Tush Tuesday

It’s Tuesday and that can mean only one thing…another tush tip!!!! Meet the Sling Shot hip band. It is my new favorite tool to bring to the gym but the great news is…you can use it in the comfort of your home too! It creates a whole new resistance to common exercises and is a great, inexpensive tool to help you strengthening those glutes and abductors. Here’s the deal about strengthening…it isn’t about how much weight you use, it’s about isolating and contracting the muscle you are focusing on and gaining strength without adding a heavy load onto those knees, hips and other joints.. The nicer we are to our joints, the longer they will be nice to us!
I have added a few pics and a couple videos of exercises to try with your band. If you don’t want to buy the Sling Shot, you can use your current band initially too! You should be able to find the Sling Shot Hip Circle on Amazon.com for less than $30 and I recommend looking for the blue band as it has less resistance than the red.
1. Put your band above both knees, legs are shoulder width apart and you should feel resistance on the band here. Slowly settle down into the squat position and return to standing. Repeat 8-10 times.
2. Squatted or standing side steps. Put the band around the ankles and more advanced can settle into a squat position and those with sensitive knees or beginners can stay in the standing position here. Take 10 steps in one direction, leading with the right leg and then take 10 steps in the other direction to the left side.
3. Lying clamshells. Laying on your side with the band above your knees. Keep your feet together and knees bent. Separate your knees, like a clamshell, as far apart as you can. Repeat 8-10 time and switch to the other side and repeat 8-10 times.
4. Seated, bent knee abduction. Sit on a chair or sofa so your knees are at 90 degrees. With the band above your knees, open up your knees as far as you can, without moving your feet apart and return to starting position. Repeat 8-10 times.
5. Seated, straight leg abduction. In a seated position, put the band above your knees and straighten your legs in front of you. Focus on one leg at a time and abduct your right leg as far as you can and return to starting position. Repeat 8-10 times and continue onto your left leg and repeat 8-10 times.
You can repeat this sequence for a second or third round, or just start with an exercise or two. Bring your band to work, (Mary Turner shared this idea early this month) and use it while sitting at your desk. DO NOT use this while driving. That would not be good.
Here’s to making a tighter tush on Tuesday!