Tight Curves Workout

March 18, 2014

GET IT RIGHT

To get it tight, you must get it right! Use our detailed instructions to help you master the exercises.

SUMO DEADLIFT. Position feet in a wide stance, with toes pointed slightly outward. Squat down and grasp bar narrower than shoulder width. Lift bar by driving hips forward and straightening legs. Keep weight in heels, back straight, core tight and the bar close to the body throughout the movement.

BENCH JUMPS. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing a bench. Perform a partial squat to help you explosively jump up onto the bench with both feet. Jump back down to the starting position, landing in a squat to absorb the impact.

STABILITY BALL CRUNCH. Sit on the stability ball and walk your feet forward to lower your back onto the ball. Knees should be bent to about 90 degrees. Exhale as you contract your abdominal muscles and curl your shoulders and trunk toward your knees. Slowly lower down to the starting position.

PLANK THRUST. Standing with feet together, squat down and place your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart. Thrust your legs back into a plank position. Make sure to keep your core tight and body in a straight line. Then, jump your legs back into starting position.

BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT. Holding dumbbells, stand with your back toward the bench. Take a few steps forward and stretch one leg back to place it on the bench. Descend into lunge, keeping front knee behind the toes. Pressing through your heel, straighten your front leg to complete the rep.

SPLIT JUMPS. Begin in a lunge stance with the right foot forward. Jump into the air and land into a lunge with the left foot forward. Jump in the air again and land in a lunge with the right foot forward. Continue at a brisk pace.

SCISSOR KICKS. Lie down on a bench. Reach arms behind you and grab bench. With a slight bend at the knees, lift your legs up about six inches by engaging your abdominal muscles. This is the starting position. Now lift your left leg up to about a 45-degree angle while your right leg is lowered until the heel is about two to three inches from the bench plane. Then, switch by raising your right leg up and lowering your left leg. Repeat in a brisk but controlled motion, keeping abs tight.

PLYO PUSH-UP. Get into a plank position, supporting your weight on your hands and toes. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the ground. At the bottom of the movement, quickly and explosively push yourself up so that your hands leave the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

HIP EXTENSIONS. On your hands and knees, engage your core and abdominal muscles to keep the spine straight. Lift the left leg and bring it to your chest to engage the core. Then, straighten the leg behind you and lift it up to activate the glutes. Perform all reps with the left leg before switching legs.

BALL GLUTE LIFT. Place the stability ball on a bench. Lie face down on the ball, positioning it under your belly and hips. Reach arms around the ball and grab the bench for stability. Lift legs by contracting the glutes. Pause at the top to deepen the contraction and return to starting position. Don’t allow the legs to swing up and down. Eliminate momentum by focusing on the glutes lifting and lowering the legs.

STAR JUMP. Begin with your feet together and arms at your sides. Perform a partial squat and explode up into a jump with your legs spread and arms away from the body. As you land, bring your limbs back in and land in a squat to absorb the landing.

ABDOMINAL HOLD. Sit on bench and place the palms of your hands on the edge. Tighten your abs and bring your feet off the floor and your glutes off the bench. Hold this position for 10 seconds (or as long as you can). Then lower yourself down and repeat until you’ve reached 30 seconds.