Take the Battle of the Booty to the track!

Don't lie- I know you are! I cannot tell you how many times I have clients who complain to me about lack of definition in their lower half, or how they're holding fat in their glutes, or how they wish their thighs were smaller and tighter. Women, by nature, hold more weight in the lower half of their bodies then men do, but that doesn't mean that we have to be okay with it, nor does it mean that we should simply throw up our hands and succumb to lower body jiggle. Mother nature may have intended for some size in that area, but if repetitive squats and the good old elliptical just aren't cutting it for you in the way of your lower body- read on! If you're a competitor, struggling to bring out your glute/hamstring tie-in (as I am), again, READ ON- because I'm pretty sure what's to follow will prove useful in your pursuit of a tight, hard booty!

There are three major changes I've made to the way in which I train- with my lower half in mind. They are;

1. The inclusion of track workouts and treadmill workouts into my weekly training
2. Plyometrics
3. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

In this post I'll discuss the first- track workouts and treadmill workouts. Being a former cross country athlete and track and field 800m runner, I am no stranger to the track. Yet incorporating track workouts into my training was something I was hesitant to do. I began competing in figure when I was 20, and at the time figure athletes were trained much in the same manner as female bodybuilders, which meant I was encourage NOT to run, rather then to run. So I simply fell out of the habit of running. Now that I compete nationally and the look of figure has changed, one of my main focuses in my training has been the streamlining of my lower half. Enter- THE TRACK.

By now, the track craze is pretty public in the world of figure. Monica Brant, Jenny Lynn, Gina Aliotti, and Erin Stern are all IFBB Pros who have publicly stated that they attribute much of their lower body conditioning to the inclusion of track workouts. There are MANY ways in which to do this, I'm just going to give you some examples of how I include track workouts into my training (and on rainy days, or days that I don't feel like getting outside- treadmill workouts).

But first- why sprint? Why track workouts? Well- for starters, show me one female sprinter who doesn't have a fabulous backside. EXACLTY- you can't. Second of all, you have to consider what the glute muscle is- the roles of the gluteus maximus include extension, lateral rotation, and adduction of the hip joint. When you walk, the joint action that takes place from the time you plant your leg in front, to it being pulled back as you propel forward, is hip extension, which is what the gluteus maximus is designed to do. Obviously, when running, you pull yout leg back and extend your hip rapidly. I'm a huge supporter of training explosively because science proves it recruits the most muscle fibers- enter sprinting. Think about what a sprinter does each day- she performs hip extension explosively, and the often forgotten element in the pursuit of hard glutes is explosive speed and increased tempo. Sprinting on the track elevates the heart rate, increases your fat burn, and ultimately does more to condition your lower half then hours on the stepmill or ellipical ever would.

It's also vastly less damaging to your lower body (think shins, feet, ligaments, joints, etc) then pounding away on the treadmill or pavement. While I do treadmill work, I don't advocate using if FREQUENTLY. I do treadmill work as a substitute only when the track is unavailable.

So how to get started..... here are some of my pointers;

1. Be sure to warm up first! I typicall do a light 800m jog around the track (2 laps) and then follow it up with some drills. The drills I recommend are; High knees, Butt kicks, backward run, Side Shuffle or grapevine, and skipping.
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Do some LIGHT stretching- nothing too long or taxing, just a few body stretches to loosen the muscles

New to sprinting? I recommend doing the following:

• Sprint the straight aways of the track, walk the turns.
• OR if you're doing field work, sprint the long side of the field, use the shorter sides for recovery.
• Begin by doing 6-8 sprints and work up from there

Looking for something more intense? Here is one of my favorite sprint workouts which incorporated a pyramid;

• 800m jog + drills to warm up
• 400m run @ 65-70% max/ 400m recovery (x2)
• 200m sprint @ 100% max/ 200m recovery (x2)
• 100m sprint @ 100% max / 100m recovery (x2)
• 200m sprint @ 100% max/ 200m recovery (x2)
• 400m run @ 65-70% max/ 400m recovery (x2)
• 800m jog to cooldown
• 800m walk on heels to strengthen shins
• Stretch

Another favorite track workout of mine?

• 800m jog to warm up
• 100m sprint @ 100% max/ 100m Side shuffle (4x through)
• 200m sprint @ 100% max/ 200m backward jog (4x through)
• 400m sprints @ 65-70% max/ 400m jog to recover (2x through)
• 100m sprint @ 100% max/ 100m Side shuffle (4x through)
• 200m sprint @ 100% max/ 200m backward jog (4x through)
• 400m sprints @ 65-70% max/ 400m jog to recover (2x through)
• 800m jog to cooldown
• 800m walk on heels to strengthen shins
• Stretch

I recommend beginning slow and increasing from there- remember sprinting is VERY explosive and very taxing, especially on the lower half. Over training too soon can result in injury or extreme sore-ness so it's best to begin slow and increase the intensity from there. Make sure you drink plenty of water, warm up, cool down, AND stretch, and wear well made supportive running shoes or track spikes to stabilize your feet and lower body!