So, you want a pert bottom. Preferably with minimal effort required. Absolutely no squats, thank you very much. Don’t we all?
Well, good news. Victoria Beckham’s ex-personal trainer has developed a swift, effective little workout for Femail that you can do in just 15 minutes.
Louisa Drake is a former dancer, choreographer and PT with some seriously famous clients, who swear by her methods. She trained with Gwyneth Paltrow‘s renowned trainer, Tracy Anderson, in LA. She teaches her own version of the barre technique, which is a super-charged ballet-inspired workout using very small, very intense movements to shape and tone the whole body, with a focus on the booty. She launched the Louisa Drake Method in her London studio a few years ago, which blends ballet moves with pilates, dance and cardio to get a high-intensity, low-impact workout.
These moves can be done at home – all you’ll need is a chair. The Louisa Drake method promises to give you a long, lean body. It’s the type of thing that feels relatively easy at the time, but leaves you with that satisfying burn in your thighs and your bottom when you wake up the next morning. It is seriously effective.
So, this is how it starts. Warm up by jogging for 5 minutes (do a few laps of your living room or jog on the spot).
The first move is called the “wide second plie”. To get into position, bend both your knees and lower your hips towards the floor. Try to get your hips parallel with the floor. Clench your glutes and draw up your thighs. Repeat 10 times.
The second move is called the “curtsy lunge”. Rest your hands on the top of a chair for this one, imagining you’re at a ballet bar in a dance studio. Face the chair and place your feet in a small V shape, then stagger your feet so one foot is behind the opposite shoulder. Lift the back heel. From there, bend both knees to lower into a lunge, hold for a couple of seconds then lift back up to the original position. Repeat 10 times.
The rest of the workout – if you’re game – is here.
