<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"You know how you have that one really great little black dress that makes you feel like a million bucks? That&amp;amp;#8217;s the principle behind The Bar Method&amp;amp;#8217;s &amp;amp;#8220;Little Black Dress&amp;amp;#8221; workout. The Bar Method is a non-impact body-sculpting system that&amp;amp;#8217;s meant to elongate your muscles, improve your posture, and burn fat. Burr Leonard created the method, drawing on principles from isometrics, dance conditioning, interval training, and physical therapy. Burr put together these three classic moves for us all to try. Behold, the &amp;quot;Little Black Dress&amp;quot; workout: The Bar Method Reverse Push-ups &amp;quot;Reverse push-ups work the largest muscle in your arms, the triceps. When your triceps are carved, they give your entire arm the sculpted appearance that guys can&amp;#x27;t take their eyes off. Do an extra set of reverse push-ups in every class you take, and bend your elbows more as you go down and up. How to do it: Sit on a soft, carpeted floor or mat. Bend your knees, open your legs to hip-width apart, and place your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your shoulders, and face your fingers forward toward the front of your body and slightly turned out. Draw your shoulders firmly down. Raise your seat off the floor, round your rib cage back so that it touches your upper inner arms, and tuck your glutes upward and forward. Make sure to keep your shoulders directly over your wrists. Now bend your elbows directly backward and unbend them almost all the way 30 times. The Bar Method Arabesque &amp;quot;Moving down from your arms, your glutes give shape and vibrancy to the overall package encased in your dress. A little black dress may be &amp;#x27;little&amp;#x27; but your glutes need to fill it out, not to mention give it a sexy vivacity when you move around in it. The Bar Method exercise called arabesque is an outstanding glute shaper because it works all your glute muscles simultaneously. Do arabesque in every workout, and in as little as three or four workouts, you&amp;#x27;ll see and feel your glutes sit higher and tighter on your rear.&amp;quot; How to do it: Stand an arm&amp;#x27;s length from your bar or piece of furniture. Then turn your feet into a wide V by turning out your hips and pressing your heels together. Keep your hips, knees, and feet turned out to the same degree. Soften both knees and lift one leg; point your foot and rest it on the floor about a foot behind you while keeping the turn-out in both legs and the slight bend in both knees. Hinge forward at your hips while raising the leg behind you until you feel a catch in your seat muscles. Contract the muscles beneath your shoulder blades&amp;amp;#8212;not your lower back muscles&amp;amp;#8212;and keep your head and torso lifted. Raise the hip that&amp;#x27;s on the same side as your raised leg about an inch higher than your other hip and square your shoulders. Do 40 one-inch lifts for each leg, looking forward, not down. . The Bar Method Heel Lifts &amp;quot;In a little black dress and a glamorous pair of heels, your bare defined calves sparkle like jewelry. So work them during your workouts! The Bar Method&amp;#x27;s heel lifts gracefully give you the long, lean calves of dancers. Your large glutes play a major role in turning out your hips, so start with heel lifts in a turned-out position to get a bonus lift for your buns as you tone your calves. Then finish with a set done while diagonally leaning into the bar.&amp;quot; How to do it: Face the bar and stand a half arm&amp;amp;#8217;s length away from it, or stand on profile to the bar a half arm&amp;amp;#8217;s length away from it. (If on profile) take the bar with one hand and rest your other hand on your waist. Place your feet hip-width apart and tighten your seat muscles. Straighten your legs, grip your seat muscles firmly, drop your tailbone, and bend slightly forward at your waist. Shift your ribs slightly up and forward. Raise and lower your heels. Fun! Want to try these out? (Ooh, and there are more workouts here!) Photos: Thinkstock; The Bar Method "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2013/03/3-long-and-lean-moves-for-a-li>