DO YOU WANT KILLER ABS?????
WELL, THEN LET’S TALK ABOUT B.SILQUE LIFTED’S KILLER CORE WORK…A.K.A. PLANK ON STEROIDS!!!
Pictures say a thousand words, so let’s just take a look first….
Lifted plank is more advanced than a classic plank on the mat. It takes more core strength to hold your hips up and tighten your abdominals and it also uses a lot more upper body strength because your legs are elevated. The movements as you see above involve a larger range of motion than movements within a classic plank, so they also require significantly more core and upper body strength.
SO….if you cannot hold your hips up and your back and hips are sagging, you need to be doing plank on the mat!!!! Plank on the mat is still an amazing core workout so don’t be discouraged; it takes practice, practice and more practice! Our biggest concern is protecting our bodies, not straining our backs and being kind to our joints! Which leads us right into FORM…
Here’s the B.Silque Lifted Plank into a Pike. Feet cradle in the silque, palms go directly under your shoulders. You want to alleviate the pressure on your wrists by distributing the weight out through all your fingertips. Hips are slightly higher than your waistline to ensure there is no sagging and pressure on your lower back. As we said before, if at any point during the exercises you cannot hold your hips up, then remove your feet from the silque and simply plank on the mat!
To add the pike, you just tighten your core to lift your hips up over your shoulders, pulling your extended legs into a pike position and taking your gaze to the back of the room. From there, you want to slowly lower yourself back into a perfect plank and repeat the sequence. Then you’ll need a quick break on the mat before heading into your next plank exercise!!
Have fun taking these tips to practice, but be careful and be kind to your body!!!! Happy Friday!!!
Werk it, Chisel it, Define it…that Upper Body!!!!!
It’s Form Friday, and we’re back to the barre with focus on our upper body!!! The best thing about our upper body work is that we do not use huge weights which can bulk us up. Instead, we chisel our upper bodies into a b.you-tifully feminine physique with just 2 or 3 pound weights. But the key is that Mind-Body CONNECTION that we are always talking about!!!! As we move through the micro movements for each targeted area, it is essential that you FOCUS on the muscle and put the contraction where it belongs.
Another focus you should have during upper body work is ALIGNMENT! Always stand with that natural spine…ears, over shoulders, over hips, over heels. Abs are zipped up tight and knees are soft. Also, make sure your weight is evenly distributed at all 4 corners of each foot! We tend to lean back into our heels while we work our upper body…so watch out for that!
Check out this picture to see the perfect form…
The exercise we are doing in the picture above can work different areas depending on the movement. Just being in the position with your elbows at should level with a 90 degree bend, you can engage the front shoulder muscle. That’s what you want to do before an movement occurs! Of course you can always modify and be flat foot or in releve!
So if you add tiny taps up, you are further contracting that front shoulder. If you add tiny squeezes (squeezing your forearms together, you add a chest contraction. And if you extend your arms out and then curl again, you are emphasizing the bicep. No matter what the movement, it is done with control, holding the contraction. Try these tips next time you’re in class!!!
Have a Happy Friday Beautees!!!!! xoxo
GIVE YOUR BOOTY ANOTHER BOOST!!
Yes, we’ve spent a few Form Fridays talking about our rear ends, but let’s face it, we all want to lift our butts!!!!! And believe it or not, ladies, swimsuits are on the horizon! They are already displaying them in stores, despite the snow outside!
So let’s talk about B.Silque’s Lifted Bubble Duty exercise, the hinged arabesque. The great thing about this exercise is that you are also stengthening your core while you work your bubble! In fact, this exercise works your ENTIRE BODY!
First, let’s take a look at Stephanie in the picture below.
So this is the position we want to see for Hinged Arabesque! Steph is focusing on her left glute in the picture above. Different variations can be used to contract this muscle: pulses up, slides, tiny circles, flutters, full range of motion all with flexed foot or pointed.
But in this position you are strengthening a lot more than just your rear! Your core is fully contracted in order to maintain balance in the silque as well as keep you at the plumb line {center of gravity}. If you are swinging back and forth during this exercise then you need to tie your tight core-set…it will pull you right back to the plumb line! You will also feel fatigue in the standing thigh and glute because standing in a silque takes a lot more work than standing on the floor! And last, your upper body is also contracted while in the hinged position to keep you from falling forward to the mat.
As you can see, this is a phenomenal exercise with many benefits!!!
But don’t be intimidated; if you aren’t comfortable being lifted in the silque, all of these exercises can be performed on the mat as well! you will still use all the same muscles. Using just a mobile silque hammock for support while in arabesque is a HUGE core worker!!!
So put these tips to work in your next B.Silque Lifted class!!! And don’t forget, we have a B.Silque Workshop scheduled on Saturday at B.YOU Springhurst, where we’ll break down all the exercises and tricks!
HAPPY SNOWY FRIDAY BEAUTEES!!!
LIFT YOUR BOOTY W/ STANDING SEAT WORK
You know you want it…that perky, lifted booty…so come and get it!!!! Standing seat work will absolutely lift and tone your derriere with the correct form and focus! So, tune into this….
Set up by facing the barre with feet in parallel and hip distance apart. You want your abdomen touching the barre….that way we can keep reminding you to zip your abs up to the barre!!! Hands will take an underhand grip on the barre. Take your working leg behind you, slightly on the diagonal. FIND THAT GLUTE MUSCLE!
