Previous posts to read:
– #BikiniFitnessChallenge – Trim and toned in 30 days!
– #BikiniFitnessChallenge – Killer abs!

So, how do your abs feel today? How intensive were the last 7 days? You should start to see some changes and feel proud of your achievements. Now you also know how easy it is to fit 9 minutes of exercise into your day!

This week we are going to focus on our buttocks and our thighs. Now don’t forget! in addition to targeting our lady bumps, we shall continue following the nutritional recommendations outlined last week and we will maintain them throughout the entire program, or even longer. Of course we keep up with last week’s ab program: 9 daily minutes for the truly motivated or 5 minutes only otherwise, just pick the exercises you like best out all of them.

From today we shall do:

(1) 50 lunges

Standing up, back nice and straight hands on your hips. Step your left leg forwards foot flat on the ground and keep the right leg behind you heel up (on your toes). Lower your waist until forming a 90° angle with the left leg. Change sides

2) 50 chair glutes

Lie down legs and feet resting on the seat of a chair and holding the chair legs with your hands. Raise and extend the left leg lifting your buttocks resting your weight on your shoulders. You should feel a contraction in what I call “the squidgy bit” just under the fold of your buttcheek, that’s what we are after!

(3) 25 ball glutes (or without if you haven’t got one)

Stand straight, suck your belly in, bend your knee and rest your foot on the ball behind you. Bend the standing leg, lean forward with your hands stretched out and roll the ball backwards by straightening the leg resting on it. Breathe out as you reach forward going down and breathe in as you come back up.

You can do this exercise without a ball, this will require more balance (strong core) and will work your muscles even deeper.

The aim is to perform 25 reps on each side. If you can’t do the whole 25 at once, just break it down into smaller chunks and work towards performing the whole series in one go.

(4) 20 wide squats

Feet a bit larger than hip width apart feet turned out, lower yourself bending your knees and keeping your back nice and straight throughout the exercise.

(5) 1 min bridge

Lie on your back, legs bent, feet flat on the floor, palms flat facing down. Lift your bottom and push it high off the ground (taking care not to crunch up your lower back) and raise to your tippy toes. Release and go up again.

(6) 2 exercises to tone your bottom to practice every other day.

1- Bridge Intervals: I suggest you do 100 a day whatever your fitness level, you can do it! (simply break the session down into smaller manageable chunks if needed)

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the ground hip width apart. Keep your arms along your body, palm of the hands down.

Contract your lower abdomen first then lift your bottom off the ground give an extra squeeze at the top and lower BUT, not all the way down! Do 10 reps and hold at the top for 10 counts squeezing hard and repeat series of 10 until you reach 100.

This exercise will give you a peachy bottom and release tension in the lower back as a bonus.

2- Natural lift: this one targets a tiny muscle located in the crease of our buttcheek that helps lift the buttock.

Start off with a 10 second plank as a warm up, then go on all fours.

Square your hips, keep your back neutral and pull your knee in towards your chest, flex your foot (that’s important or the muscle won’t be working as hard) and extend your leg backwards leading with your heel until it is parallel to the ground. BEWARE: do not arch your back of swing your hips, your torso stays still the whole time, only the leg moves. Do the same number on each side.

How many should you do?

beginner: 15 reps (on each side)

intermediate: 25 reps (on each side)

advanced: 30 reps (on each side)

superfit: 50 reps (on each side)

If 15 is still too many for you, just do what you can until you feel the burn AND add 5!

Don’t forget to stretch.

(7) We streeeeeetch !

99% of women wish to reduce the size of their thighs, especially the outside bit, what we commonly call “saddlebags”. To that effect working out our quads and adductors is great, but it is equally very important to stretch after training in order to lengthen the muscles exercised.

Sit up straight legs extended ahead of you. Step your right leg over the left, foot flat on the floor by your left knee. Place the left elbow over bent right knee and twist your waist as you can see on the picture. Gaze to the distance keeping your chin high. Draw your elbow until you feel the stretch in your right thigh.

Hold for 30 seconds and change legs.

For some more, check out our gorgeous Alexa’s 5 minute tutorial:

Adductor stretch:  sit up straight, bring the soles of your feet together and draw your heels towards your pelvis, rest your hands behind you to maintain a straight back and lower your knees. Hold for a few counts and release softly.

Glute stretch: sit up with your legs stretched out in front of you, back nice and straight, bring one knee up and cross your foot over the straight leg resting it by the top of the thigh. Cross your fingers, hands flat outside the bent knee, back straight and breathe out as you pull the knee towards you making your spine long (but not arched). If you are really bendy and need more, you can wrap your elbow around your bent knee and twist your spine toward the straight leg hugging your knee towards the armpit as you breathe out, keeping your back straight. Come out of the stretch as gently as you went into it and switch to the other leg.

Quad stretch: still seated, bend the first leg and bring your heel by the side of your buttocks, open the bend knee by around 45° to the side (it should be away from the other leg but too far apart). Lean backwards very slowly in alignment with the bent leg without lifting the knee (really important) until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. If you can, go right down to your elbows, but it’s OK if you can’t get that far, this shouldn’t hurt but be at a pleasant relaxing stretch. Hold for a little, then come out of the stretch slowly, the same way you went in and switch sides.

Calf and hamstring stretch: lie on your back and pull your knees in. It is important that your back is very relaxed shoulders resting on the ground, lower back in contact with the floor. From here, stretch out the first leg, heel to the sky foot flexed, breathing out. You should already feel a stretch in your calf and hamstring. If you need more, you can interlace your fingers around your leg, or use a strap if you can’t reach, and pull your leg gently towards you on the outbreath (keep your shoulders down). Hold for a little and do the other side.

You can repeat the whole sequence a second time if you wish.

That’s it, practice this routine (or more) every day and to win this challenge, don’t forget to share this article as many times as you can on social media (@lebootcamp on twitter, @valerieorsoni on instagram and facebook.com/lebootcamp for FB) and comment on your progress and experience below every day.

PS : here is the picture before Photoshop 🙂