PIPPA Middleton’s ‘stole the show’ at the royal wedding, Kim Kardashian’s has its own cult set of fans and Kylie Minogue is partial to showing hers off in small gold lamé shorts.
Of course, I’m talking about bottoms.
With the eyes of Britain firmly fixed on the rear ends of toned and taut celebrities, it’s more than understandable why we in turn give our own bums a hard time. Often blamed for jeans too small or dresses too tight, our backsides quite literally don’t measure up.
Day one starts with 50 squats. For some that’s a big ask. Yet I work out. I’ve got this in the proverbial bag, I think. Nope. It hurts. By the 25th squat I hoped someone would deliver a chair beneath me.
As far as embracing my own behind, I struggle.
Akin to what Destiny’s Child popularised with ‘Bootylicious’, I’m not ready for this jelly. I’m really not. To say I wholeheartedly like my big butt, I’d be lying.
I'm a classic pear shape - awkwardly built with a size 6-8 top half and anchored with a size 12 bottom half. I retain all the biscuits breaks, boozy weekends and full carb dinners in and around my buttocks and take 'junk in the trunk' to a new meaning. I carry the world on my hips not on my shoulders and I fear that one day I will look like a walking church bell.
Alright yes, I’m far from overweight. Yet I would prefer my bum to jiggle only when I command it to. We all like to wiggle our behinds on occasion, but what we don’t enjoy is when they wiggle inadvertently behind our backs. Let’s have some self control shall we.
Enter the 30 Day Squat challenge to rid us all of our bum woes.
30 Day Squat Challenge
Not to be confused with inhabiting a vacant building, the squat challenge is the new internet exercise craze that has inspired a whole host of women to get off their rumps and, instead, steady themselves in the pretty unsightly squat position.
The challenge has a simple premise; follow the chart and spend 30 days of your life squatting, starting with 50 squats on day one and progressing to 250 squats on day 30. In this time you’ll burn calories, see a far more toned bum, thighs and the start of a more chiselled torso.
The popularity of this exercise fad has been quite unprecedented.
Browsing the squat challenge hash-tag on Twitter, it seems the nation is religiously squatting and marking down the days to a more petite and rotund derriere. Singer Jessie J posted a picture of herself squatting pre-show, TV presenter Caroline Flack has been reported to be toning up with the new craze and the Towie ladies have also been squatting for dear life.
Jessie J does the squat challenge.
For those in the know, the squat workouts have been long considered as the holy-grail of celebrity exercises and the reason for Jessica Alba’s, Eva Longoria’s and, curvy bum pioneer herself, J-Lo’s glorious rears.
Evidently we all want some of that bum glory. Well I do anyway.
Day one starts with 50 squats. For some that’s a big ask. Yet I work out. I’ve got this in the proverbial bag, I think. Nope. It hurts. By 25 I hoped someone would deliver a chair beneath me, considering I was already conveniently stiff and locked in the seated position.
Like a considerably gruesome hangover, I paid for the challenge the next day. Weirdly the pain was far more in my thighs than my bum.
That’s because I was doing it all wrong.
It’s not just a case of bending and stretching, there’s a technique to squatting that stops you from straining your knees, suffering a back injury and well, looking like a div.
According to Andrew Jeffries, celebrity and personal trainer at Pro Balance, Manchester, I was cheating; my move was more a cop-out perch than a fully-committed squat. I wasn’t to argue; he has been a trainer for 15 years and worked out one of the best bums in the business, none other than the Beyoncé.
Cheat and be cheated it seems.
To truly benefit from the plan, Andrew told me to take a wider stance, face my feet forwards and make sure I sink right down as if you were sitting on a chair.
“That’s it” he told me,” now bend little a more.”
Watch L'Oreal squat in the video below
Ouch. Immediately I could feel my glutes work and I could tell 50 reps would be an even more difficult fete.
Andrew is confident that the power of squats will give you a good bum, but as long as you’re doing it as part of well a rounded regime that includes lunges, core workouts and some aerobic training. He’s more concerned with clients achieving an overall toned physique.
By day 15 and having completed a note-worthy and impressive 1,110 squats in total, I wouldn’t say it gets progressively easier, but it does become routine. I have come accustomed to getting in my set of squats before breakfast and I've welcomed the tight post-squat pain.
It means the challenge is working, I tell myself.
It’s not the most fun exercise I’ve completed but it's easily done, requires no gym membership or expensive equipment. There’s no excuse to not squat. I even completed a rep in the work bathroom toilets. I kid you not.
Question is by day 30 will I have a pert Carol Vorderman by the end? That begs to be seen so far. For now, I feel more sore than slender.
For me the squat challenge provides a nice addition to a tedious or boring workout regime and for others a nice introduction to exercise in general.
The gluteus maximus is a big muscle that deserves big love and for 30 days it’s well worth giving your bum some attention.
I think I’ll have a J-Lo booty on me yet.
Andrew Jeffries, Pro Balance is based in Lloyds House, Jackson's Row Manchester, M2 5WD
Follow @LOreal_B on Twitter
