The Brazilian Booty Beach Workout
Planning on strutting your stuff on the beach this summer? Get that booty in shape with a workout from the booty capital of the world — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Overview
Planning on strutting your stuff on the beach this summer? Get that booty in shape with a workout from the booty capital of the world — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Best of all? You can do this one at the beach!
If you've ever tried running on the beach, you've noticed the sand absorbs a lot of your energy and effort, which means that you have to work even harder. And since you're working on an unstable surface, you expend more energy and burn more calories. Sand also makes for a lower-impact workout, since it's more forgiving than a gym floor. Plus, you get to be in the great outdoors, enjoying nature with a beautiful beach view.
1. Lunge Jump
Get your heart rate up while hitting all the muscles in your lower body.
HOW TO DO IT: Start in a lunge with your right leg forward and your left leg back. Your right knee should be at a 90-degree angle. Thrust your arms high to the sky as you drive off the ground into the air. Switch your legs while in the air and land with control — this time with your left leg forward and your right leg back. Continue jumping and switching legs for three sets of 10, resting 45 seconds in between sets.
Read more: 22 New Lunges to Supercharge Leg Day
2. Army Squat
Squats are the single best exercise you can do for a sculpted booty. Give this variation a try to mix up your workout.
HOW TO DO IT: Start with your hands behind your head and your feet directly underneath your hips. Send your right leg back into a lunge with your left leg forward and both knees at 90-degree angles. With your right knee resting on the ground, bring your left leg back to match your right leg so that you are kneeling. Then step up with your right leg and bring your left leg up to meet it and squat down. Repeat, alternating which leg you lead with. Do three sets of 10 and rest for 20 seconds in between sets.
3. Backpedaling
Running the sand is a big enough challenge, but now try running backward.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet directly underneath your hips. Bend forward slightly at the waist and at the knees in an athletic stance. Run backward as quickly as possible, taking smaller steps to ensure speed. You'll want to look over your shoulder often to make sure that you're not about to run into anything. This is a complete posterior-chain burner, and you'll feel it all over your lower body! You'll do three sets of 20 meters and your rest is walking back to the starting line.
Read more: The Ultimate Body-Weight Beach Workout
4. Sumo Squat Jump
Amp up your squat game by taking a wider stance and adding a jump.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and toes turned slightly out. While keeping your core engaged and your back flat, squat down as low as you can. Squeeze your glutes and powerfully drive out of the squat, raising off of the ground. Land with knees bent and go right into the next rep. Perform three sets of 15 reps. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
5. Kneel-to-Squat Jump
This move is not only a glute burner, it's a heart-pumping cardio drill as well.
HOW TO DO IT: Start kneeling with your hips directly over your knees. Swing your arms back, and then thrust your arms into the air as you drive your knees up so that your feet end up planted on the ground under your knees. As you come to your feet, drop down into a squat, and then explode up into the air. Lower down to the start one knee at a time. Do three sets of three, resting for 30 seconds between sets.
6. Shuttle Run
It's time to head back to the days of high-school gym class, but this time in the sand.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand in an athletic stance with your knees and hips slightly bent. Sprint five yards, touch the sand and run back to the starting line, touching the sand again. Quickly pivot and sprint 10 yards back in the same direction as you did to begin with. Finish sprinting through the starting line and repeat three times, resting for 30 seconds in between sets.
Read more: The Ultimate Do-Anywhere Lunch-Hour Workout
7. Duck Walk
Time to drop down and get low, ladies and gentlemen.
HOW TO DO IT: Bend down into a deep squat with your hands behind your head. While staying in a squat, take a step forward with your left leg and then with your right. Continue walking in a squat for five yards. Repeat five times, resting on your walk back to the starting line.
8. Sand Sprinting
If you've ever seen sprinters compete, you've seen how incredible their glute development is, and that's because it's where their power comes from. Luckily, a sand sprint doesn't need to be that long to be effective.
HOW TO DO IT: If you're a beginner, start with 20-yard sprints and work up to 120 yards or more. Since you're in sand, it's going to be difficult to drive off the ground as you would on a track. The key here is to drive your knees and pump your arms. Do five sets of 20-yard sprints, then add 10 yards to every additional workout day you complete the beach-bum workout. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds in between sets or until your heart rate is lower than 120 bpm.
Read more: Why Sprinting Isn't Just for Athletes
9. Towel Long Jump
That beach towel wasn't just made for bronzing.
HOW TO DO IT: Lay out your towel on the ground in front of you and, with your feet underneath your hips, squat down into an athletic stance. Start with your arms behind your hips and thrust your arms into the air as you jump off the ground. Focus on driving your hips forward as you drive your knees simultaneously. Bend at the knees to absorb the force as you land on the other side of the towel. Complete six powerful jumps with 30 seconds of rest in between.
10. Single-Leg Jump
Challenge your balance as well as your single-leg strength with this exercise.
HOW TO DO IT: Start balancing on your right leg with your knee slightly bent. Swing both arms up as you jump off your leg, driving the jumping leg up into the air and propelling yourself forward. Land back on the same leg and take off as quickly as possible. Repeat this movement for five yards. Do three sets of five yards on each leg with 30 seconds of rest in between sets.
What Do YOU Think?
Now that you've worked those buns off on the beach, it's time to show them off! Put on your favorite swimsuit and enjoy the hot summer months with a tight, toned beach bum.
Now tell us: What are your favorite sand exercises? What other exercises are you relying on to get you in shape for summer? Are you going to try this workout or have you already? How did it go? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.
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