Best for waist: the side bridge You often see people in the gym doing side bends with a dumbbell to tone up the waist area. But this exercise will actually shorten the obliques – effectively contributing towards you losing your waist! To tighten the muscles and reduce your risk of back pain, try the side bridge instead. Lie on your side with knees and hips stacked – the top leg directly over the bottom one – and your weight resting on the lower elbow. Bend the bottom leg to a right angle at the knee while keeping the hips on top of one another. Then lift your body up so that your weight is supported by the lower part of the bottom leg and the elbow only. Consciously draw the side of your waist that is closest to the floor up towards the center of your body. Don’t let your bottom stick out, and keep your abdominals contracted. Best alternative exercise: Sideways sit-ups using a Swiss ball. Best exercise for hips: the single-leg squat Here’s an exercise that might not be in your usual repertoire! Research at San Diego State University found that the single-leg squat was the move that most challenged the gluteus medius, or the muscle in the hip. To do this, stand on one leg and extend your floating leg slightly in front. Then bend your supporting leg, ensuring your knee comes over your toe and doesn’t roll in. It’s okay for your torso to hinge forward a little – but don’t even think of doing the exercise with a weight! Best alternative exercise: Side-lying leg raises.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:00:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015