especially during moments of tension or stress), and consciously relaxing its muscles whenever you can so that you learn to use the muscles when you need them, and let them chill when you don’t.

Here’s to looking at your booty!

With love and respect - Lo xx