- DOING SQUATS WILL MAKE YOUR BUTT BIG. This one cracks me up. We all know what makes your butt big and it isn’t squats. All of us who sit in front of a computer, at a desk, or in a car seat all day are at risk for developing weak glutes unless we actively do something about it. One of the best fixes: Squats! Science shows that this move will help to lift, firm, and strengthen your buns. Just be sure to focus on good form. Keep your knees above your shoe laces and sit back into an imaginary chair; squeeze through your glutes as you return to standing.
- BOOSTING CARDIO IS THE BEST WAY TO BYPASS A PLATEAU. The most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine. One study found that when individuals cycled for 30 minutes a day, they lost 3 pounds of fat and gained a half pound of muscle in 8 weeks. But individuals who cycled for 15 minutes and weight-trained for 15 minutes a day lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of calorie-burning muscle.
- IT CAN TAKE ONLY A FEW WEEKS TO REACH A WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU. Recently, a woman told me she had been training for one month and the scale had already stopped moving. She insisted she had been sticking to her diet and that she was in a plateau, but that likely wasn’t the case. Why not? A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that it takes 6 months for an individual to reach a weight loss plateau. If you are only a couple weeks into your program and weight loss has halted, you probably need to watch your diet.
- AN EMPTY STOMACH MEANS MORE FAT BURN. You’ve probably heard that working out sans food forces your body to tap into fat reserves to work, but this is far from true. Science has shown you need to have some glucose in your system in order to ignite your fat-burning furnaces. If you run out of stored glucose, your flame goes out and you start burning up muscle. Having a little pre-workout snack 30 to 60 minutes before your workout gives you the energy to go longer and harder, which boosts your burn.
- YOU CAN TARGET TROUBLE SPOTS. It would be nice to be able to choose where our bodies store fat (bigger cup size and thinner thigh, please!) but that just isn’t possible. The scientific truth is that your body decides where to burn fat based on genetics, regardless of the body part you’re exercising. Instead of focusing on one area, spend your time doing full-body workouts that blast calories, like running or body-weight circuits, for all-over slimming.[/su_note]
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I’ve been doing these workouts for chests(pushup variations), abs – legs for about 7 months now. Although I like how my body looks overall, I’m still not really comfortable with where I am at the moment and it’s kinda frustrating.
Can you please advise me on what to do next?