DAY 2 - MAT WORK - LEGS & GLUTES

All of these exercises work the booty… but different muscles within the group that makes up our “glutes”. Here’s what each exercise targets & why being sure to target each muscle is so important:

Glute Bridge + March Combo

Bridges work the big guy - your Gluteus Maximus. You should feel this right in the meaty part of your buns - haha. Keep your abdominals engaged to prevent your lower back from arching & actively squeeze your cheeks at the top. For the marches, your goal is to keep your abdominals engaged & your hips side-by-side, [avoid letting the hip of the lifted leg sag toward the floor].

Kneeling Rainbow Leg Lifts

Work the top side of those sweet cheeks ;-) your Gluteus Minimus. You should feel this exercise more toward the top of your booty, just behind your hips. Lift your leg as far as you can without arching your lower back or bending that knee. [Pro Tip: It's essential to work this area in order to achieve a round backside!]

Mat work for the glutes can help improve:

Poor Posture
Low Back Pain/Tightness
Tight IT bands
Tight Hamstrings
Hip Pain/Tightness
Knee Pain

Pair 2 exercises that work the entire muscle group like this & you’ll build a butt that’s BIG. ROUND. And OUT THERE! #BabyGotBack

But wait! There's more! Exercises like these can help to balance out your body & alleviate, [& possibly eliminate!], some of the aches & pains I listed above!! HOW?!?! Well, we spend way TOO MUCH time sitting - usually with poor posture [back rounded over, shoulders & head collapsing forward]. This can cause constant pulling & uncomfortable tension in our lower back that can ultimately travel to our hips, knees & all the way to our feet... yikes... On top of that, the average person’s daily activities neglect the posterior chain, [back, butt & hamstrings], BIG TIME. So not only is our crap posture making us TIGHT, but our lack of activity is making us WEAK in our backside too.

* TIGHTNESS + WEAKNESS = IMBALANCED TENSION === PAIN/DISCOMFORT *

Plus, we sit on our backside constantly, so it’s often coping with lots of pressure that could inhibit circulation - boosting blood flow on a regular basis is important for that reason alone!!

Long story short: show your backside some action. It deserves love too - LOL!