How are you spending your time in lockdown? Are you slowing down, unwinding and resting your body or are you using the spare time to get into a good exercise routine? We applaud you, whichever camp you fall in, but if you are keen to add a little sweat session to your lockdown life, we’re here for it! We’ve got personal trainer, and ex British record-holding Powerlifter, Nicole Clewer AKA @nicoleclewer16, to talk us through some home workouts. Over to you Nicole…
I’m here to talk to you all about your bums – yes, you read it right, your bums! With many of us spending a lot more time at home at the moment, more time on the sofa and less time walking around, this can lead to tightened hip flexors. This means that even the simplest of movements such as squatting and walking the stairs can become painful. While it is important to keep activating the glutes during this period, it doesn’t mean you have to continuously workout! Here are my favourite moves:
Glute Squeezes
Simply squeeze and release your butt cheeks! You can do this wherever you’re sat, whether you’re typing away at your desk or hitting up the group chat.
Try A Barre Class
Notoriously known for targeting those tough to hit muscle groups such as your bum and abs, you don’t need a Barre - just yourself and the back of a chair.
Walk
But make it an incline walk. Go and find a hill or even use the stairs!
Resistance bands
You can buy these for cheap off Amazon. They’re affordable and they’re perfect for so many fantastic glute exercises and most of them can be done in front of the TV!
Clams
Loop the band around your lower thighs and lay on your side with your arms above your head. Bend both knees and bring your feet in-line with your glutes. Keep your feet together and raise the knee of the top leg towards the ceiling. Pause at the top and squeeze your glutes. Repeat x 10 on each leg.
Donkey Kicks
Loop the band around your upper thighs and go to all fours on a yoga mat. Ensure your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Keeping your knees bent, release and raise one leg until the thigh is in line with your spine. Repeat x 10 on both legs.
Crab walk
Loop the band around your lower thighs, feet hip width apart and bend at both hips and knees. Whilst in a squat position, keep one foot on the floor and step the other out further than shoulder width apart and repeat on both sides x 10.
I love a squat but don’t be fooled into thinking that squats are the only thing to activate and grow your glutes. Whilst they are great to do and will help, you need to challenge your glutes in a variety of ways and from different angles in order to keep them activated and growing. As much as I love weights, don’t believe you have to lift heavy to have a perky butt! You just need to know what to do and do this as regularly as you can. If you have a spare 15 minutes (and most of us do at the moment), or even want a break away from your desk, try a combination of lunges from a variety of angles (side, back and forward), as well as some squats. If you have a box or stairs, add some step ups. On the days that you don’t feel like doing that, get your Warrior 3 on and practice some yoga, which is another great form of exercise - that done correctly, can activate those glutes.