Fit & Fabulous

Hello! I am 5'4 21 year old female and around 147 lbs. I've been going to the gym, and plan on working out throughout the summer after work. I want to build muscle in my butt, so that its bigger, not firmer; but also lose weight in my stomach so that its flatter. Do you have any suggestions as far as a workout routine, and how I should schedule my days? Also, for squats, is doing fewer reps at a bigger weight better to build muscle? rather than 200 squats in a row w/out weight. thanks!

rhinestonedance — Sat, 04 May 2013 18:11:49 -0400

Hi! You cannot spot reduce the body. In order for your stomach to appear flatter, you will have to burn away fat in general while also strengthening the abdominal muscles hiding underneath. To keep you body in balance, you also have to strengthen your back muscles. Together, the back and the abs form your core.

For fat-burning, a combination of HIIT cardio (high intensity interval training) and weight-training of your whole body will help you get to your goals. Both will get your metabolism cranking so that it works hard while you work out and while you are at rest. A flatter stomach is also made in the kitchen. The cleaner your foods are — fresh, whole, minimally processed— the easier time your digestive system has, so there is less bloating.

I’m wondering if there’s a typo in your letter. I’ll assume you meant that you want to build muscle in your butt so it’s firmer, not bigger. (The note says the opposite.) This is a little harder to address, not knowing your physique. If you are burning away fat all over with HIIT cardio and weight-training, you will lose inches in the glutes (butt). If you are strengthening the muscles, they will definitely be firmer and the muscles will increase in size but perhaps your hip measurement will still decrease because of weight loss.

To strengthen glutes, a variety of squats and lunges are useful. You can do them with body weight, with dumb bells, barbells, kettle bells and machines such as the hack squat or the Smith machine. Glute activation exercises such as Moving Bridge and Hamstring Curls with Stability Ball work great, too. Mountain Climbers and Planks are fabulous whole body exercises that activate glutes and your core.

Working with heavier weight for fewer reps does build mass better, but you have to work your way up in weights. Start with a weight with which you just can complete 5 to 8 reps. When you can easily complete 8 or more reps in a set, go up in weight by 5 to 10 pounds.

Doing 200 squats in a row with just body weight is not advisable. For one thing, form is everything in an effective squat. Keeping correct form with that many reps would prove impossible for most people. You’d start recruiting other muscles to help and possibly risk injury to your knees — one of the common errors is to have the knee past mid-foot during squat, which is a no-no for the knee.

For weight-training in general, your muscles require 24 to 48 hours of rest after a workout. It’s during rest that your muscles re-build themselves and actually grow stronger and begin gaining mass. Also be sure you get sufficient protein for your body to build muscle with. You don’t want your cardio sessions to start cannabilizing muscle and tearing it down.

Good luck with your goals!

Gymnastic skill, sheer strength, bit o’ dance, bit...

rhinestonedance — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:00:00 -0500

Gymnastic skill, sheer strength, bit o’ dance, bit o’ cheesecake. And it has costumes! I think I like the Fitness category of bodybuilding best!

2012 Arnold Classic Amateur - Fitness (13) (by ifbbinternational)

93-year-old is unstoppable athlete!

rhinestonedance — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:16:03 -0500

93-year-old is unstoppable athlete!:

Feel like it’s too late in your teens for you to take up a sport or dance or somesuch because everybody good started when they were 3 years-old? Or, maybe you’re a more mature reader of Tumblr and feel it’s legit to claim you’re too old, tired or just plain busy to work out? Is that what you said? Sorry, it’s difficult to hear over the sound of sports records being crushed by this 93-year-old who started working out at the age of 85! I’m a personal trainer and would love to have a client like him. He’s my new hero.

You’ll never hear me speak against chocolate (in...

rhinestonedance — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:28:39 -0500

You’ll never hear me speak against chocolate (in moderation) or candlelight dinners and flowers, but there are lots of other fun things you can do with friends, family or your romantical Valentine to make Thursday special.

kellycottrelldesign:

I want to ride my bicycle

Found a streak of vintage fitspo amongst the...

rhinestonedance — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:22:42 -0500

Found a streak of vintage fitspo amongst the Valentines!

avisionofloveliness

flamingojones:

I Have The Strongest Love.

