Jackie Warner’s Moves to Get Bikini Ready

If you’re dreaming of wearing a string bikini come Memorial Day, fitness expert Jackie Warner and star of Work Out has a workout for you to try. She stopped by the Today show to share her beach body workout, which is made up of five compound multi joint moves , designed to target several muscle groups in each exercise. Along with toning your lower body, abs, and arms, the workout will raise your heart rate getting you solidly into the fat-burning zone. For this strength training circuit, Jackie suggests using “three- to five-pound weights if you’re a beginner and if you’re more advanced go into the eight- to ten-pound range and do 10 to 15 reps, rather than 30.” To complete the circuit you need to complete three total sets of 30 reps each when using lighter weights. Jackie explained that “you want to work your delts when you’re getting your bikini body because you want the nice shape, the V-taper we call it, to give you that cheat in the waistline.” Nice to know that shapely shoulders can make your middle look smaller. If you’re afraid of weights bulking you up, Jackie says: “You’re not going to get bulky. [If you're concerned about that] do more repetitions with a lighter weight, but you need to feel that burn. Remember you can’t change your body type. If you’re are a little thicker or a little smaller, you’re going to build a little bit more [muscle]. Would you rather have fat under those jeans or a little bit of tone?” I want tone! What about you? To see the workout and video demo of the moves, just read more. Deadlifts for the hamstrings and glutes paired with front arm raises to work the front of the deltoid for shapely shoulders. Jackie reminds us to only lower the weights to the knees at the bottom of the deadlift and to not lift the dumbbell above your shoulders on the arm raises. Plié squats for the inner and outer thigh as well as some “booty work” with lateral arm raise to work the medial deltoid. Squats with overhead press - remember form on your squats: “knees should be kind of over the ankles, so pop the booty back . . . toes should be kind of coming up. Your back should be arched and thrust a little forward at the top. Famous for her crunchless abs, Jackie included the core move of bringing the elbow to knee on all fours to work obliques and back. This challenging exercise can be done with or without a hand weight. Jackie says this is a great move for toning the muffin top. “You need to have a strong back to have a beautiful core.” The “classic yoga move the bridge ,” to work your glutes and hamstring, paired with triceps press for toning the back of the arm. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy I am excited to try this workout. Not sure if I will go for the 30 reps per set with my five-pound dumbbells or fewer reps with my heavier weights. Are you going to try it?

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Jackie Warner’s Moves to Get Bikini Ready

Short on Time? Push Yourself Twice as Hard

It’s almost 6 p.m. and you just couldn’t pull yourself away from work to get in a workout until now. The only problem is, the sun is going down and you won’t be able to fit in your normal 45-minute routine. When you’re short on time, definitely don’t skip out on your workout, and don’t give up on getting in a good sweat session. Use the time you have to push yourself twice as hard. Move a little faster, add incline to your run or bike ride, do faster sets of strength training moves, increase the size dumbbells you normally use, or do something new that will work weaker muscles. Short workouts at a high intensity can be great for burning mega calories and for endurance, so use the time you have to work it.

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Short on Time? Push Yourself Twice as Hard

Get Fit Giveaway Fitness DVD Review: Killer Abs Workout

This week’s challenge for the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway is to write up a review of your fave fitness DVD . Here’s a workout that FitSugar reader Maryannie loves. My favorite workout is Killer Abs by Trainerpack.com . Which is btw, completely FREE! I love the fact that there is a lot of focus on the lower abs and obliques. I have found that it really shapes my stomach. My ex-trainer told me that you should always start by training your lower abs and then obliques and then upper abs. I’ve been doing this workout for about a month now in combination with yoga and Zumba and I am starting to see great results. I especially like this workout because it moves quickly between the exercises and also suggests the number of repetitions. Which btw I have exceeded! Overall rating: LOVE IT! Write your own DVD review in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you’ll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize .

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Get Fit Giveaway Fitness DVD Review: Killer Abs Workout

My 5 Fave Weight-Maintenance Tricks

A fit woman going into both my pregnancies, I gained a fair bit of weight with both of my daughters. While I worked hard to lose those excess pounds, I have found maintaining my weight to be a walk in the park (I kind of mean that literally). Along with regular exercise, here are five simple (and easy to incorporate into your daily life) tricks I use to keep the numbers on my scale steady and my jeans fitting just right. Source: Getty View Slideshow ›

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My 5 Fave Weight-Maintenance Tricks

