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Looking Good in Your Jeans through Fitness Training

By Bob Keil

How good we look in our jeans is something we all think about. The Fall is the time of year when we start making sure that we not only fit into our favorite pair of jeans but that we also look great in them. I am going to explain which exercises are the best ones to target in order to get the most “bang for the buck” for your fitness training routine. Getting in shape for “jeans season” can be done with three activities: cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and a sensible nutrition plan. Most of my personal training clients follow this program when they want to sculpt their lower torso and get themselves looking great in their jeans. Firstly, when doing cardio at the gym you want to make sure you hit a variety of cardiovascular machines that target the thighs, butt, hips, and calves such as the treadmill, stair stepper, and elliptical machine. In order to spice things up and burn more calories you can put an incline on the treadmill to work the thighs more, use the stair stepper on your toes at a fast pace to tone the calf muscles, and go backwards on the elliptical machine to target more of your glutes. Cardiovascular activity should be done at least 4 times per week for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, with varying intensity or “intervals” to maximize caloric expenditure. You can also do 3-4 ten minute sessions throughout the day which is just as effective. Strength training must be incorporated with cardio in order to tone and build those muscles as well as increase your metabolism and burn more fat. Each muscle group should be trained two times per week. Lastly, nutrition is crucial. You have to make sure that you are eating five to six healthy, well- balanced snacks/meals per day in order to keep your metabolism revved up. If you’re not prepared when hunger strikes you’ll tend to reach for the junk foods. Always try to pre-pack your lunches and snacks for the day to make sure they are healthy and not too high in calories and fat. Some good snack ideas are whole grain triscuits, a handful of almonds, fat free yogurt, apples or citrus fruit that you can carry with you in the car or into the office.

Here are five exercises that will help you tone your butt, belly, hips, thighs, and calves and help you look great in your jeans.

  1. Butt Lift
    Primary muscle worked: Glutes
    How to do it: Lying on your back with your knees bent lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight. Keep your glutes contracted throughout the exercise.

  2. Step-up kick-back
    Primary muscles worked: glutes, quads, hamstrings
    How to do it: Stand behind a step or bench with feet shoulder width apart. Step up with right foot and kick back as high as you can behind you with your left leg. Keep your upper body straight and hands on your hips throughout the exercise. Return your left leg to the floor; leave right foot on step and repeat 15 times then switch legs.

  3. Jump squats
    Primary muscles worked: Quads, glutes, calves, and abdominals
    How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder width apart in half squat position with arms at your sides. Jump up as high as possible while swinging your arms upward, and then go back to starting position. Caution: Do not perform this exercise if you have knee problems.

  4. Wall sit with toe raise
    Primary muscles worked: Quads and calves
    How to do it: Stand with back against the wall with feet shoulder width apart. Slide down the wall till your legs are at a 90 degree angle (like you are sitting on a chair) and raise up onto your toes to contract your calf muscles. Hold this position for as long as you can.

  5. Bicycle
    Main muscles worked: all abdominal muscles
    How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet raised about six inches off of the floor. Put your hands behind your head, extending your elbows to the side. Contracting your abs crunch up and twist, bringing your right shoulder to the left knee. Make sure to look forward at the knee throughout the exercise.

By following these Top 5 exercises and incorporating a well-rounded nutrition program based on low-glycemic foods and cardio, you will be maximizing your ROI in order to look great in your jeans. Fitness training is your best solution to get you the results you desire with the help of a solid nutrition program.

About the Author:

Bob Keil is the owner of several Fitness Together Personal Training Studios in North Carolina. He is a fitness expert and nationally certified fitness trainer with over a decade of hands-on personal training experience, having trained several thousand hours with hundreds of clients from coast to coast.

He is a contributing writer to several regional publications, and is a public speaker on topics related to fitness and nutrition. He can be emailed through his Fitness Together website: www.ftwilmington.com.