Preventions

Total Body Shape-Up

Follow this fat-blasting fitness plan to drop 2 sizes in 4 weeks!

This will be the year when you shed those extra pounds once and for all! Weve done all the planning all you have to do is follow the workouts on this 4-week calendar and watch that extra weight melt away! The core of this plan is a 30-minute Total Body Shape-Up (page 3) sculpting routine that combines trouble-spot toners and cardio-based moves. In a study from Anderson University, exercisers who did this type of high-energy strength-training boosted their calorie burn 11% more than those who did a traditional routineand kept their metabolism 6% higher for an hour afterward. Youll also do Fat-Burning Cardio (page 5) workouts, which can burn up to 260 calories per session. You can do these workouts using cardio equipment or notthe choice is yours, as long as you get your heart pumping. You could ride a stationary bike or elliptical machine at the gym, jog on a treadmill at home, or walk in your neighborhood. Each routine challenges your body differently, with varying intensity levels. Start today and you can drop about 15 pounds by the end of the month!

Program at a glance
The experT
Certified fitness instructor Violet Zaki, instructor at Equinox in New York City.

ToTal Body Shape-Up:

Youll do this series of 7 exercises in a circuit, moving immediately from one move to the next until youve completed the routine 3 times. These moves can be done with or without dumbbells. If you do use weights, choose ones that are hard to lift by the end of each set. (Start with 3 or 5 lb weights.) When it starts to feel too easy, increase the amount. Frequency: 3 days a week.

FaT-BUrning Cardio:

Rotate through these 3 high-energy aerobic workouts, doing a different one each day. Each 30-minute routine burns about 200 calories and turns up your metabolism so you melt extra calories for hours after youre done. Frequency: 6 days a week.

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yoUr plan
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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shape-up

Hang this calendar on your refrigerator, at your desk, or wherever youll see it every day. Bring the complete, tear-out instructions to the gym to help you learn each workout.
Saturday Sunday

Week 1
Pyramid, Walk at a steady pace, 30 min (p. 3) 30 min Walk at a Roller steady pace, Coaster, 30 min 30 min (p. 3) Total Body Shape-Up (p. 4) Walk at a Chutes & steady pace Ladders, for 30 min 30 min (p. 3) Congratulations! Today, take a break. Rest and relax.

Week 2 Pyramid, 30 min Roller Coaster, 30 min Total Body Shape-Up Chutes & Ladders, 30 min Pyramid, 30 min Roller Coaster, 30 min Chutes & Ladders, 30 min Rest!

Total Body Shape-Up

Week 3 Pyramid, 30 min Total Body Shape-Up

Roller Coaster, 30 min

Chutes & Ladders, 30 min Total Body Shape-Up

Pyramid, 30 min

Roller Coaster, 30 min Total Body Shape-Up

Chutes & Ladders, 30 min

Take a Break!

Week 4 Pyramid, 30 min Total Body Shape-Up Roller Coaster, 30 min Chutes & Ladders, 30 min Total Body Pyramid, 30 min Roller Coaster, 30 min Chutes & Ladders, 30 min Youre finished!

Shape-Up

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Total Body

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shape-up

pli with Kick

>> Firms shoulders, abs, hips, butt, inner

and outer thighs; boosts heart rate

Stand with feet in a wide straddle stance, toes angled outward. Hold weights at shoulders, palms facing in. Bend knees until thighs are almost parallel to ground, knees over ankles. At the same time, extend arms overhead. As you straighten legs and lower weights, raise right leg and kick it around in a half circle, from left to right, keeping foot flexed, toes forward (inset photo). Repeat move, this time kicking left leg. (Thats 1 rep.) Do 15 times at a brisk but controlled pace.

>> Firms back, abs, butt, backs of thighs (hamstrings) Stand with feet together, arms by sides holding weights, palms in. With abs tight, slowly raise left leg behind you as you lower upper body forward until parallel to ground, arms hanging beneath shoulders. Keep shoulders and hips squared toward floor, left toes pointing down. Bend elbows and pull weights toward chest (as pictured). Hold for a second. Lower arms and then left leg, rising to start position. Do 10 times with each leg.

Dead Lift and Row

>> Firms arms, chest, abs, butt, fronts of thighs (quads); boosts heart rate Stand with feet together. Extend arms in front of chest at shoulder level, palms in. Bend knees and hips and sit back 45 to 90 degrees into chair pose, keeping knees behind toes (A). Step left leg back into a lunge and place hands on ground on either side of right foot, right knee directly over ankle (B). Bring right foot back by left and lower knees to ground, feet in air. Perform a push-up (C). (For a challenge, do a full push-up: legs extended, balancing on toes.) Jump or walk feet forward toward hands and rise up into chair pose (A). Repeat, lunging with right leg back. Do 5 times with each leg, moving at a brisk but controlled pace.
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push-up Jumps

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4 5

shape-up

>> Firms triceps, abs, butt Sit with knees bent and feet flat. Place hands behind butt, fingers pointing forward. (If wrists hurt, make fists and balance on knuckles or hold dumbbells to keep wrists in line with arms.) Squeeze glutes and lift butt off ground so body forms a table. Keeping abs and butt tight, bend elbows back to lower body about 4 inches. Straighten arms, raise body, and extend right leg (as pictured); hold for a few seconds and then lower leg. Do 10 times with each leg.

