Holding on to your piece of furniture, bend your knees and incline your chest forward so your spine is at a 45-degree angle, then lower your seat as close to knee level as possible. Your arms are bent and remain bent while lowering; your feet are flat on the floor; your knees are over your ankles; your neck and spine remain straight. This is your starting position.
VARIATIONS
A. Pulses
Bend your knees deeper and begin to perform small pulses, up and down. Remember, this is a small, controlled movement—only about 2 or 3 inches. Your knees should remain anchored over your ankles throughout the movement. Maintain the angle of the torso.
B. Seat Toward Heels and Up
Raise your heels a couple of inches off the floor so that you are on the balls of your feet.
Bend your knees deeply and lower your seat as far as you can toward your heels while maintaining the angle of your torso. Keep your inner thighs glued together as you lower and lift. Then come back up to your starting position.
B.
P
HYSIQUE
57 T
IP
Watch your posture—when your body is in alignment, everything else will fall into place.
SKIER WITH BALL
This ultra-challenging version of Skier is one of the most unique ways to tone and sculpt all four areas of your thighs. By adding the playground ball, you’ll be zeroing in on those hard-to-hit adductor muscles, or inner thighs. If you’re tired of feeling your thighs brush together when you walk, this is the move for you—skinny jeans and leggings will be your friends!
MUSCLES TARGETED:
Quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, calves, core
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
A waist-high, sturdy piece of furniture; a playground ball
The Setup
Stand facing your furniture, about a forearm’s distance away, and hold on to it with your hands apart, slightly wider than your shoulders. Place your feet in a parallel position on the floor, about hip-width apart.
Now place the ball between your thighs. Your feet should remain parallel. You want enough of a squeeze on the ball to make the ball into an egg shape.
Holding on to your piece of furniture, bend your knees and incline your chest forward so your spine is at a 45-degree angle. Then lower your seat toward knee level. Your arms are bent and remain bent while lowering; your knees are over your ankles; your feet are flat; your neck and spine remain straight. This is your starting position.
VARIATIONS
A. Squeezes on the Ball
Squeeze your inner thighs into the ball and then release. This is a deliberate, controlled movement; keep your knees anchored over your ankles.