If you're finding it hard to shift those extra kilos you're carrying on your backside, then here's your ultimate guide to getting a tight, toned tush!
We asked personal trainer Joel Costello from Vision Personal Training to give us his secret "drop a pant size program" he uses with his bottom-heavy clients.
Squats and lunges
To boot excess fat on your booty and kick-start your way to leaner legs the best thing to do is repetitions of squats and lunges. They're essential for strengthening and toning up leg muscles.
"At home try 10 to 15 squat holds every day," Costello says. "Get in a squat position and lean your back against the wall and hold the low squat position for one minute then have a 30 second break and then repeat 10 more times. Squats combined with walking lunges and box jumps are great for targeting the buttocks, thighs and inner leg fat."
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Cut out carbohydrates
If you're working out like a demon and not seeing results then it's time to cut out the carbohydrates and eat five or six small protein-fuelled meals throughout the day. This will also assist in speeding up your metabolism.
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A low-carb and low-GI diet is essential to prevent fat storage, especially in women," Costello says.
Every week, costello suggests having one or two "accelerator days" of just eating protein. Think eggs, lean beef, chicken and fish.
Interval training
Interval training is a high-intensity work-out which uses extreme bursts of energy. It's a mix of stop and start exercises which gets your heart racing and then slows to catch a breath and get ready to go again. Try 10-second sprints with a five-second break in-between to really work the butt. It's also great for increasing your fitness levels. And the best bit is — it burns kilojoules fast!
"I push all my clients up hills and with interval training, either on a bike [standing in the seat and sprinting up hill] or running on the treadmill on an incline for one minute and then walk up the incline for another minute. Sprints up a hill in the park are also an ideal fat-burning solution," Costello says.
Take the stairs
If you want to burn more kilojoules then it's time to trade in the lift at work and head for the stairs. "Walking up and down stairs will make a huge difference to your quadriceps, thighs and buttocks," Costello says. We especially love the fact that it also help shift that excess fat around your knees.
Cross trainer
Thirty minutes on a cross trainer burns approximately 1260 kilojoules. These dual-action machines come fitted with handle bars that also help in burning fat from the upper body as well as giving your legs and buttocks a fully fledged work-out, without the stress of jogging on the joints. Once you get the free-flowing action manoeuvred, it guarantees to give a two-in-one work-out — who wouldn't step foot on the cross trainer?
Trainer's top tip: "Don't eat or drink for two hours before you do cardio exercise. This will ensure you utilise your fat stores for energy," Costello says.
Our top tip: Invest in a set of ankle weights. Walk and run everywhere with them strapped to your ankles to speed up your work-out and fast-track your results.