Nicole Kidman, the acclaimed actress known for her diverse roles and timeless beauty, has also garnered attention for her dedication to fitness. While she enjoys a variety of activities like running, yoga, and swimming, one particular workout has been making waves: a 3-step routine designed to boost glute and core strength, perfect for those short on time. This workout, revealed by her A Family Affair co-star Joey King, is described as “epic” and “awful” – a testament to its effectiveness.
Kidman’s Fitness Philosophy: Variety and Balance
Before diving into the specific workout, it’s essential to understand Nicole Kidman’s overall approach to fitness. She emphasizes variety, balance, and consistency.
- Variety is Key: Kidman avoids monotony by mixing up her workouts. She enjoys running, hiking, yoga, swimming, cycling, and even horseback riding. This approach keeps her engaged and prevents boredom.
- Balance and Moderation: She follows the 80/20 rule when it comes to diet, focusing on healthy eating 80% of the time and allowing for indulgences the other 20%. This balanced approach extends to her fitness routine, where she avoids being too strict and prioritizes enjoyment.
- Family Fitness: Kidman often exercises with her family, making it a fun and social activity. This helps her to squeeze in workouts amidst a busy schedule and makes exercise more enjoyable.
- Mindfulness: She incorporates meditation into her routine. Meditation offers numerous mental health benefits, reducing stress and promoting overall well-being.
The “Epic, Awful” 3-Step Workout
This lower-body workout, focuses on strengthening the glutes, core, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Joey King, who learned the routine from Kidman, humorously described it as so intense that she felt the need to “call an ambulance.” The workout consists of three main exercises:
- Donkey Kicks
- Fire Hydrants
- Rainbows
Exercise 1: Donkey Kicks
Donkey kicks are a fantastic exercise for targeting the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your buttocks. They also engage your core and shoulder muscles for stability.
How to Perform:
- Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Ensure your back is flat, and engage your core.
- Keeping a 90-degree bend in your right knee, slowly lift your leg straight back and up toward the ceiling. Avoid arching your back or rotating your hips.
- Your maximum height is right before your back starts to arch, or your hips begin to rotate.
- Return to the starting position with control.
- Repeat all reps on one side, then switch legs.
Tips for Maximizing Results:
- Focus on squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
- Maintain a flat back throughout the exercise to avoid lower back pain.
- Control the movement – avoid swinging your leg up.
- Add resistance by using ankle weights or a resistance band around your thighs.
Exercise 2: Fire Hydrants
Fire hydrants, also known as hip abductions, target the gluteus medius, a smaller but equally important muscle located on the side of your hip. This exercise helps improve hip stability and can alleviate lower back pain.
How to Perform:
- Start on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
- Keeping your right leg bent at 90 degrees, engage your core and squeeze through your outer right glute to lift your right knee out to the right, until your upper leg is parallel to the floor (or as close as possible).
- Slowly and with control, return your leg to the starting position.
- Repeat all reps on one side, then switch legs.
Tips for Maximizing Results:
- Keep your core engaged to prevent your torso from rotating.
- Focus on lifting your knee out to the side, rather than lifting your entire leg.
- Avoid arching your back.
- Add resistance by using a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
Exercise 3: Rainbows
Rainbows are a dynamic exercise that targets the glutes and hip abductors while also improving hip mobility.
How to Perform:
- Start on all fours on your mat.
- Raise your left leg and extend it straight behind you.
- Moving in an arc motion and keeping your leg level with your body, sweep it behind and across your right leg.
- Then, sweep it back past your starting position to a lateral position with your left hip.
- Return to the center and repeat for all reps, then switch sides and repeat.
Tips for Maximizing Results:
- Keep your leg extended throughout the movement.
- Engage your core to maintain stability.
- Control the arc motion, avoiding jerky movements.
- Focus on feeling the stretch in your hip as you sweep your leg across your body.
- Use ankle weights to increase the intensity.
Creating a 20-Minute Lower-Body Workout
To make the most of Nicole Kidman’s 3-step workout, here’s a sample routine you can follow:
- Warm-up: 5 minutes of light cardio, such as marching in place, leg swings, and arm circles.
- Workout:
- Donkey Kicks: 10-12 reps per leg
- Fire Hydrants: 10-12 reps per leg
- Rainbows: 10-12 reps per leg
- Rest: 45-60 seconds between exercises
- Repeat the circuit for 4 rounds.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of stretching, focusing on the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors.
Progression:
- Increase the number of repetitions as you get stronger.
- Add resistance using ankle weights or resistance bands.
- Decrease the rest time between exercises.
- Increase the number of rounds.
Additional Exercises for Core and Lower Body Strength
Besides the “epic, awful” workout, Nicole Kidman also incorporates other exercises to strengthen her core and lower body. Here are a few examples:
- Clamshells: This exercise targets the gluteus medius and helps improve hip stability.
- Bird Dog: This exercise improves core stability, balance, and coordination while also strengthening the back and glutes.
- Pilates with Weights: Pilates is a low-impact workout that focuses on core strength, flexibility, and body awareness. Adding weights can increase the intensity and challenge your muscles further.
Kidman’s Broader Fitness Routine
Beyond targeted glute and core work, Nicole Kidman maintains a well-rounded fitness routine that includes:
- Running: Coming from a family of marathon runners, Kidman has incorporated running into her routine since childhood. She enjoys running outdoors, especially in nature.
- Yoga: Kidman practices Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. Yoga improves flexibility, balance, and strength while also promoting relaxation and mindfulness.
- Swimming: She enjoys swimming with her family, which is a great way to get cardio and work different muscle groups.
- Hiking: Kidman enjoys hiking as a way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors.
- Spinning: She also likes spinning classes, which provide a challenging cardio workout.
Diet and Lifestyle
In addition to exercise, Nicole Kidman follows a balanced diet and lifestyle to maintain her health and fitness.
- 80/20 Rule: As mentioned earlier, she follows the 80/20 rule, focusing on healthy eating most of the time while allowing for occasional indulgences.
- Moderation: She eats everything in moderation and avoids being too strict with her diet.
- Natural Health Remedies: Kidman explores natural health remedies to maintain her energy and vitality.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is crucial for overall health and fitness.
- Sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential for recovery and muscle growth.
- Stress Management: Managing stress through meditation, yoga, or other relaxation techniques is important for overall well-being.
Final Thoughts
Nicole Kidman’s 3-step workout is a great option for boosting glute and core strength when you’re short on time. However, it’s important to remember that consistency and variety are key to achieving long-term fitness goals. Incorporate this workout into a well-rounded routine that includes cardio, strength training, flexibility exercises, and a balanced diet. And most importantly, find activities that you enjoy, so you’ll be more likely to stick with them. As Kidman herself says, “Variety is the best way I’ve found. If you think you are going to wake up and run five miles every morning for the rest of your life, you’ll get bored and hit the snooze button after a week.”
