Get a Tight Butt And Legs

Want a sexy rear view? And while you're at it, legs that look great as they propel you through life? This workout is the best way to get them. Based on plyometrics—moves that incorporate leaping, jumping, or skipping—it burns calories and builds lean muscle fast.

A 2007 study found that dancers who did plyometric exercises twice a week for six weeks increased their strength by 37 percent and their jump height by 8.3 percent. "Plyometrics are a good alternative to strength training on machines," says Patricia Fehling, Ph.D., the study's co-author and chair of exercise science at Skidmore College. "The change in movement from static [say, the bottom of a squat] to dynamic [exploding into the air] shocks your muscles, so you see results quickly."

For two weeks, do the workout once a week, then increase to twice a week. Start with one set of 10 reps of each exercise, then add one set of each exercise weekly until you reach the max: three sets of 10 reps twice a week. Finish each session with the two kink-busting stretches.

Clock Lunge

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

1. With your hands on your hips, lunge forward with your right foot, sinking down until your right knee is bent 90 degrees. Return to standing. 
2. Take a big step to the right and lunge again. Step back to center.
   
3. Lunge back with your right leg. That's 1 rep.

• Tip Keep your neck in line with your spine throughout the move.

This move works:
Glutes, Hamstrings, Inner Thighs, Quadriceps

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Stepup With Knee Raise

Step 1

Step 2

1. Place a 12- to 24-inch-high step in front of you. Step up with your left foot.
2. Bring your right leg forward and up and bend your knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Lower your right leg back to start, then the left. Repeat with the other leg. That's 1 rep.

• Make it harder hold 5- to 10-pound dumbbells.

This move works:
Abs, Core, Glutes, Hamstrings, Hips, Quadriceps

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Lunge Jumps

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

1. Stand with your feet together, elbows bent 90 degrees. Lunge forward with your right foot.
2. Jump straight up as you thrust your arms forward, elbows still bent. Switch legs in midair, like a scissor.
3. Land in a lunge with your left leg forward. Repeat, switching legs again. That's 1 rep.

• Tip To prevent injury, try to land as softly as possible.
• Make it harder Try the dumbbell split jump.

This move works:
Glutes, Hamstrings, Hips, Quadriceps

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Inchworm

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

1. Stand tall with your legs straight and bend over and touch the floor.
2. Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward. 
3. Then take tiny steps to walk your feet back to your hands. Walk your hands out as far as you can without allowing your hips to sag. That's one repetition.

• Tip If you can't reach the floor with your legs straight, bend your knees just enough so you can. As your flexibility improves, try to straighten them a little more.
• This move has been excerpted from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises by Adam Campbell.

This move works:
Hips, Obliques

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Body-Weight Jump Squat with Arm Throw

Step 1

Step 2

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms hanging at your sides. Dip your knees in preparation to leap.
2. Immediately swing your arms overhead and jump upward as high as you can. As you land, gently bend your knees and sink back down into the squat position. That's 1 rep.

• Tip Swinging your arms will give you momentum so you can catch more air.

This move works:
Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Wood Chopper

Step 1

Step 2

1. Grab an 8- to 10-pound dumbbell with both hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Let the dumbbell hang naturally in front of your thighs. Squat down until your knees are bent about 90 degrees.
2. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, brace your abs and press up to standing, swinging the dumbbell up until it's directly overhead. Lower the dumbbell back toward the floor.

• Tip Keep your movement controlled to work the most muscle.

This move works:
Abs, Core, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Shoulders

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Power Skips

Step 1

Step 2

1. Leading with your right leg, skip as high as you possibly can by raising your right knee to hip height and simultaneously extending your left arm straight overhead. Your left leg should remain straight and your right elbow should be slightly bent at your side. Land on the ball of your left foot.
2. Repeat the skipping motion with your opposite arm and leg.

• Tip Try to jump a little higher with each skip.

This move works:
Calves, Glutes, Hips, Quadriceps

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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Figure 4 Stretch

Step 1

Step 2

1. Starting out on all fours, cross your left leg under your body, so that you are almost resting on your left hip. Extend your right leg directly behind you.
2. Lower your upper body over your left leg, placing your forearms on the ground in front of you. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.

• Tip Take deep breaths to help yourself sink deeper into the stretch.

This move works:
Glutes, Hips

Photo Credit: Beth Bischoff

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