Dip and Bridge

>> Firms abs, butt, thighs; boosts heart rate Place dumbbells on ground about 2 feet apart to serve as markers. Stand with feet together behind left dumbbell and lower into a partial squat, hands on thighs. Spring up and hop sideways toward other dumbbell with right leg leading and left one following. Land one foot at a time with knees soft and lower into a partial squat (the lower you squat, the more challenging the move). Hop back again quickly. Do 5 to 10 jumps per side.

side-to-side hops

6 7

>> Firms chest, abs, butt Lie faceup, knees bent, feet flat on ground. Hold weights in hands, arms open out to sides, elbows slightly bent, palms facing up. Squeeze chest and bring weights together above chest. Contract abs and lift head, shoulders, and upper back off ground into a crunch (as pictured) and hold for a second. Lower upper body, bringing arms out to sides, then contract abs and butt and lift hips a few inches off ground. Hold for 5 seconds and lower. Do 20 times.

sit-up Fly Bridge

>>Firms sides of abs (obliques) Sit with legs extended and about shoulderwidth apart, toes pointed, and arms extended out to sides at shoulder height. Twist to left, lean back slightly, and bring hands around to touch ground behind you (as pictured). Keep hips on ground. Return to start and repeat to right. Thats 1 rep. Do 10 times.
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Reverse Reach

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3 FaT-BUrning Cardio roUTineS
SliM doWn and See Speedy reSUlTS WiTh The pyraMid, roller CoaSTer, and ChUTeS & ladderS
High-intensity workouts burn more calories per minute than easy exercise; to lose fat fast, you have to move fast. The good news is that even brief bursts are enough to get the job done. In a Canadian study, exercisers who did 30-minute workouts that included some short but hard efforts lost 3 times as much fat after 15 weeks as their peers who did similar 45-minute workouts without vigorous bouts. What you do: Follow these workouts while walking, running, cycling, or using any cardio machineits up to you! Each chart specifies the amount of effort you should exert throughout the routine. . The intensity levels are based on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 to 2: No effort; barely moving. 3 to 4: Easy effort; can sing. 5 to 6: Moderate effort; can talk in sentences. 7 to 8: Hard effort; can only talk a few words at a time. 9 to 10: Very hard effort; no talking, just breathing! Check the calendar to see which workout you should follow each day.

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shape-up

1. pyraMidS
Burns 145 to 240 calories* This workout involves little bursts of effort throughout. Youll reach the longest high-intensity interval right in the middle of the routine, as if youre reaching the top of a pyramid. After every hard peak, youll have one to two minutes to recover.
eFForT level

2. roller CoaSTer
Burns 165 to 260 calories* This workout involves a lot of ups and downsjust like a roller coaster. Over the course of ten minutes, youll slowly increase your effort levels until youre working as hard as you possibly can. Next, youll recover at an easy pace, and then begin to build up to your highest intensity again. These types of vigorous intervals give your endurance and metabolism a huge boosteven after your workout is over.
eFForT level

3. ChUTeS and ladderS

Burns 155 to 245 calories* Work as if youre climbing a ladder, then slide down to an easy pace for equal amounts of time. Because you get plenty of recovery time, really push it during the intervals (thats when youre going up the ladder) to maximize your cardio fitness level and fat-burning ability.

MinUTeS

04 45 56 68 89 912 1213 1317 1718 1821 2122 2224 2425 2526 2630

Warm up Push Recover Push Recover Push Recover Push Recover Push Recover Push Recover Push Cool down

34 8 56 8 56 8 56 8 56 8 56 8 56 8 34

MinUTeS

eFForT level

MinUTeS

04 47 79 910 1013 1316 1618 1819 1922 2225 2527 2728 2831

Warm up Build Build Peak Recover Build Build Peak Recover Build Build Peak Cool down

34 78 89 10 5 78 89 10 5 78 89 10 34

04 45 56 68 810 1013 1316 1619 1922 2224 2426 2627 2730

Warm up Ladder Chute Ladder Chute Ladder Chute Ladder Chute Ladder Chute Ladder Cool down

34 9 56 9 56 9 56 9 56 9 56 9 34

*Calorie-burn ranges based on a 150-pound person doing activities such as walking (low end), cycling mid), and jogging (high end).

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