What is your biggest problem area? Is is your lower back, the back of your arms, stomach, butt? Personally, I’m in a constant, never-ending battle to keep the back of my legs – where my butt and hamstring meet – firm and toned. Yes, that’s right, even personal trainers have problem areas! So, what do I do to keep this area looking good for bikini season? Here are a few tips that you can easily perform at home:

• Do lunges – lots and lots of deep lunges! Sound fun? It’s not – but it’s one of the best ways to keep this area toned and tight. To do a common lunge, stand with feet together. Take a big step forward, then slowly lower your body into a lunge position. Make sure your knee is above your ankle, keeping it at a 90 degree angle. Slowly push back up to starting position, pushing from your heel. Do not lean forward when lunging. Do not position your knee in front of your ankle. And do not hunch forward.
• Do squats – again, not so fun, but a great exercise to tighten that tush! Stand with feet hip distance apart with your toes, knees and hips in a straight line. Pull your belly button towards your spine and contract your abdominal muscles. Slowly lower your body, as though you are sitting in a chair. If you can, go down until your butt is in line with your knees (knees at 90 degree angles). If you can’t go down that low, go as low as you can. Keeping the weight in your heels, slowly push your body back to starting position (pretend that you are squeezing a lemon in between your butt cheeks). At the top of the movement, do not lock your knees. Keep a slight bend in them.
• Stair workouts – Stepper, or real stairs! A stair master is a great way to tone your legs and butt. It’s very important that you use your legs to support the movement, and not your arms (some people have a tendency to hold on to the machine by locking their arms). Isolate the muscle groups that you want to work by flexing your butt and legs. If you don’t have access to a gym, use old fashioned stairs at your house. It’s a great burn!