Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

Okay, no laughing allowed. I am a 39-year-old woman and in good shape. I recently took a new job that requires me to sit all day. I like the job, but do not want to have a HUGE bum. Any ideas on how to keep my rear up there where it should be? I am not afraid of hard workouts.

First things first: When at work, move about your work area regularly, be attentive to your posture to prevent imbalances, and eat right to serve your health always.

Train the entire body for best musclebuilding — strength and health — results.

Look toward three workouts with the weights and three with aerobic exercise weekly, purposefully including leg action (jogging, biking, lunges and proper squats).

Add hyperextensions to your midsection workout twice a week and contract the glutes with every rep.

How you outline your workout depends on time, energy and need and desire.

Laree’s been doing a lot of one-legged work lately and seems to enjoy that, as well as a regular list of exercises to offset the ravages of sitting at work. Those would include overhead lunge stretch, glute bridge and the torso work of planks and side planks.

You didn’t ask, but another key to limiting problems with a desk job is daily pectoral stretching, such as a doorway stretch. When we sit all day, the shoulders take on a forward position, shortening the chest muscles, which is not healthy… worse than a huge bum, when you get right down to it.

Enjoy your new job and training pursuits… Godspeed… Dave