Photo

rhinestonedance — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:16:28 -0500

Jump!

rhinestonedance — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:09:02 -0500

Jump!

News you can use!

rhinestonedance — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:56:24 -0500

News you can use!

Strength is beautiful! via thats-the-way-it-was: February 10,...

rhinestonedance — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 07:39:47 -0500

Strength is beautiful!

via thats-the-way-it-was:

February 10, 1968: 19 year old American, Peggy Fleming wins the Olympic gold medal for figure skating in Grenoble, France.

Her award was singularly important for the American athletes and the nation as a whole, for this was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Games. It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women’s figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy when the entire 18-member US figure skating team was killed in a plane crash in 1961.

Photo: Agence France Presse/Getty

Flee from the junk before it kills...

rhinestonedance — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:21:41 -0500

Flee from the junk before it kills you!

via health-fitness-junkie:

Playful, sporty Valentine from wayyy back. And I’m hoping...

rhinestonedance — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:18:12 -0500

Playful, sporty Valentine from wayyy back. And I’m hoping that youngster has a lollipop stick in his mouth, not a cigarette!

via vintascope:

Valentine’s Postcard on Flickr.

Building the back muscles! You can easily adapt pull-ups and...

rhinestonedance — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:32:00 -0500

Building the back muscles! You can easily adapt pull-ups and chin-ups by using a resistance band draped over a pull-up bar until you’ve developed enough upper body strength to support your full weight on the bar.

Chest & back day in my weight-training regimen. Working out...

rhinestonedance — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:30:00 -0500

Chest & back day in my weight-training regimen. Working out at home today. Chest press on the Swiss/stability ball is great because it also engages your core at the same time. Double trouble! (Yes, I am a whiter shade of pale. It’s winter in North America!)

Find the joy in movement! Don’t miss this epic, tiny...

rhinestonedance — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:00:05 -0500

Find the joy in movement! Don’t miss this epic, tiny dancer.

via rhinestonedance:

Amazing six-year-old boy dances on Ellen and meets his idol, Twitch. Sooooo cute!

An Adorable 6-Year-Old Dancer(09/21/10) (by 0126luvellen)

via avisionofloveliness

Lots of ways to get moving and reach your Highest Potential....

rhinestonedance — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:55:19 -0500

Lots of ways to get moving and reach your Highest Potential. Let’s go!

via sweatnsass:

Be Inspired

Lorna Jane’s Fitspiration clip on YouTube makes me want to get up, get kitted out and get sweaty. Also, makes me want to update my workout playlist, so stay tuned for a fresh new workout track list.

Shoulder strength and great core control. Inspires me as...

rhinestonedance — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:47:00 -0500

Shoulder strength and great core control. Inspires me as I’m looking to increase shoulder strength exponentially.

Athlete in Rhinestones: The Goddess Project, part deux (my dance and fitness training log)

rhinestonedance — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:41:02 -0500

Athlete in Rhinestones: The Goddess Project, part deux (my dance and fitness training log):

This is a reblog from my primary Tumblr, “Athlete in Rhinestones” @ rhinestonedance:

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

*Pilates: taught a 45-minute class.

*Weight-training Shoulders:

-Upright row with dumbbells. 3 sets. 12 lbs, 12 reps.

-Sumo squat with lateral dumbbell raise. 3 sets. First set: 10 lbs, 10 reps. Sets 2 & 3: 8 lbs, 12 reps. Although I could make 10 reps the…

Fore!

rhinestonedance — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:56:58 -0500

Fore!

Alice in Wonderland has Fabulous Abs!

rhinestonedance — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:50:28 -0500

Alice in Wonderland has Fabulous Abs!:

Delightful! Opportunities to exercise are all around us, if we’re creative, determined and spirited. Kudos to the makers of this video, who’ve beat the tired ol’ excuse, “I just don’t have time to exercise.”

Bodybuilding.com - Ashley Horner's Glutes Workout: Maximum Maximus

rhinestonedance — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:43:00 -0500

Bodybuilding.com - Ashley Horner's Glutes Workout: Maximum Maximus:

Going to make this my next glute workout. Wondering if I’ll be able to walk away afterward!