5 Steps to Toned Glutes and Shoulders

I’m all about working smarter, not harder. Follow my recipe for a successful workout to yield a good sweat and lasting results. Strengthen your core and build better glutes and shoulders while burning some serious calories and detoxifying your body. Sounds like a dream come true! You don’t even need a gym; all you need is a set of weights 2–5 pounds each and a washcloth or t-shirt. If you don’t have dumbbells or kettlebells, try using large soup cans!

My 5 step recipe for a successful workout:

1. Fuel your body for your workout by eating 1–2 hours prior

2. Warm up muscle groups properly to burn extra calories and avoid injury

3. Make deliberate movements while keeping your core engaged

4. Perform HIIT Plyometrics between sets

5. Finish up your workout and target fat stores with interval cardio

Core Strengthening Glutes and Shoulder Workout

Complete all four exercises and finish with 30 second of mountain climbers for a total of 3 sets. Finish your workout with 20–30 minutes of speed intervals on the StairMaster or Stair Climber. Always remember to refuel and rehydrate with a Sunwarrior Protein recovery shake.

Plié squat with upright row

Target glutes and inner thighs with Plié squats. Add an upright row for shapely arms and shoulder caps. Begin with a wide stance, toes should turn out. Hold dumbbells in each hand between legs. Head up, back straight and abs engaged. Lower yourself into a squat position by pushing hips backwards with thighs parallel to the ground. Knees should remain stacked on top of the ankle and hips stay tucked under to avoid an arch in the low back. Exhale to stand and pull arms up into an upright row keeping elbows raised above wrists. Repeat for 15–20 reps.

Touchdown lunge with Side lateral raise

With abs tight and shoulders back, step back into a reverse lunge and lower dumbbells to either side of your front foot. Keep your weight over your front foot and press up into a single leg standing position. Raise dumbbells into a side lateral raise to target your rear deltoids. Repeat on each leg 12–15 times.

Single leg sliding squat with front raise

A challenging spin on the side lateral lunge, this single leg sliding squat activates the glutes and outer thigh while building total body strength. On a hard surface, face forward with one foot on a small piece of cloth. Lower yourself into a single leg squat while sliding your other leg out to the side. At the bottom of your lunge squat, raise the dumbbells into a front raise with thumbs facing up. Lower your arms to your sides as you press up into a single leg standing position. Repeat on each leg 12–15 times.

Good mornings

Activate arms, shoulders, and core while engaging glutes with this classic back body exercise. Stand with feet hip width apart, a soft bend in the knees and with hips tucked to create a neutral pelvis. Raise the dumbbells to rest on the shoulders while each hand holds them in place, elbows wide and palms facing forward. Keep your back flat and hinge forward until your upper body is parallel with the floor. After a brief pause, squeeze your glutes and raise back to standing. Repeat for 15–20 reps.

Mountain Climbers

Come into a plank position and place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width apart. While holding your upper body in place with a strong core and shoulders, alternate switching legs by quickly extending one leg back while pulling the other leg forward under your body. One forward and back motion on each leg is one rep. Continue this horizontal running motion for 30 seconds.