Beyonce tends to be a focus for many women in regaining their youthful shape. But let's take a look at her approach to fitness so we know WHY it works for her.
Step 1: To drop some of her initial weight, she followed the Master Cleanse Diet for a week. This detox diet requires you to cut out solid foods. Instead of food, you drink a mix of lemon, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
The problem with this is that the body cannibalizes muscle tissue (literally eating away at your muscle tone), and down-shifts you into hybernation mode making you burn less calories throughout the day. It's a starvation diet wrapped in the dressings of health.
Beyonce could get away with this because she has the money and time to afford all of the toxicity that you release when you cleanse. If you're a parent or have a full-time job, a cleanse can be a beast. The most effective approach for your nutrition is to change one thing a week. Here's a schedule I suggest:
Week 1: displace any coffee and start drinking black tea instead.
Week 2: eat a big breakfast one hour after waking including 1/3 your bodyweight in grams of protein.
Week 3: make your lunch "all green" - salads, stirfry or soup - heavy in complex carbs, and throw on some fish or beans for protein.
Week 4: exchange any pastries, candy or chocolate for banana chips, dates, or mango slices.
Step 2: Exercise 5 days a week. You can't have bootyliciousness by sitting on the couch all day long. Although you may not find any unusual exercises, how the workout is arranged, the secret recipe, makes everything work! Every morning get out there and put in the roadwork - walk or run 40 minutes. Start with walking. The duration is the issue, not the speed initially.
Here's an example of how she circuit trains, but offering Circular Strength Training substitutes for the movements. Don't count reps. Do each move for one minute and hold the last rep for as long as you can. This will give you the time under tension you need to cause lasting transformation to your body.
Minute 1: Crunches (basic Be Breathed spinal rocks)
Minute 2: Bicycle Crunches (twisting shinbox Be Breathed spinal rocks)
Minute 3: Rest
Minute 4: Core Twists (hurdler Be Breathed spinal rocks)
Minute 5: Core Twists (straddle Be Breathed spinal rocks)
Minute 6: Rest
Minute 7: Plank Hold (quad squat FlowFit)
Minute 8: Rest
Minute 9: Plank Hold (quad squat FlowFit)
Minute 10: Rest
Minute 11: Captain's Chair (swinging plank Forward Pressure)
Minute 12: Captain's Chair (swinging plank Forward Pressure)
Then, Beyonce adds in a 20 minutes session with free-weights. Target the basics: arm casts, shoulder casts, head casts, and flag presses. Use the clubbells, of course.
Step 3: Work on your butt. Duh. Beyonce is considered bootylicious because of how hard she's worked on her legs, thighs and bum. When trying to get a body like Beyonce, you have to do exercises that target the butt. She mixes it up with 2-3 sets of lunges, squats and leg lifts. Here's a "Translational Series" from Circular Strength Training System to carve your own bootyliciousness:
1. Lunge forward right
2. Lunge forward left
3. Side lunge to the right
4. Side lunge to the left
5. Rear lunge right
6. Rear lunge left
7. Squat bum to heels
8. And jump as high as you can
Repeat for 2 minutes; rest for 60 seconds, and then perform 2 more sets.
Step 4: Spend time playing... Beyonce practices her dance routines each day, which are inherently athletic. Dancing can provide a high impact cardio workout.
So you have to remember that whatever you're doing throughout the day, you want to be a "little bit active" in everything that you do. Start playing more consistently, and you'll transcend the boredom of merely "working-out". It's not survival of the fittest, but thrivival of the fittest. Want a great booty, then start shaking it. Not only will you feel great, but you'll look great too...
Bootyliciousness is as bootyliciousness does.
Copyright (c) 2009 RMAX INTERNATIONAL
A multiple-style martial arts champion, Scott Sonnon, has a history of using only what works, and improvising with whatever tools he had at hand. His ingenuity lands him clients like UFC winners (such as Andrei Arlovski and Elvis Sinosic), as well as professional contacts such as secret service, counter-terrorism units and bodyguards to celebrities such as George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Gywneth Paltrow and Madonna. http://www.FLOWCOACH.tv