Do you want slender legs, a flat stomach and firm behind? According to famous Japanese personal trainer Naoko, you can achieve all this in just one minute per day. How? By activating your gluteal muscles to help your body find its proper balance.

The gluteals - or ‘glutes’ are the large, powerful muscles in your bottom that help support the hips and pelvis and allow them to move flexibly.

And it is only when the hips are functioning as they should that the rest of our frame is in harmony, she says. “If you don’t bring your hips into balance, no matter how many crunches and squats you do, you won’t succeed in reducing belly and leg fat.”

That’s why her method is based on a series of exercises that get the glutes into shape.

Why are our glutes weak?

In her book, Glutes Up! (published by Kitsune Books), Naoko says that the cause lies in our modern lifestyle. Whether you’re working at a desk, pushing a shopping cart or carrying a baby, you’re generally using only the front part of your body. Since the gluteal muscles are underused, they deteriorate.

By activating them, Naoko says you can improve your posture, tone up – and get the sleek figure you’ve always wanted!

Before you start the exercises

Test your muscle strength

Lie face down with your heels together. From that position, open your knees to the sides and use your buttock muscles to lift your legs. Do not close your knees at any time and do not shift your center of gravity forward or arch your back. To perform the movement correctly, your pubis needs to remain on the floor.

Check for muscle imbalance

Sit with your knees bent and the soles of your feet together. Place your hands under your ankles and press your legs down onto them. If you feel less pressure on one hand than on the other, it means the muscles and joints are stiffer on that side.

Check your posture

View yourself both straight on and in profile, either with a mirror or by taking a picture.

What to look for:

• Seen from the front, your ears should be at the same height, likewise your shoulders, elbows and knees.
• Your neck should be centred on your shoulders.
• Your shoulderblades should form a horizontal line.
• Your feet should be pointing straight forward
• Seen from the side, your ears, shoulders and the outside of your ankles should form a vertical line.
• The issues highlighted by these tests should be improved by Naoko’s routine, to be found in full in her book. Here’s a taste to try.

Exercises

Work that pelvis

Sit, resting your hands and knees on the floor. Using them to support you, push up from the floor, extending lengthwise while turning your hips from side to side, in order to stretch the entire back of the body from neck to legs.

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Hip lift

Sitting with your knees bent, slide them so that both knees are facing to the right and place your hands behind your back. Shift the right hip toward the center of the body and raise your left side.

Raise your left hand and, drawing a circle with it in front of the body, turn to face backwards and place it next to the right hand. Exhale while holding the posture, feeling the hip area compress. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Repeat on the other side.