Hip Raising

This post was inspired by Pint-sized Paparazzi  ( the photos i find after my kiddies have played with my phone) Uncanny, but I came across 2 pics of my bum about 4 months apart and 1.25 rounds of 12wbt between them.

Although I have been introduced to new ways to challenge my body in the past 1.25 rounds I have also learnt that with the correct focus and posture a seemingly easy movement can become so much more intensive.

Bum shot 4 months ago - pre hip raisers

 I never really got what hip raises were doing for me last round,except taking up my valuable time in the gym (my garage). I guess I must have done then wrong or did not have the necessary muscles turned on (or,most likely, I was completely spent from the workout and had nothing more to give)

Hip raises have earned my respect and a spot in my top ten favourite ways to spend my workout time doing.

Wow what a burn they serve and how wonderful to feel my butt and hammie working so hard to make my ass look good one day!


Seriously, not jokes, I discovered that by doing a few little tweaks to my form , I could get so much more out of the movement. By concentrating on the leg that is on the floor, foot as close to the bum as possible in starting position. Then when I went up for the pumps, instead of thinking about the foot in the air going high as possible, I focused on pushing into the heel  of the foot on the ground (This is the leg doing the HARD work plus, not forgetting Mich’s recommended squeeze). By doing it this way it soon became apparent that my bum and hammie were on fire.

The reason I changed my posture and began to concentrated on the push into the heel, is because I read an article on weight training at the hairdressers. This man (cant remember which mag or which man - sorry!!) Lets call him a weigh lifting guru,was saying that so often when people squat they shift their weight onto the ball of the foot, doing this does not engage the glutes and hammies as much as pushing into the heel. I have since read that this is true, however for squatting the ideal is to try push through the centre of the foot, for a more even distribution of the weight. (I will be able to clarify all this in a few months when I become a Personal Trainer) Anyways, I know I that was talking about hip raises and not squats, so bare with me...I am always on the lookout for new ways to make each moment during my workout count because I have limited time to train. So I transferred the tip about the squat over to my hip raises and it defintley raised my workout intensity.

I shared this new found knowledge on the Lean and Strong forum and just when I thought I had 'taken it to the max', one of my fellow 12wbter suggested putting a medicine ball on top of the working hip. That crazy ass mofo!! I did try it, with a weight plate, and you know what, my ass did not burn it combusted!!

Bum shot 2 days ago - post hip raisers

So this post comes with a disclaimer - try these at home, but beware, they have the strange potential to make you walk like John Wayne in the morning!