Deep Water Is For Running

They say still waters run deep, but I say deep water is for running. Let me explain. I recently suffered a pulled calf muscle - an entirely new injury to me. After three days of doing the R.I.C.E. thing (as well as feeling sorry for myself), I was craving a workout, but still walking with quite a limp. I could tell that even the elliptical was still out of my range, so I tried some deep water running. I strapped on the flotation belt (my gym has a closet of all sizes), cinched it tight on my waist, and walked into the pool. Did I feel like a fool at first? Simply put, yes. Did I feel great after running intervals for 25 minutes? Yes. The great thing about deep water running is it works the same muscles running on land does minus the pounding, so it is gentle on injured joints - it didn’t bother my calf. I could really feel the work in my hamstrings, which felt great. And I could tell my core was engaged too. My arms got a nice workout as well, something I don’t usually experience when running. Deep water running is no joke when it comes to cardio. It didn’t get my heart rate up as high as if I was running on land, but according to my heart rate monitor I was only about 10 beats per minute slower than when actually running. Running in water is considered a great way to maintain cardiovascular fitness when rehabbing an injury, and in general it’s a great way to cross train. I think I might be a convert. If you’re interested in trying it out check out my tip when you read more. Here are a few things I learned in my 30-minute workout: Warm up in chest-high water. Swing your arms front and back, mimicking the action of running. Do high marches to warm up your hip joint. Combine the two actions and march yourself into the deeper water where you can no longer touch. Then start “running” at a slow pace. I found leaning forward is necessary to move. If I stayed upright, I felt like I was just treading water. But don’t lean forward from your waist. Use the chi running concept and feel your entire body leaning forward. This will work your core. Play around with your speed and the size of your stride. This will make the workout more interesting and you will work different parts of your muscles. Don’t forget to cool down. Swim a few laps or grab a kick board and slow things down for five minutes after your workout. If you’re sick of the treadmill, nursing an injury, or looking for a joint-friendly workout, give deep water running a try. Source

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Deep Water Is For Running

Gadgets, Gear, and Games For Your Fit Life

I’m a gal who enjoys the simple act of running, but I’ve got a touch of the techie in me too. I rarely head out the door without some kind of gadget that tracks my workout. Here are five new gadgets, and one large piece of equipment, that I have scoped out as helpful accessories for living the fit life. View Slideshow ›

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Gadgets, Gear, and Games For Your Fit Life

DrSugar Answers: Is Candida the Culprit?

DrSugar is in the house, and she’s answering your health-related questions. Dear DrSugar, I have been experiencing severe stomach pains for about four months, as well as other lesser symptoms like fatigue and skin breakouts. So far, my doctor is leaning toward the all-encompassing diagnosis of IBS, which obviously can only be “managed” (so far unsuccessfully) with lifestyle changes. I have tried eliminating gluten and dairy, which helped at first, but the pain has flared up again. Somebody at work suggested my problem might be candida. Is candida a “real” medical problem? And if so, are there diagnostic tests or medicinal treatments available? Any information about the causes, symptoms, and remedies for candida would be much appreciated. Thank you! - Tender Tummy To see DrSugar’s response continue reading.

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DrSugar Answers: Is Candida the Culprit?

Have You Ever Gone to the Gym, and Not Worked Out?

Confession time. It was cold and rainy last weekend, and I motivated myself to go to the gym for an indoor cardio workout that would warm me up in no time. When I got there, it was like everyone in the entire city had the same idea, and every machine was occupied. After waiting for about 10 minutes, I decided to throw in my towel. Literally. The towel I had grabbed on the way in went straight into the gym’s laundry bag, and I exited without doing any kind of activity. Something about the situation made me terribly unmotivated, and I simply decided my workout would wait until the next day. Have you ever left the gym without working out? Have You Ever Gone to the Gym, and Not Worked Out? Yes! Glad to know I am not alone. I’ve come close to leaving but always manage to convince myself to stay. No, I’ve never left the gym without working out. Something else. I’ll tell you in the comments.

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Have You Ever Gone to the Gym, and Not Worked Out?

A FitSugar Reader Asks: I Did It! Now What?

FitSugar reader AZDaisy needs your help. She just accomplishd her fitness running goal of finishing a half marathon and wants to know where to go from here. Can you offer her any advice? Hey ladies! So I did it . . . I finished my first half marathon! It was a beautiful course, gorgeous weather, awesome people, and I finished in just under 2:20! (I was hoping for 2:15, but I guess for my first one it’s not so bad, right?) My question is: now what? I’ve already signed up for the San Francisco Half Marathon in July, but I know I want to take a little break from running - just a couple of weeks. Since I won’t actually start training for the San Francisco Half Marathon until April-ish, I’m not sure what distances I should be running. Should I keep my long runs to about 10 miles or scale it back to around six miles until I’m ready to train again? How about you regular half-marathoners, how do you train in between trainings? Are you in the same boat as AZDaisy and thinking about your health goals for the new year or need advice about your goals from fellow readers? Join our Get Fit For 2010 community group and write a blog post about it. By participating, you’ll be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as an awesome grand prize .

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A FitSugar Reader Asks: I Did It! Now What?

Speak Up: How Do You Motivate Yourself to Work Out?

This chilly weather has put a damper on my get-up-and-go in the exercise department. Even though I always feel better after I work out, getting to the gym can be tough. I am blogging in my running gear as I write this - if I’m already dressed for the workout, I have one less excuse getting in the way of exercise. I know I’m not alone in needing a little inspiration to get my heart rate up, so tell me, what things do you do to motivate yourself to keep up with your regular workout routine?

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Speak Up: How Do You Motivate Yourself to Work Out?

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