STANDING CRANE
Say good-bye to the butt-blaster machine—this move is designed to sculpt your bottom and eliminate flab where your bottom meets your thighs. You always want to keep the working leg behind you in this exercise—find that perfect angle and muscle contraction once, and then keep firing away from there!
MUSCLES TARGETED:
Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus; hamstrings
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
A waist-high, sturdy piece of furniture
The Setup
Facing your furniture, stand about a forearm’s distance away and hold on to it with hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be slightly bent.
Lean your chest forward toward your hands, and bend both knees slightly.
Bring your right heel up toward your right seat muscle and point your toes (in the workouts, we’ll do both sides).
Now bring your right leg back so that your knee is facing toward the floor. Tip your tailbone slightly forward and engage your abs. This is your starting position.
VARIATIONS
A. Pulses to the Side
Keeping your toes pointed, raise your right leg 2 to 3 inches out to the side and then lower it again in small, controlled movements. Your hips should remain still and facing forward so the movement is isolated in your right gluteal muscles—don’t let your hips rock or swing from side to side.
B. Press Leg Back
Keeping your knee bent, raise your right leg 2 to 3 inches out to the side, and flex your foot.
Keeping the heel close to your seat, press the right leg back about 2 or 3 inches in small, controlled movements. Again, this movement should be isolated in your seat muscles—your hips should not move. Keep your abdominal muscles drawn in and your spine long.
B.
C.
Speed Skater
Keeping your hips squared, point your toes and lift your right leg out to the side as high as you can while maintaining your form.
Now cross your right knee behind your left knee as you bend the left knee deeper. Keep the right heel close to your seat as you lower. Then straighten your left leg and lift your right leg back up and return it to its highest point.
This is a terrific move that generates the most heat out of all the variations—you’re digging deep into the right AND left glutes for supercharged results.
