The “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” Anywhere Booty Workout

Published: Cools

As the days become longer and more importantly warmer, New Yorkers need little excuse to get outside and discover how the city comes back to life in the summer. So riding my bike over the Williamsburg bridge for a booty-burning workout followed by an icy Açai bowl and iced americano from Aussie cafe Sweatshop was definitely a great decision. Coming from Soho, it was a quick bike ride that landed me on the corner of Hope and Havemeyer. Even though there are quite a few studios popping up the area, from boxing classes at Over Throw, sweat dripping hip-hop yoga at Y7, pilates at SLT, and of course the original free form bike dancing that is Soul Cycle, sometimes you just need a workout that you can take anywhere. And this is that workout.

To mix things up with this routine, you can play around with the elevation from a curb to a step or two. Really, you’re only limited by your creativity. Do each exercise once, then start it all up again. I dare you to try 4 sets!

Lateral Lunge: 10 reps each side

Step laterally bending your knee and push your hips back. Keeping the opposite leg long and weight on the outside of the foot, spring back into your starting position trying to find a balance and squeeze your booty.

Push-up side plank: 10 reps alternating sides

Begin in a plank, shoulders over wrists. Push up, keeping your hips scooped under and ribs pulled up. Between each push-up, pop over into a side plank, lifting your top leg and arm (forming an X or jumping jack shape) and return to the plank.

Side plank leg swing: 10 reps each side

Starting in a side plank in that similar jumping jack shape, extend your top leg behind you, squeezing your booty and hamstring. Pull the same leg forward, slowly and controlled using your abs. Make sure your hips stay stacked over each other and ribs are pulling in.

Bulgarian split squat hop: 10 reps each side

This works best when your back foot is slightly elevated, but modify each move so it feels right for your body. Find a lunge position, with 90% of your body weight on your front leg, high on the ball of your back foot. Lower down into a lunge, with a soft back knee. As you spring up, push off of your front foot and hop. Using your arms on these hops can be helpful in keeping the pace. So, if your right leg is forward, lower into your lunge with left arm forward and spring up pulling the right arm up with you.

Elbow plank knee twist and same side pull: 10 reps each side

Start in a plank on your elbows, with your shoulders over your elbows. Extending one leg straight back behind you, lift and squeeze your booty.  Pull knee to opposite elbow, rounding your upper back. Return to extended and lifted leg position, before pulling the knee to the same side elbow, this time squeezing the abs of that same side. Do all 10 reps on one side, then do 10 on the other side.

Jump squat twist: 20 reps alternating sides

Out, in, twist. Feet together as you start. This is a three-part movement, so if you repeat “out, in twist” in your head, you’ll get the tempo with ease.

First: out. Jump into a squat, feet out, knees over ankles and hips slightly back.

Second: in. Jump in with your feet together.

Third: twist. With your feet together, jump into a twist, only twisting your lower body to one side, while squeezing your abs in tight.

Head of Video: Tina Rosh    DP: Paul Terrie