Womens_Health_USA_JulyAugust_2017

FITNESS BONUS
THE MOVES
GOBLET SQUAT
No leg routine would
be complete without a
squat—it gets more
muscles and joints working
together than any other
stand-in-place exercise.
As a result, you release
hormones that can speed
muscle hypertrophy
(a.k.a. growth) and fat loss,
studies show. The goblet
type is king among this
royal crew: Holding a
weight by your chest
keeps you from slumping
forward and forces you to
shift weight into your heels
(so you don’t tip over).
Both tweaks bring your
hips closer to the ground
for a better burn.
a
First must-do for more sculpted stems: Master this quartet of standout
exercises. Then flip to page 24 for four workouts using these moves.
b
DUMBBELL STEP-UP
Such a simple move, this
one. All it involves is
stepping up onto a box
or bench. Except that you
hold weights at your sides
for extra resistance, and
you lower back down
onto the floor with
control—emphasizing the
“negative” or “eccentric”
phase of the exercise,
which research suggests
builds more muscle mass
than focusing on the
lifting portion alone. And
because your muscles
spend a relatively long
time under tension to
complete one full rep,
you can nuke a lot of cals
with a single set.
a
b
DO IT: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell
vertically in front of your chest, both hands cupping the top of the
weight, your elbows pointing toward the floor (a). Push your hips
down and back and bend your knees to lower your body until your
thighs are at least parallel to the ground, your elbows brushing the
insides of your knees (b). Push through your heels and squeeze
your glutes to return to start. That’s one rep.
DO IT: Stand in front of a box or bench about 12 to 18 inches
tall and hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides at arm’s length.
Place your right foot firmly on the step (a), then push
through your right heel to lift your body up until your right leg
is straight and your left foot is elevated (b). Keeping your torso
tall, step your left foot, then your right, back onto the floor to
return to start. That’s one rep.
DEFICIT REVERSE LUNGE
Essentially the
exaggerated motion of
walking and running, the
lunge lights up every
muscle in your legs—even
the tiny stabilizing ones,
like your inner thighs. A
reverse lunge requires the
same balance and neuromuscular
coordination of
the forward type, but it
engages your posterior
chain first, helping even
out quad dominance
(and taking stress off your
knees). And that “deficit”
part? It’s just a fancy
term for propping your
front foot on a step, so
your glute has to travel
farther—and work
harder—to return to start.
a
DO IT: Stand on a six-inch step or box and hold a pair of
dumbbells at your sides at arm’s length (a). Keeping your torso
tall, step backward off the box with your right leg and slowly
lower your body until your left knee is bent at least 90 degrees
and your right knee nearly touches the floor (b). Push through
your left heel to return to start. That’s one rep.
b
SINGLE-LEG PULL-THROUGH
The movement pattern
here is the hip hinge, a
foundation of most
posterior-chain exercises
(think deadlift, swing, and
hip thrust). It’s essential
for hitting the hamstrings
and glutes as well as
boosting hip stability. The
pull-through, however,
is an easier-to-learn, more
universal exercise that
allows you to train
those backside muscles
without overloading
pressure on your spine.
Plus, this single-leg style
increases activation
to the working-side
glutes and hamstrings
and recruits your core
for balance.
DO IT: Stand in front of the cable machine at your gym, or loop a
resistance band around a stable anchor behind you. Prop your left
foot, knee bent, on a bench behind you, grab the band between
your legs with your left hand, and hinge forward at your hips until
your torso is about parallel to the floor (a). Pull the band through
as you thrust your hips forward (b). That’s one rep.
b
a
STYLING: GABRIELLE PORCARO, HAIR AND MAKEUP: SASHA HATFORD/NEXT ARTISTS,
ONZIE SPORTS BRA, 9.2.5 FIT LEGGINGS, NEW BALANCE SNEAKERS
22 WOMENSHEALTHMAG.COM / July/August 2017
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH BISCHOFF