Get Healthy

When it comes to women and fitness, it seems there is always that one stubborn body part that we lament upon, the one that makes us cringe when we look in the mirror, the one that despite our best efforts, it seems, just refuses to budge.

June Puzon, a trainer at Fitness Pointe in Munster, says the most heavily complained-about areas among her clients tend to be the abs, glutes, outer thighs (a.k.a. “saddlebags”), triceps (the “friendly” muscle that keeps waving long after you’ve said hello) and, ugh, back fat.

Puzon’s picks for the best overall strengthening exercises for the common trouble spots are the plank and bicycle for abs, squats and bridge for the butt/hips, kickbacks for triceps and abduction for outer thighs. As for back fat, she says, cardio is the best bet.

In general, Puzon suggests working up to about 16 to 20 repetitions of each exercise. When that becomes easy, add more sets or hold some weight. Don’t forget to give the muscles you’ve worked a day of rest, as that is when the rebuilding of a stronger muscle takes place.

Some additional tips for success, Puzon says, are to concentrate on feeling the muscle you want to target, breathe throughout the exercise and just when you think you can’t possibly do another one, dig deep and eke out one or two more.

“When you think you can’t do any more, that’s when you’ve got to push yourself through,” she says.

Alas, much to our dismay, Puzon confirms it: there’s no such thing as spot reduction. “If your goal is to keep changing your body,” she says, “then you have to change up your workout, I’d say, every three to six weeks.”

Strengthening exercises

The Plank (abs, back)
Lie on your stomach with elbows close to sides and directly under shoulders, palms down and hands facing forward. Contract quadriceps to extend legs and pull toes toward shins. Contract core and abdominal muscles to stiffen torso. Slowly lift entire torso off floor, maintaining stiff torso and legs. Avoid arching back, hiking hips upwards or bending knees. Keep shoulders directly over elbows with palms down. Breathe and hold position for five or more seconds. Gently lower body to floor.

Bicycle Maneuver (abs)
Lie on floor with lower back pressed to ground. Put hands beside head. Bring knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion. Touch left elbow to right knee, then right elbow to left knee.

Glute Bridge (abs, butt/hips)
Lie on back in bent-knee position with feet flat on floor. Place feet hip-width apart with toes facing away from you. Gently contract abdominal muscles to flatten low back into floor. Maintain contraction throughout exercise. Exhale while holding abdominal contraction and press hips upwards off floor into extension by contracting glutes. Avoid pushing hips too high and arching back. Inhale and slowly lower yourself down. Gradually progress by starting with both feet together and extending one leg while in raised position.

Dumbbell Kickback (triceps)
Hold dumbbell in left hand and assume a split-stance position placing right leg forward but keeping weight evenly distributed through heels. Stiffen torso by contracting abdominal and core muscles. Place right hand on right thigh or knee and slowly lean forward, transferring most of upper body weight into right side. Depress and retract left scapula (pull shoulder down and back) with head aligned with spine and maintain this position throughout exercise. Position left upper arm parallel, and close to, torso. Bend elbow 90 degrees. Exhale and slowly straighten elbow by contracting tricep until elbow is fully extended. Upper arm remains stationary next to torso and not raised. Avoid arching or sagging back or any rotation in torso. Inhale and slowly return arm to starting position, without changing torso position.

Squat (butt/hips, thighs, back)
Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width, facing outward or turned slightly outwards. Stiffen core and abdominals to stabilize spine and shift weight over heels. Shift hips backwards and downwards to create hinge-like movement at the knees. As you lower, hips and knees will shift forward but try to control forward movement and attempt to keep back flat. Continue lowering yourself until thighs are parallel or almost parallel to floor. From the front, knees should remain aligned over toes and body with weight distributed evenly. From side, position of shinbone and torso should be parallel with each other and low back stays flat. Exhale and extend the hips and knees by pushing feet into floor through heels. Hips and torso rise together while heels remain planted. Continue to starting position.

Abduction (thighs, butt/hips, abs)
Attach resistance band to inside ankle. Assume a staggered-stance position with cuffed ankle slightly forward of other foot with feet hip-width apart. Slowly lift cuffed foot one or two inches off floor while stabilizing your body on your stance. Exhale and slowly move inner leg across front of body. Continue moving inner leg until it passes stance leg. Do not begin to lean or tilt sideways. Inhale and return leg to starting position.

Source: The American Council on Exercise

For full descriptive text and illustrations of these and many more exercises targeting all areas, visit the exercise library at acefitness.org.