I love jeans. Absolutely love them. A good pair of designer jeans just makes me happy. Why? Well, it’s the butt. A great pair of jeans really makes a woman’s butt look fantastic. And I know I’m not the only one who appreciates this! Every time I slip on a great pair of jeans I just feel sexy. But even after I lost my first 20 pounds, I still had some extra fat in my rear view. How did I deal with that?
Well, of course, I knew that you can’t spot-reduce fat. So the key way to improve my butt and thighs was to lose more body fat. But that wasn’t all. You see, once you lose the body fat, it’s also important to build muscle so that there’s something shapely and attractive underneath.
Last spring, I added regular kettlebell workouts to my routine. I continued to work out three days a week using weight lifting, and added a fourth day of exercise. In this case, my fourth day consisted of a 45 minute metabolic circuit, using kettlebells and bodyweight exercises. What I noticed was that, in a very short period of time, my butt was getting tighter and appeared higher. (You can see this in the before and after pictures in my post, “What can you accomplish in 60 days.”) I came to two conclusions:
- Kettlebell exercises, when done properly, are great for building hamstring and gluteus muscles.
- If this trend continued, I was going to drop a boatload of money on a great new pair of jeans at Nordstroms to show off my awesome new butt.
So, if you’re a jeans-lover like me, but still dealing with some issues in your rear view, consider incorporating kettlebell exercises into your workout. Here is a kettlebell circuit that targets the hamstrings and gluteus maximus, and incorporates both strength training and interval training.
- 15 2-hand swings
- 5 bodyweight squats
- 20 second plank
- 10 1-hand swings (per side – 20 total)
- 5 deadlifts
- Rest one minute and repeat
In this circuit, the plank acts as a sort of “active rest” to give you a little break from the more difficult movements. I would repeat the circuit at least 5 times. If you aren’t familiar with how to do the exercises listed, a good place to start is by watching a video on how to do kettlebell swings. A great one is available from my friend Anna, at Path to Fat Loss. She’s put up a few fantastic kettlebell exercises on her youtube channel.
Also, if you aren’t comfortable with squats and deadlifts, you can just do a simpler workout incorporating 2-hand swings and rest. Just do 15 two-hand swings, rest 20-30 seconds, and repeat.
So I know my female readers are dying to know…did I go for those jeans? Well, when it comes to rewarding yourself for weight loss, a hot pair of jeans is a MUCH better reward than a food-related treat. So yes, I went for it. The great part was that I was able to try on a lot of different styles and found that they all looked pretty good on me – quite a change from my overweight days. But my favorites were an awesome pair of Hudsons with button pockets. I bought them and I didn’t bat an eye at the cost – I figured I’d earned it.
I would LOVE to hear some stories from readers who have invested in a great new pair of jeans after losing weight and getting more shapely legs and a better butt. If you have a great jeans story to share, please let me know!
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Nice little circuit! How heavy did you go with your deadlifts – max possible or did you hold back a little? And how about a picture of the jeans?!
Hey Nancy! I tweeted you a pic of my butt in those jeans. They are awesome! As for the deadlifts, yes, I go for max possible once a week as part of a workout, but I also will do suitcase deadlifts and kettlebell deadlifts as part of my kettlebell circuit workouts. Good stuff. I LOVE deadlifting. I don’t know any other women in real life who have a passion for deadlifting like I do, but I hope to inspire some.
So now can you meet me at the gym and show me how to do these? I want a better rear in my designer duds!
I’d love to! Can you get me in with you so that I can show you? You can also come to my house. Even though I like working out at the gym, we’re actually pretty well equipped here.
[...] the morning, I dressed in my hot Hudson jeans that I talked about in my post How to Get a Jeans-Worthy Butt, a bright green sweater (per the instructions, we were to wear bright colors), and some awesome [...]
[...] How to get a jeans-worthy butt [...]
I cam over from the UBP! Glad to be partying with you!
When I read your name for the site, I thought, “Girl, Mom’s can look good, period!” No need for the extra, but then I got here and saw all the great info you have!
I am SUFFERING from muscle loss after my second child. I was so good before my pregnancy, but now my body craves carbs and sugar to make up for my lack of energy. I’m 107 lbs at 5′5″, but am so out of shape! It’s ridiculous!
Thanks for all the helpful tips!