Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa July - August 2021

Committing yourself to an active lifestyle has many positive effects on both your body and mind and a vital key to that success is finding the right balance between work, leisure, and fitness. Now, HERS is on a mission to find that balance and we've got just the right person to get us started, meet Olivia Valdmets, who's not only adept at finding balance in the busiest of lifestyle situations, but also using her unique talent for time management to achieve great things. Here, Liv shares her personal life experiences and gives us advice on how finding your own balance can change your life for the better! It's great to have you Liv, could you give our readers a short introduction about yourself, where you're from, what you're doing at…

NUTRITION USN TRUST CRUNCH BAR UK The ideal light meal or snack replacement bar. Trust Crunch bars contain 20g of protein. Available in White Choc Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream as well as Fudge Brownie flavours. R419.00 for 12, usn.co.za NUTRITION OPTIMUM NUTRITION NATURALLY FLAVOURED OATS AND WHEY Oats and whey are foundational elements of any athlete’s diet. Oats are a complex carbohydrate providing energy to support strength and endurance training. Whey is a rapidly digested complete protein with all the essential amino acids to help support muscle recovery. By combining whole oat flour with whey isolate and whey concentrate, we’ve created an easy-to-mix nutritional powerhouse that frees you from the hassle of making this stack in an electric blender. We think you‘ll agree that our Naturally Flavoured Oats and…

WHAT’S THE KEY TO GETTING A CURVED, firm, and totally tight backside? A full-scale attack on the muscles. “Your glutes respond best when they are targeted from different angles and movement patterns,” says Hers technical adviser Gino Caccavale. This multiangled approach goes far beyond traditional squats to target your abductors (outer hips) as well as your glutes, so you’re lifting and toning all the lower posterior muscles for a rounded, more symmetrical look. IFBB bikini pro Ana Delia De Iturrondo shows us how she helps keep her enviable lower half in top shape! WIDE UP AND BACK BOUNDING WORKS: GLUTES, THIGHS; BUILDS EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH › Stand in an open area, feet hip-distance apart. Squat down, bringing fists in front of chin and keeping weight over heels. › Explosively make two…

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS If you experience severe hip pain during and after running, or tend to shift the majority of your weight to one hip, you may suffer from gluteus medius tendinosis, aka “dead butt syndrome”. Your three gluteal muscles are all attached to the pelvis. If the larger gluteus maximus becomes weak, the smaller gluteus medius muscle takes on a workload it can’t handle, causing inflammation, damage, and pain. HOW DO YOU FIX IT? Left untreated, your knees, Achilles tendons, calves, and feet may be affected as they try to compensate for the pain and inflammation, so see a sports therapist for treatment. The syndrome can be reversed by consistently exercising the glute muscles on all planes (front-back, side-to-side, and rotationally).…

MAXIMUS The maximus is one of the strongest muscles in your body. It’s responsible for the movement of your thigh and hip and is used when doing activities like rising from a sitting position, bent-leg deadlifting, and sprinting. B. GLUTEUS MEDIUS The medius runs from the top of the femur to your pelvic bone and is partially covered by the gluteus maximus. The medius helps enable a steady walking gait, is involved in lateral movements, and plays a key role in stabilising the hips and pelvis when running. C. GLUTEUS MINIMUS The minimus helps with the rotation of the thigh at your hip. It works with the gluteus medius to stabilise the hip and pelvis when your opposite leg is raised from the ground.…

1 LYING STRETCH Lie on back with legs straight and hands by sides. Bend left leg, holding leg behind knee. Gently pull knee into chest. Try to keep your head and shoulders on the floor during the stretch. 2 FIGURE-FOUR STRETCH Lie on back with feet flat on the floor. Cross left ankle over right knee. Place hands behind right thigh and pull right leg toward you, keeping head and shoulders on the floor. Release the stretch; switch sides. 3 PRIMAL SQUAT STRETCH Stand barefoot with feet hip-width apart. Slowly squat down until thighs are resting against calves and shoulders are between knees. Keep heels flat on the floor and head up. Hold in that position for 30 seconds. If you are new to this stretch, try holding a door…