HOW TO GROW YOUR GLUTES

The exercises that helped me build a stronger and better booty

Left: January 2016. Right: October 2016

Having had a relatively small frame all my life I wasn't blessed with a round bottom. I was thin and as light as a feather so back then it made perfect sense for me to be a long distance runner. But then things changed when I started weight training. I started building muscle. I got stronger. I was looking in the mirror thinking that the skinny girl who looked like a boy had completely disappeared. She now has curves! 

It did take some trial and error finding out what worked and delivered results faster. And no- it wasn't some easy overnight process. It will require commitment and persistence but as they say, once you start lifting you will never go back to your old ways. I lift simply because I love it and I think once you get the swing of things you will too!  It's a great way to relieve stress, and if you're toning your body at the same time, it's a win-win situation isn't it? Anywaysssss, onto the point, I found the following moves really helped me to build my glutes to how it looks like today, so if you're looking to build your booty, you may wish to try and incorporate some of these into your routine (wink wink).

1. Weighted Barbell Squats

2. Glute bridges

3. Single leg squats

4. Split squats

5. Rear leg raises (Bodyweight)

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY FIT BOD ALL YEAR ROUND

SWEATY SUNDAY

WHAT I GET UP TO DURING TRAINING

LOW INTENSITY STEADY STATE CARDIO

Travel Vlog: Hiking in Hong Kong + Outdoor Workout

Here's Part 2/2 of my vlog series in Hong Kong. One of my favourite things to do in Hong Kong is to hike so while I was there I hiked up Lantau Peak Stage 2 and Maclehose Trail Stage 2 which you can see in the video. Tai Long Wan is such a beautiful place to visit if you haven't been or are thinking of going to Hong Kong. I highly recommend this hike (you can cool down in the sea as the water is clean enough to swim!). 

Hope you enjoy the video- please give it a thumbs up if you do! And hit the subscribe button if you'd like to see more health and fitness vlogs! :)

Love MKx

My Gym Essentials

Amazing Benefits Of Foam Rolling

Mia Kay Fitness 2015, Foam Rolling ©

Have you ever had those days where you feel like you’re muscles are sore and tight but you neglected doing anything about it?  At first I was skeptical about the benefits of using a piece of foam to loosen my muscles but when it comes to resistance training, the very thought of alleviating my DOMS encouraged me to do something about it. It’s now my go-to fitness product and (almost) everyday ritual, especially after leg days or running.

At first the pain may seem unbearable but you’ll soon learn to love the pain! Sounds a bit crazy but trust me on this.

So what are the benefits?

1) Foam rolling is a great way to reduce mild muscle tension, especially after a hard workout. I find it great for loosening off the IT band (outside of your leg from the knee up), my glutes and calves. 

2) It helps to decrease recovery time by helping with muscle repair. For all of you frequent gym-goers you’d be happy to know that using a foam roller can help you get more training session in per month.

3) It doesn’t cost much in comparison to booking a sports massage so you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money. If you do buy one, you can get compact ones, which you can use wherever, and whenever you want so it’s super convenient. Having one at home will help you do a bit here and there saving your time on making trips to the gym/ sports therapist. You may even be lucky to have one in your local gym which you can use.

4) Lastly for females – it can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite so when beach season comes, you’ll be feeling more confident in your own skin.

When do I use it?

I sometimes use it before my workout as a warm-up if my muscles are feeling a bit tight but I most often use it during the evening where I spare some minutes before bed.

Using it before your workout helps to increase blood flow to my muscles to areas that may not be receiving much blood flow whilst reducing tension in the muscles. If your muscle is too tight when you start your workout, you may not be able to get deep enough into your exercise so you’re essentially restricting yourself in getting better results.

Using it after your workouts helps to flush out the blood flow and allows fresh nutrients and oxygen to help with the healing process. You may also find it helps me to unwind, relax and get a restful sleep if I do it before I go to sleep.

Let me know if you try and how you feel in the comment below! Or if you’ve got a tip for muscle recovery please share it!

MKx

@miakayfitness

Get Gymming // My Workout Schedule

Mia Kay Fitness © 2015

For those that have seen my @miakayfitness Instagram - I love to workout and keep in good shape! :) You may have been wondering what my gym schedule is like so here is a summary of how I plan/go about a typical week.

