Jeanne:
“DAILY MOVEMENT IS THERAPY FOR ME. IT’S AN INTEGRAL PART OF MY LIFE THAT HAS TRULY TRANSFORMED ME FROM THE OUTSIDE IN.”
A fitness trainer, yoga instructor, and entrepreneur, Jeanne’s passion is centered on movement. With many years of experience and involvement in the dance, cross training and yoga communities, Jeanne has developed a training technique that enhances daily life and brings balance to the mind and body. As the founder of two wellness companies, she shares her knowledge and expertise via her virtual platform Athletic Yogi, as well as through her Wetreat Yoga Fitness and Wellness Retreats.
INTERVIEW WITH JEANNE DUBÉ
Jeanne, what’s your go-to workout playlist?
I love anything that grooves, but I’m particularly fond of Afro House! It’s the kind of music that motivates me when I work out. I actually have a playlist on my Spotify account called Afro is in the house.
What’s your training philosophy?
Movement is fundamental. Regardless of the type of activity you choose, I encourage a lifestyle of movement and the importance of varying your activities in order to cultivate balance for the body and your mind. For me, combining strength training with yoga helps me channel my energy and improve my physical and mental capacities.
Tell us about Athletic Yogi.
Athletic Yogi is my online training and yoga platform. My mission was to inspire people to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, so I created the platform to give my community access to diverse, motivating, and effective content to encourage them to move every day. Through on-demand sessions and specific workout programs, I help people stay consistent and motivated so they can reach their fitness goals.
Tell us about your Booty Workout.
Today I’m sharing a simple and effective workout to strengthen your lower body – more specifically your hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps. Check out the complete workout below. Get ready, because it’s going to get spicy!
Bulgarian Split Squat
Lateral Lunge
Hip Thrust
Booty Workout
Activation
Begin in an all fours position with hands on the exercise bench under your shoulders, and feet on the ground with your knees lined up under the hips. Ensure that your head is in a neutral position with the abdominals contracted and no arch in the lower back. Bend one leg to 90 degrees and lift it, contracting the gluteus maximus and pressing the thigh against the elastic band to create resistance. Isolate the movement by keeping the back straight, and the spine in a neutral position with your arms straight. Return to the starting position.
Stand about 2 ft. in front of your exercise bench. With your back to the bench, rest the top of your right foot on the bench, and bend your knees lowering the body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor in a hanging lunge position. Keep your shoulders over your hips, trunk vertical. Return to the starting position and repeat for 10 reps, then switch legs.
Stand up straight with your feet together holding a dumbbell in a goblet grip. Push your hips backward by stepping laterally to the right until you reach the squat position. Return to the starting position and repeat this lateral movement alternating from side to side until the set is completed.
Workout
Stand with your heels on a slightly elevated surface (eg. bumper plate). Activate your upper body by placing two dumbbells on your shoulders. Keeping your feet parallel to each other, push your hips back and then bend your knees to lower into a squat position. Perform a slight pulse at the bottom of the squat before coming back up to a standing position. Be sure to keep your posture upright and engage your core by contracting your abs throughout the movement.
Stand about 2 ft. in front of your exercise bench. With your back to the bench, rest the top of your right foot on the bench, and bend your knees lowering the body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor in a hanging lunge position. Keep your shoulders over your hips, trunk vertical. Return to the starting position and repeat for 10 reps, then switch legs.
Place feet wider than shoulders, toes facing out at 45 degrees. Grab the KB with both hands and bend at the hips pushing the glutes backward (as if you were trying to close a door with the glutes) to lower the chest straight down parallel to the floor. Contract the glutes to rise back to the starting position. Then bend your knees to lower your pelvis into a sumo squat position with your back straight. Press your feet into the floor to bring yourself back up to the starting position. Alternate between the two movements.
Rest your upper back on the bench at shoulder blade height and sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet planted on the floor about hip width apart. Place the Olympic barbell in the hollow of your hips. Pushing through your heels, raise your pelvis to the vertical position by contracting your glutes keeping the bar on your hips. Keep your neck in a neutral position and let the head follow the natural movement of the spine. Lower the pelvis to the floor with control and repeat the movement. Pay special attention to the muscles in your posterior chain (back of the legs).
Place the Olympic bar behind your head, resting on the trapezius muscles. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Driving your hips back, lower into the squat position. Push through your feet to come back up to a standing position and step one leg forward and lower into a lunge. Repeat the sequence of exercises, alternating the leg you step forward and lunge with. Focus most of the weight bearing on the heels during the movement, while equally making sure to activate the core for optimal posture.
Begin standing with both feet on the bumper plate holding one dumbbell at the height of your collarbone in a front rack position. Step backward with one leg, crossing it over the midline landing on the ball of your foot, and lower into a lunge position. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement alternating from one side to the other. Activate your stabilizing muscles to maintain balance, and good posture and stay in control of the movement.
Place the resistance band around your thighs and one foot on the gliding disc. Hold the KB in your hand on the same side as the foot on the glider. Bend the supporting leg and slide the foot on the disc laterally to perform a side lunge. Activate the inner thighs to come back up to a standing position. Keep the weight centered on the supporting leg and tilt the trunk forward keeping the back nice and straight.
