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I haven’t done any of these in a while. Got a chance to shoot two vids today. A while back I did an article on squats and their importance for women. Many women shy away from squats for fear that they’ll get too bulky. However, squats are a woman’s best friend if she is trying to tone and firm up her lower body. In the first video Susan demonstrates the power squat. Notice her form and the pace at which she works out at. Remember if you want to get toned, low weights, high rep and slow pace.

Thanks to James for shooting this next video. I’ve known about hanging leg raisers for the past two years. However, I never felt I had the athletic ability to get them done. I tried them out for the first time today. If you’re looking for a lower abdominal workout this is what you need to do. My abs felt so tight after doing them, now  if only they were actually as tight as they felt.  You can do oblique twists off of this workout, but I don’t think I have the stamina to do it yet. The key is to not use momentum and to come to a complete stop after each rep.

The classic hip-hop song “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot gave confidence to women everywhere with large derrieres that it was okay to have a little bit of junk in the trunk. While not all women are built with the frame of a Marissa Miller, some women have taken the big butt thing a little bit too far. There is a thin line between a woman with a phat ass and a fat ass women. So here are some tips to help you tighten up your gluteus maximus for the summer months, because no matter what they show in the hip hop videos, cellulite is not sexy.

Here are some exercises you can do to tighten up your butt.

• Squats-The squat is by far the best resistance training exercise you can do. The squat will help you not only strengthen, tone, and shape your thighs and butt will also help you develop lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is vital to giving you that toned and tight look. Don’t worry about using a lot of weight. You can simply use the bar or even your own body weight as resistance. Spread your feet shoulder length apart and bend your knees till you are a little bit above perpendicular to your knees.

Body Weight Squat

• Lunges- Lunges are another very popular exercise for toning and firming leg and butt muscles. They can be done with a barbell or dumbbells. Below is a video of Susan demonstrating how to do lunges with a dumbbell. You should stand with dumbbells in both hands, and feet shoulder with apart. Then place one foot as far as you can while keeping your back leg stable and bending your back knee down till it touches the floor.

• Hamstring Curl-Depending on whether you have access to a gym or not this can be an awesome workout to tighten your hamstrings. The hamstring curl machine is standard at most gyms. I’d recommend starting out with light weight and doing sets of about 10-12 reps in order to tone your muscles.

• The Gluteus Kickback- Put your hands and knees on the floor, or on all fours. Keep your head up and, lift your right leg back and up almost like a reverse kicking motion, make sure that your feet raise above your head or is at the same level as your torso. Squeeze your right butt muscle and lower your leg back to start position. Repeat the same steps with your left leg.

In order to get the best results, I would recommend doing 3 sets of 10 of each of this workouts in a circuit training method. I would also like to add that each and every woman is different and there is enormous pressure to get the “perfect body”. Remember there is no such thing as the perfect body, but there is the perfect body for you. JimGetsSlim loves women of all types (not really 5’6″ 140 34-24-34 just in case you’re wondering).

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