Ask Mina: Spot Toning

"I decided to start an "Ask Mina" section of the blog to help the viewers (however few and far between they may be). You can send and email to fitnesswit@gmail.com and I will try and answer as best I can. 

I recently had a friend of mine message me and ask the following question: 

"I have never had much booty. Can I build up my backside (brazilian butt lift?) or am I doomed to be a butt-less wonder?" 

From what I know about toning up areas of the body to get them looking a certain way- here's my understanding: Females, due to the chemical hormones we have, store fats in various areas. The more testosterone we have, the more likely it is for fat deposits to sit on the stomach- hence why men tend to get the so called 'beer belly'. Women tend to store it in all sorts of places including the arms, thighs and buttox. Depending on your estrogen/testosterone balance, your body might not store a large portion of its fats in the butt. By no means is that unhealthy- it's just your body's balance. 

Site specific body toning such as getting a larger butt or slimming down the arm flab isn't quite as easy as people say it is. Can it be done? To a certain extent... In your case, to add fat specifically to the butt is rather difficult because the hormones in the body control where everything goes. What you can control are the exercises you do. To firm up the butt, I recommend a couple of the following exercises-

1. Dumbbell Bent-Knee Deadlift

          Grab a pair of 10-15 pound weights and place them in front of you. Place you feet shoulder length apart and bend to pick the weights up. Slowly grab the weights and stand again, using your legs and glutes to stand.  Be careful not to arch your back.

2. Walking Lunges

     Begin walking by placing you right left about 3 feet in front of you bend your legs and lower the body. For an added challenge, add weights to each hand. Make sure not to bend the knees over the ankle and don't lock the knees. 

3. Dumbbell Squats

     Stand with your legs shoulder length apart. Grasp some 7-10 lb weights in each hand and lower your body until your knees reach 90 degrees. Make sure not to arch your back. 

Feel free to you-tube some examples of these exercises in-case you're still confused. 

The bottom line- your body might refuse to deposit fats in the butt and thus you may not end up with a 'Brazillian booty' but these should help to tone up and firm up the butt. Good luck! 

Health Tip: Doing high intensity workouts create an after burn effect that allows you to burn even more calories throughout the day. Going for a jog in the morning and mixing in some weight training will keep your metabolism up to speed throughout the day.