Monday

Weight Training- Upper body
4 sets x 15-20 reps for 4 moves

Tuesday

Weight Training- Lower body
4 sets x 15 reps for 4 moves

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday

Cardio or HIIT

Friday 

Weight Training- Upper body
4 sets x 15 reps for 4 moves

Saturday

Weight Training- Lower body
4 sets x 15 reps for 4 moves

Sunday

Rest/ Cardio

This is literally what I write in my planner every Monday morning on my way to work!
Fit tip: Write down which days you are going to work out and commit to it as you would with a doctor's appointment/ client meeting. Planning is the key to success here so save a couple of minutes on a Sunday or Monday morning to plan. Treat your exercise the same as you do with your meetings.

I prefer to separate my weight training into upper and lower body days to allow myself to train regularly whilst giving my muscles enough time to recover and grow.

Workout frequency

I usually workout 5-6 times a week but there are times where I'm working 2 times a week so don't go thinking you have to be working out nearly every day to get the body you want. I've been exercising pretty much all my life so my body is used to the number of times I train. I suggest if you are a beginner to gradually build up to allow yourself enough time to get into it so that you don't overtrain and injure yourself.  It's all about committing in the long run and looking after your body. We want looking and feeling good a part of our lifestyle that is maintainable year round! ;)

My Upper Body Days

I have no hard fast rules as to what I do on my upper body days or my lower body days. I tend to incorporate different exercises on different days to keep my workouts fun and interesting.

Moves I do include:

• push ups
• arnies
• pull ups
• bent over rows
• shoulder press
• bicep curls
• tricep curls

My Lower Body Days

Moves I do:

• weighted squats with the bar
• goblet squats
• single leg squats
• deadlifts
• jump squats
• leg press
• donkey kicks
• weighted lunges

My Cardio/HIIT Days

I typically run outside, go hiking (Hong Kong is ideal for this!) or do spinning. I've recently picked up kickboxing which is also great exercise for building muscle too- a great fat burner. I also do intense bursts of short exercises with minimal rest (eg. 30 seconds on, 10 secs rest - repeat) also referred to as HIIT. This usually consists of bodyweight and pylometric exercises like jump squats, burpees, tuck jumps, jump rope, push ups, mountain climbers etc.

Reps & Sets

I generally stick to 4 sets with 15 reps which is suggested for women for that lean muscle definition. If you're looking to build muscle mass, I suggest doing 8-10 reps instead. Every now and then I do switch and do 8-10 rep just to change the intensity of my exercise so that I avoid hitting a plateau. 

Hope this helps to give you an overview of my workout approach! If you have any questions please feel free to comment below or email me at miakayfitness@gmail.com I would be super happy to hear from you! :)

MK x

FITNESS // How To Stay Motivated To Workout

Mia Kay Fitness ©

How many times have you started working out and then quit? Sticking to a workout or diet plan is hard! It's not going to be easy. You're not going to get results overnight. You have to work for it. But it IS possible. You CAN do it. Don't give up hope!

Here are my 6 tips that help me to stay dedicated to workout...

1. Stash The Scale

When it comes to results, checking your body weight is not the best approach to track your progress. You may be tempted but I urge you to not get focussed on the scale because it is only an indicator. The scales doesn't show internal changes happening to your body when you workout for example your body composition, improved balance/ coordination/ flexible. Your weight can simply fluctuate a lot simply by drinking a lot of water and sweating after your workout so it's not reliable.

In fact, I don't even weigh myself to track my progress. I go by how I feel, how well I can move and the mirror test.

2. Find Workouts You Enjoy

Don't force yourself to follow a workout plan. Instead find movement you enjoy doing. You want to go with a workout that gets you excited about moving so that you can stick with it. Being consistent is key to getting results.

3. Schedule A Workout Time

Organisation is key. Plan your workouts ahead of time and note them down as appointments. You don't miss work meetings or doctors appointment, so why should you miss your workouts? Plan your week ahead every Sunday so you can balance and schedule time to workout and spend time with friends/ family.

