The Love Your Shape Workout

Get your best body -- at any size -- with this customized cardio and sculpting plan.

By Carey Rossi; Photographs by Lynda Churilla

Workouts by Body Shape

In dressing rooms across the country, women are cursing their trouble zones and wondering if it's possible to make the most of what Mother Nature gave them. It is, okay? And you can do it before beach season. This plan tackles your entire package, using the latest thinking from trainers who recognize that when it comes to workouts, one size does not fit all. "By building up weaker or less developed parts of your body, you'll maximize your natural shape," says Laura Mak, owner of Mak Attack Fitness in Marina del Rey, California.

To start, find a body type most like your own: a pear (bottom-heavy), an apple (rounder in the middle), or a chili pepper (a narrow frame from head to toe). Do the basic routine designed by Mak with the prescribed regimen for your type. As our testers discovered, in just a few weeks, you can lose inches, sculpt muscle, and be in your best shape ever.

How it works: All three body types follow the same basic strength workout, but each will complete a different number of sets and reps. Do your strength routine twice a week; do the recommended cardio three times a week.

What you'll need: A stability ball and a set of 5- to 8-pound and 10- to 15-pound dumbbells.

Next:  Pear

 

Pages in this Story:

·                       Workouts by Body Shape

·                       Pear

·                       Apple

·                       Chili Pepper

·                       Bent-Over Dumbbell Row

·                       Long-Arm Ball Crunch

·                       Lunge with Biceps Curl

·                       Lateral-to-Front Dumbbell Raise

·                       Dumbbell Flye on Ball

·                       Squat and Calf Raise

·                       Overhead Triceps Extension

·                       Rear Leg Lift

·                       Oblique Ball Crunch