"I love burpees," said no one in the history of the planet ever. But, like the pushup, it works your entire body -- and adds some serious cardio benefits, which translates to toned muscles and torched fat.
Starting from a standing position, drop into a squat and put your hands on the ground, kicking your legs out behind you at the same time (so that you're in a push-up position). Drop your chest and thighs to the ground, then push your chest up as you jump your feet back into a squat position. (For speed and conditioning, burpees in Crossfit are less about performing a full push-up at the bottom.) Jump into the air and clap your hands over your head. Ta-dah! That's one rep.
To get your heart pumping, try "Roxanne:" a three-minute warm up that's set to the tune of, you guessed it, "Roxanne" by The Police. Every time you hear them sing "Roxanne," do a burpee. In the interim, do jumping jacks.
Starting from a standing position, drop into a squat and put your hands on the ground, kicking your legs out behind you at the same time (so that you're in a push-up position). Drop your chest and thighs to the ground, then push your chest up as you jump your feet back into a squat position. (For speed and conditioning, burpees in Crossfit are less about performing a full push-up at the bottom.) Jump into the air and clap your hands over your head. Ta-dah! That's one rep.
To get your heart pumping, try "Roxanne:" a three-minute warm up that's set to the tune of, you guessed it, "Roxanne" by The Police. Every time you hear them sing "Roxanne," do a burpee. In the interim, do jumping jacks.
For buns that defy gravity, the lunge is the move to do. Lunges target the glutes and quads, and there are a variety of ways you can perform them.
To do a basic forward lunge, start in a standing position. Take a big step forward with one leg, so that your knee is right above your ankle. "Make sure your front heel is always down while you lunge. The focus should be on your front leg/glute/heel and never the leg that's behind," Mathews says. "I often tell people that it is similar to the lunge of 'tying your shoelaces.'" Lower your body down so that the opposite knee lightly kisses the ground. Step back into your starting position, and then repeat on the opposite leg.
You can also perform a jumping lunge; instead of stepping back into the starting position, jump up switch your legs in midair (you should land with the opposite foot forward in the lunge position).
To do a basic forward lunge, start in a standing position. Take a big step forward with one leg, so that your knee is right above your ankle. "Make sure your front heel is always down while you lunge. The focus should be on your front leg/glute/heel and never the leg that's behind," Mathews says. "I often tell people that it is similar to the lunge of 'tying your shoelaces.'" Lower your body down so that the opposite knee lightly kisses the ground. Step back into your starting position, and then repeat on the opposite leg.
You can also perform a jumping lunge; instead of stepping back into the starting position, jump up switch your legs in midair (you should land with the opposite foot forward in the lunge position).
Squats are a foundational movement in Crossfit. And, if you want a butt that looks like it could squat for days, you've got to, well, squat for days. Squats are a great lower body workout, because they work the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, quads and inner thighs.
An air squat is a fundamental bodyweight movement that sounds easy, but can be difficult to perform with full range of motion. "Your feet should be slightly wider than your hips and pointing more forwards than outwards," Mathews says. "This will allow you to drive your hips outward as you squat to create tension in the hips and use the glute muscles more." An ideal squat is "ass to grass:" your hip crease should fall below your knees. If you can't get that low, focus on form over depth. Meaning: keep your chest up the whole time, and never let your knees go past your toes.
An air squat is a fundamental bodyweight movement that sounds easy, but can be difficult to perform with full range of motion. "Your feet should be slightly wider than your hips and pointing more forwards than outwards," Mathews says. "This will allow you to drive your hips outward as you squat to create tension in the hips and use the glute muscles more." An ideal squat is "ass to grass:" your hip crease should fall below your knees. If you can't get that low, focus on form over depth. Meaning: keep your chest up the whole time, and never let your knees go past your toes.