Your Beach-Body Boot Camp
Power of the Bikini
Two tiny pieces of strategically placed fabric have the ability to launch a career (think: Brooklyn Decker) or make an otherwise confident woman want to curl up in the fetal position in a dressing room. The thought of stripping down and baring almost all is just the kick in the sweatpants many women need to get up, get moving, and get rid of the lingering damage of a winter filled with too many comfort foods and too little exercise.
To score a sizzling bikini body–fast!–we’ve enrolled you in boot camp. While other fitness trends have fizzled out (ThighMaster, anyone?), this military-inspired program is as popular as ever. According to the IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the number of gyms with boot-camp classes on their roster has climbed nearly 150 percent in less than a decade. That’s because the routines comprise simple, no-frills moves, require minimal equipment, and can be knocked out pretty much anywhere. What’s more, boot camp not only burns more than 500 calories an hour, but research shows it also puts your metabolism in high gear for up to 48 hours after you kick off your sneaks, helping you torch as many as 300 extra calories a day.
How the Plan Works
This weekly routine alternates between total-body strength workouts, done on three nonconsecutive days a week, and your choice of three cardio interval workouts, done two or three days a week. “This approach combines fun and dynamic exercises with heart-pumping cardio to build lean muscle mass and endurance, while helping you drop body fat and improve your overall fitness in less time than traditional workouts do,” explains Vives.
The strength workouts are designed as two fat-sizzling circuits, each containing four different moves. All you’ll need to complete them is a resistance band with handles, a medicine ball (try eight pounds), and a stopwatch or timer. Do the first four exercises back-to-back, resting only as long as it takes you to set up for the next move. After the fourth exercise, rest two minutes before tackling the same circuit again. Continue until you’ve completed the first set three times, then move on to the second circuit and repeat the same pattern.
Calorie-Crushing Cardio
Doing two or three cardio sessions a week will really crank up your routine. To keep your muscles guessing (and burning as many calories as possible), alternate among these three workouts. Begin each with a five-to 10-minute warmup.
30-YARD SHUTTLES
Place two markers (use water bottles, spare clothes, or whatever you have on hand) 30 yards apart, or about 30 paces. Start at one end, sprint to the other marker, touch it with your hand, then sprint back to start and touch that marker. That’s one. Continue going back and forth as quickly as possible, and stop your timer as you cross the finish line for the sixth time.
Rest twice as long as it took you to complete the drill, then repeat the shuttle, aiming to finish in the same amount of time or less. Do three drills total. To emphasize different muscle groups, change it up: Sprint to one marker, then return to start by running backward or doing side shuffles, high knees, or butt kicks.
Circuit-Training
SQUAT AND ROW
Loop a resistance band around a sturdy object at chest height, grab a handle with each hand, and back away until there’s no slack in the band. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, arms extended in front of you, and palms facing each other, bend your knees and sit back until your thighs are nearly parallel to floor. As you stand up, pull your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together until your hands are near your chest. Return to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Back it off: Do a half squat, bending your knees to about 45 degrees instead of 90 degrees.
Kick it up: Lift one foot off the ground and do the move while balancing on one leg. Alternate legs with each rep.
The New Beach-Ready Body Workout
Stoke your metabolism and get hot-body results in just 4 weeks. Fast-paced circuits make it possible: By moving quickly from one strength exercise to the next, and constantly working different muscle groups, you’ll burn calories and build muscle like crazy.
You’ll work out 5 days a week—alternating between fast-paced strength circuits and cardio intervals.
On days 1, 3, and 5 you’ll focus on strength: Perform one set of the first exercise and then quickly move on to the next one until you’ve completed one set of all five strength exercises. That’s one circuit. Rest for one minute, and repeat. You’ll complete the circuit three times.
On days 2 and 4 you’ll focus on cardio: Complete the 20-minute cardio interval using high-intensity bursts to push your body to the max in the shortest amount of time.
Sign up for the WH Personal Trainer Beach-Ready Body Workout and track your way to a hotter bod!
Boot-Camp Blasters
COIN TOSS
Flip a coin before each exercise, says Joey Gonzalez, owner of Barry’s Bootcamp NYC. If it comes up heads, do the first strength exercise as instructed. If you get tails, take off on a 30-to 60-second sprint. Repeat as you move through the circuits.
HIGH ROLLER
Roll a pair of dice before each circuit, says Gonzalez, then add a zero to the end of each number. The first die tells you how many seconds to do each exercise, and the second tells you how much rest to take afterward.
GRAB BAG
Write each exercise on a card, mix them up, and spread them facedown on the floor on the other side of the room, explains Kara Mohr, Ph.D., co-owner of Mohr Results in Louisville, Kentucky. Sprint to the cards and grab one, then sprint back and complete that move as instructed. Continue until you’ve done all the exercises.
