Your butt will thank me for this

10+ years later, even thinking about this workout makes me feel burn

10+ years later, even thinking about this workout makes me feel burn

I remember back in the day I used to hate doing “floor work” exercises. You know, the kind you’d see in exercise videos that didn’t seem to actually DO anything besides put you in questionable positions.

Before I became a personal trainer, I’d suffer through donkey kicks, leg lifts, hip extensions, glute bridges and think, “How long till this is over with?” The video pictured here was one of my least/most favorite because of the endless donkey kicks. I mean, it’s been more than 10 years since I have done this workout and I still remember them.

When I started being oh-so-serious about weight training, floor work kind of fell by the wayside. Seriously: Bro, do you even lift?

But you know what? Used as a warmup or finisher for a leg workout, or even on their own on easy workout days, doing old-school floor exercises can be very effective.

The key to getting the most out of your floor exercises is to use impeccable form, holding your body steady and putting your mind into your muscles. Yes, that sort of means thinking with your butt, but whatever. Just go with it.

You also need to fully engage your core muscles, too, to hold your body steady so you don’t compensate by making the exercises easier by recruiting other muscle groups.

Floor work tends to be isolation work, and because your body is smart it likes to be efficient. You need to be smarter and really focus on isolating the muscles you’re trying to target.

Here’s a floor routine I designed for a few of my coaching clients. They did this a few days a week. Try it and see what happens for you! (Tip: Save this to your phone or iPod so you’ll be able to easily access it during your workout.)

Jane Fonda Booty Buster

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Wendy Watkins

About Wendy Watkins

Wendy Watkins is a Bangor-based personal trainer, fitness coach, studio owner, and writer/editor. She is the author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Losing 20 Pounds in 2 Months. Visit her website at thrivebangor.com.