Previous Articles
Health & Nutrition |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Want to sculpt sexy thighs? Ms. Fitness Universe champ Katie Uter shows you how to trim down and get flab-free thighs.
| Get Great Gams |
Oxygen #66, pg. 64 |
| |
By Leslie Gordon
It’s reassuring to know that even a former Ms. Fitness Universe understands the frustration thighs and buns can cause for most women. “If I gain weight, it’s always in my lower body,” admits 27-year-old Katie Uter. “I’ve always had shapely legs, but when I started competing (in the late 1990s) and the judges were looking for symmetry and balance, I actually had to bring my legs down a lot. It took me about three years of fine-tuning to get them in balance with the rest of my body.”
Within that time Katie cleaned up her diet, increased her reps and sets and did more multi-muscle, compound exercises like squats and lunges. She also increased her cardio. Here are just a couple of her favorite moves.
TOP TIP: Unless specified, Katie never pauses at the top of an exercise, instead she keeps on moving. “This way the muscles keep working throughout the entire exercise, and you only need one set to burn it out. A lot of times when people do this, they have to go down in weight because it makes the exercise much harder.”
|
| |
Squat
Squats are a great beginning to any lower body workout routine. They’re one of the hardest exercises to do, so it’s best to do them before your muscles get fatigued. Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart, contract your abs and hold your body tall. With a body bar resting along your upper back, squat down and back as though you’re having a seat in a chair. Then push up through your heels to return to the start position.
|
| |
Stationary lunge
Many people lose their balance when they do stationary lunges because they try to line up their feet. Instead, Katie recommends starting off in a stance slightly wider than your shoulders and taking a big step back with your left leg. Rest a body bar across your upper back and once you feel comfortable, bend your left leg and lower it toward the floor. When your right leg forms a 90-degree angle, push up through the heel to return to a standing position.
|
| |
Katie’s weekly workout
Katie does cardio five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes a session. At this point in her career she’s maintaining her muscle mass, and only lifts weight three times a week.
Monday: Upper body – two exercises each for her back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps.
Wednesday: Lower body – Katie does the workout shown on these pages.
Friday: Full body – Katie circuits a variety of upper body moves with lower body exercises. This workout takes her about 30 minutes.
* Katie also does two sessions a week of athletic-style training, which includes intense Pilates, yoga and plyometric exercises |
To read the full article, pick
up a copy of Oxygen
#66
today!
|
|