4. Buddy Up

Go workout with a friend who wants to get in shape too! Motivate and support each other to workout. Get people to know your health and fitness goals so that they can support you to achieve your goals.

5. Wear Good Gear

If you feel good and comfortable in your workout clothes, you're more likely going to put on your workout gear on in the first place to get you moving! I advice in investing in a pair of good shoes, a top and shorts (leggings) that will help you have a more effective workout, feel inspired and make you look better while you workout. With the right clothes, you'll have ample movement to stretch to your potential.

6. Music

Have a good playlist on that's going to help you crank up your workout! Pick out motivation/ 'feel good; songs and listen to them on the way to the gym to get you into the mindset to workout. 

Hope you find these tips useful! Live and Lift!

MK x

My Story: Dangers of Pure Cardio Training

This one is for the ladies! I am going to tell my story to the potential dangers of excessive cardio training you might not be aware of so that you do not put your health in jeopardy.

I confess I used to be one of the girls who never thought about touching weights. In my head, pure cardio was all that I needed to stay trim and slim.

As a competitive runner my training consisted of A LOT of endurance based exercises like swimming and running for hours a week. I had a narrow mindset and never thought twice about incorporating other training methods to make me a stronger and faster runner. I was super dedicated to running whenever I could and didn't think much about nutrition. I was training intensively, constantly pushing myself to run for as long and as fast I coulds to the point I got secondary amenorrhea. Although this is hardly a new issue for athletes, my competitive edge and naivety thought of this as a sign that my missing periods was evidence of my hard work, and that having a low body fat percentage equated to being faster but this couldn't be further from the truth. What I didn't know back then was that my body was unable to produce enough oestrogen, which meant that it was taking calcium from my bones.  In the long run, this could lead to stress fractures and broken bones. 

I stopped training this way after I finished all my races in my final year of high school because I knew it wasn't sustainable. I was lucky to get my period back after reducing my miles but who knows what the consequences would have been if I had carried on like this. Yes I was slim and regarded as 'fit' because I can run quite well but this approach could've resulted in negative consequences. 

Listen to the signs your body tells you and  do not overlook them just because you think you look and feel fine.

Yes I was certainly slim and even underweight whilst I was competitively running (no surprise here- just look at the figures of long-distance runners) but if you are aiming to get that toned physique, cardio exercise alone is useless. Let me break it to you now so you don't waste your time running hours on end. If you train this way you are NEVER going to get that fit body you've been yearning for. And you CAN get it. You just have to train smart.

Hours of cardio and eating less can result in weight loss but it doesn't result in fat loss.

You are likely to be losing muscle mass and water weight. Is this what you want to do to your body? Cardio exercise alone can increase cortisol levels (a stress hormone) which has in studies been linked to weight gain and increases appetite, so results-wise, it can be counter-productive as you may end up eating more than usual. 

Doing cardio can be a great weight loss tool but doing it excessively is not going to give you the results for that fit lean body.

The best way to get the beach body you want is with a healthy diet, lifting weights and a bit of cardio. These are the basic rules to successful weight loss. Lifting weights is not going to make you bulky. I myself fell victim to this myth and was initially hesitant to lift weights with my naturally small frame but I couldn't be more grateful to fall in love training this way. I am more toned than ever and more confident in my body. It certainly took me time to change my mindset so for you beginners out there, I understand where you are coming from. But trust in me, keep going and you will see and feel the benefits. 

Having more muscle mass means having a higher metabolism so you burn more calories even whilst your doing nothing. It's a win-win situation.

Just to show a case in point that cardio is not going to give you the results here is my body transformation before and after lifting weights...

Here's what I look like when I was underrating and just doing cardio training.

My running years- (I'm standing in the middle) relying on pure excessive cardio, Mia Kay, 2008 ©

Here's what I look like now eating healthy most of the time, weight training and incorporating cardio into my workouts.

My body transformation- eating healthy regularly, with weight training and a bit of cardio, Mia Kay 2015 ©

If you have been thinking about incorporating weight training into your routine, now is the right time to start. It is NEVER too late.

I hope this post was insightful and helpful. Please do feel free to leave comments and ask questions below. I will be so happy to hear your thoughts on this topic and more- whatever comes to your mind, as I am here to share my thoughts. :)

Mia Kay x