Barely lift your big toe off the mat…if you lift it too high, your back will arch! That is a NO NO! Make sure your hips stay square to the mirror and your abs are fully zipped up. HINT: The more you zip your abs the deeper the contraction in that glute!
At this point, you’ve already worked your thighs, so you’re standing leg is probably burning and fatigued, so try this little trick: Push your weight into the working legs hand, and roll the weight to your inner arch of your standing leg. That helps to take the pressure off the thigh so you can FOCUS on the working glute only! This is a HUGE mind & body connection. So no cheating…focus and make it shake!!!
Movement: So whether your Inspire-er has you in pointed, flex, pretzel, circles, lifts, pulses, or whatever, they should ALL be done with tiny, itty bitty movements! Throughout the movements, keep checking your form over and over. The more you keep the hips square and belly button pulled in, the better rear end you will have!!!!
Here’s Steph showing you perfect form…
HAPPY BOOTY LIFTING BEAUTEES!!!!! XOXOXO
2014 Mission #1…A B.you-tifully Toned Bubble Butt!!!
Strategy: B.Silque Lifted Crab!!!!
Talk about a bubble burner…Lifted Crab will hurt so good and get you that toned bubble butt you’ve always wanted! This exercise uses your body weight and the silque as resistance to work your outer bum. Begin by cradling your entire back side, from under your seat to over you head. Hands and arms relax in an overhead prayer position. Make sure your legs are fully extended toward the ceiling with feet flexed. You will get the most resistance and benefit if you allow your toes to peek out the back of the silque as pictured down below!
Once you’re in position, begin to press out on the silque, opening the legs wide with the goal of a straddle. You will feel the burn instantly in your outer glute muscles! This exercise uses your entire body’s weight as resistance as you press your legs open and contract the bubble. Check out perfect form below:
When you complete the sets, you’ll desperately need to hug those knees to your chest for a quick release!!! Then, it’s time to dismount. As with all our transitions in B.Silque Lifted, the transitions are completely optional. If you aren’t ready to brave the flip quite yet, then just sit up and step out of the silque. But hey, it’s a New Year….so why not give it a shot?!?!?! Here’s a step by step guide below. Think….YES YOU CAN!!!!!!
HAPPY SNOW DAY…HAPPY FRIDAY….AND HAPPY JANUARY BEAUTEES!!!!
Get those shapely and b.you-tiful TRICEPS this Form Friday as we highlight the Reverse Pushup!!!!
As always, proper set up is key! First you want to sit and plant your feet flat on the mat hips distance apart. Place your palms just under your shoulders with your fingertips facing towards your heels or slightly out to the side. Lift your hips from the mat just a few inches. Now it’s time to move!
In reverse push-ups, you want to bend your arm at your elbow towards the back. This exercise is not a movement of the hips! Just bend at the elbow and press up, only contracting the triceps. But of course, keep that core tight!
To make the movement more challenging, shift your hips back towards your palms, which gives more weight and more resistance. You can also vary this exercise by extending one leg towards the ceiling (as pictured below) or in tabletop. Try these tips next time in class, and your TRICEPS will feel the BURN!!!
Have a Happy New Year, Beautees!!!!
It’s Round Back time on this very chilly Form Friday!!!!
After pulling your mat halfway up the wall and sitting up against it, set up for round back by placing your palms beside your hips, lifting your hips up and tilting your pelvic floor up as you lower yourself back to the mat. You should be sitting on the area just above your tailbone. Feet are in parallel, hips distance apart and flat on the mat. Press your hands up on the barre, while pressing your shoulders down away from your ears. Your spine is rounded and belly button pulls down towards the mat. Core zips up and in.
Once you find that perfect position and contraction, you can advance and bring your knees to tabletop. Knees stack right on top of hips, legs in a 90 degree angle. You can keep your palms pressing up on the barre or take a gentle grip on the back of your thighs as Steph is showing us in the picture below.
Now pulse your knees slightly toward your chest, pulling your belly button down and in, exhaling and contracting. Modify by keeping your feet flat on the mat in parallel.
Don’t get discouraged if you have a difficult time finding your abs in round back! Just keep trying these tips and you will get it!!!!! Round back is an awesome core shaper!!!!
Be safe and warm on this cold and snowy weekend!!!! XOXOXO Barre Beautees!!!!
It’s Form Friday and we decided to shake it up a bit!!! We thought you might like to see our B.Silque Lifted™ Superman!!! It is one of our FAV transitional moves! It is challenging, yet oh so rewarding! Here we bring the How To straight to YOU!
First you take both feet in front of your body and bring your silque to the plumb line. Take a single hand hug and pull your chin just over the silque and kick your legs through the center of the silque. With control, land with your hips on the silque or just slightly below the hips in superman. Once you are in a secure position, readjust your hands by sliding them up the silque and allow the chest to open more. Legs now extend long and core-set tightens even more. To dismount, simply allow the left foot to lower to the mat followed by the right foot and let the chest lift to standing.
Seems simple enough right? This simple transition flip from say ankle cradle bridge to lifted Core-set duty, works the WHOLE upper body as well as the core! Join us Friday’s at 11am or all week long during our B.Silque Lifted™ class to master Superman!