One of my clients emailed me the following question today:
Could you tell me what exercises we do at bootcamp that helps tone the arms and butt?
Part of the response I sent her is included below:
Your question about arms and butt exercises must be answered carefully. If you were asking what exercises simply strengthen the arms and butt (which I know is not what you were asking), then the general answer is squats and lunges for the butt, and rows and pushups for the arms. Isolation exercises that target just the arms or butt (such as triceps extensions, biceps curls, and glute extensions) are not as effective towards working those muscles as compound exercises (multi-joint, multi-muscle) that work the muscles as part of a larger unit.
Since you asked about the best exercises to tone and firm the arms and butt, then the answer includes the information above, but with the disclaimer that spot reduction is not possible. You can’t burn fat off of certain areas of your body by targeting those areas and performing exercises specific to those spots on your body. So although the exercises I listed above will strengthen your arms and butt and make the muscles firmer, the only thing that will tone those areas (i.e. reduce fat) is burning more calories each day than you consume, which is done through a combination healthy eating and maximum intensity total-body exercise (i.e. what we do at boot camp each workout).
