For most of my life, I’ve always been the skinny girl (much to my dismay). But these days, I’ve been getting so many compliments about how toned and fit I look. That’s all thanks to doing EMS training religiously, of course.
I couldn’t be any prouder of what I’ve achieved so far. Especially since I worked so hard for it! Granted that my workout is only twice a week for twenty minutes each session, the high intensity made sure that I got the results I wanted – fast.
(RELATED POST: Fitness + Photos: Major Improvements Just After 12 EMS Training/Workout Sessions (20 mins each) Later!)
Most of the people who noticed a difference on my body often point out that it’s my legs and my butt that look so different nowadays. And since everyone’s been asking about it, I figured – why not make a post about it?
https://instagram.com/p/0zEgk6Cqfy/
My butt actually went from pancake-flat to perky and my legs went from thin, chicken-legs to toned. I keep talking to people how I love wearing skinny jeans and shorts these days.
People have been asking me how I did it in such a short time and I often point them to the direction of the gym I go to – Impulse Studio. But for those who want to know what kind of exercises my trainers made me do to tone my legs and my butt, I will let you in on the ‘un-secret’! These three basic and very popular workouts actually made all the difference!
1. Squats
Just this morning, I have graduated to a much more intense type of this workout. So yay! But for the first couple of months at Impulse, the simple squats were my best friends. I have been doing squats for a long time at home prior to working out at Impulse. However, the results were quite… let’s call them ‘invisible’.
The simple squats I’ve been doing at home were hard to do at first but they got way too easy right away. When I started EMS training at Impulse, I started hating squats. Man, they were hard with all the impulses.
How: Stand straight with your feet a bit wider apart. Roll your shoulders back, away from the ears. Lower your hips as you bend your knees. As your butt sticks out, remember to keep your chest and shoulders upright. 😉 Engage your core. Go as low as you can before going up and back to your starting position.
Tip: For now, make sure your knees don’t go over your feet as you go as low as you can! 😉 Squats not only give you a perky butt – it also tones your quadriceps (the front area of your thighs) and your hamstrings which are located at the back of your thighs!
2. Lunges
I HATE LUNGES. I say this all the time. I never did them before going to the gym and having a trainer tell me to do them. They are just the worst. They’re so hard and they make me really sore!
However, without them, I don’t think my legs would have been stronger nor would I have improved my balance. Oh, and surprise, surprise! Doing lunges at home is also easy peasy nowadays since I’m so used to doing them while being hooked to the X-Body machine that produces the impulses. 😀
How: Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both of your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Make sure that your front knee is just above your foot and is not pushed out too far. Meanwhile, make sure that your other knee isn’t touching the floor. Put all your weight on your heel as you push your upper body back to starting position. Repeat a couple of times before changing sides.
Tip: Keep your upper body straight with your shoulders relaxed. Keep your chin up and pick a point to look at straight ahead to help you in balancing.
3. The Bird Dog
My personal favourite! This one toned my abs and my lower back which I think is crucial to making your gluteus maximus look really perky. It’s great to have a sculpted lower back that gives you a really nice curve.
https://instagram.com/p/2XBpe0iqVW/
How: Get down on all fours. Engage your core and slowly extend your left arm and your right leg (check out the photo above). Hold the position for a few seconds then bring those limbs down. Repeat a couple of times before changing sides.
Tip: Keep your back straight and look down to help keep your balance.
Like the squats, I’ve also graduated to a more complicated (harder!) type of this exercise. It’s a huge challenge to my balance and my stability but you know what they say – what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. 😉
There. The three basic and popular exercises that made such an impact on me. 😉 I love how these simple exercises are made even more effective through EMS training. I do these moves with less repetitions and only twice a week. It’s perfect for my busy schedule and my short attention span. 😉
(RELATED POST: Fitness: 9 Things I Love About Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) Training at Impulse Studio in Bangsar)
Remember, you can also do these moves at home. You don’t need weights or any type of gear. However, you’ll need to do more reps and the results will take a while to show compared to when you’re doing it at Impulse. I guess that’s also the reason why I stuck with working out there despite being quite toned already. Getting the results really really fast can be quite addicting!
Let me know what your favourite exercises are! Would love to try them out as well!
Love,
Carol
