If you're tired of only seeing your upper abs, you're not alone. Get your lowers to pop faster with these targeted moves.

Spike your abs workout with five resistance moves to get that six-pack you crave in a fraction of the time.

Myths About Your Midsection

Get lean, sculpted legs with the pop squat. This plyo move will tone your lower body and inject some excitement into your workout.

Get the most out of your cardio workout with these two high-intensity interval routines.

Endless reps aren't necessary to build triceps that pop. Get sleek, trim upper arms in a matter of weeks with these three moves.

Add this lower-body move to your routine. It's a great glutes exercise for both at home and at the gym.

Whether you're just starting on the road to fitness or you've been trotting it for years, we've got the perfect treadmill plan for you.

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Got 12 minutes? Then you've got enough time to get in a killer workout.

The Science

Do this advanced take on a stability ball crunch and you'll have a tighter core in less than a month!

Find out Elaine's secrets to a beautiful lower body!

• “Like most women, my lower body is the last to lose fat and shape up,” says Elaine. “I have to work super hard to keep it high and solid.” Because of this, Elaine goes heavy when working the lower body, and always attacks her glutes on leg days instead of doing a stand-alone routine.
• Make squats and lunges even more effective by following Elaine’s best tips: “I make sure that my legs are in a wide stance, and I drop my butt just below knee level.”
• Don’t be jealous: Elaine hasn’t had to do calf exercises for “a good decade.” “The years of wearing high heels (in high school and on stage) did have a role in that, but so do genetics,” she notes, adding that she also does a lot of calf-centric cardio, such as running the stairs or jumping rope.
• If you’re looking for Elaine’s favorite leg move, look no further than the reverse Smith machine lunge. The first time she tried it, her legs were out of commission for days! (In a good way, of course.)

End your next abs routine with this back extension stretch, based on the yoga pose, the Cobra.

Nine-time Oxygen cover girl Maggie D. shares the workout schedule and lifestyle tips that got her those chiseled abs.

Maggie D’s Personal Program

• Monday: chest, triceps and core for 45 to 60 minutes in the afternoon.
• Tuesday: run and bike for 60 minutes in the morning.
• Wednesday: legs and core for 45 to 60 minutes in the afternoon.
• Thursday: run and bike for 60 minutes in the morning.
• Friday: back and biceps for 45 to 60 minutes in the afternoon.
• Saturday: shoulders and core for 45 to 60 minutes in the afternoon.
• Sunday: yoga in the morning or afternoon.

Our pros give no-nonsense answers to all of your stretching and flexibility questions.

Are some people naturally stiff?

What time of the day is better for stretching?

How often should I stretch?

We know that there are only so many ways you can move on the treadmill, spin bike or elliptical. With that in mind, here are three ideas to mix up your cardio session and build a heart-pumping workout on the fly.

Switch up the machine

Freestyle it

Wheel ‘em and deal ‘em

Just like natural peanut butter and organic honey, your bis and tris are a perfect pair. This workout hits them both in about 20 minutes.

Rushed for time at the gym? The Row/Flye Combo does double duty and targets your back and delts in one shot.

Action: As you maintain a straight back, flex your arms to draw the weights up until they reach the sides of your ribcage [B]. 

Strengthen your rotator cuffs with this lying rotation.

Escalate your calorie burn with this fat-torching stair workout.

We know the power of exercise: it makes us feel good, it makes us strong and it can even lower our risk of breast cancer. And this week, exercise got more health cred—not once, but four times—from the scientific community. Here are four more reasons why all that training is doing more for you than giving you the confidence to rock a bikini.

Endurance training makes nerves fit

Aerobic exercise could make your brain bigger…

…And keep you thinking clearly for 20 years

Try these four strategies to get more from your high-intensity workout.

1. Go at your own pace. High-intensity to you may not be high-intensity to your neighbor. Listen to your body – are you barely able to get out a few words at a time due to heavy breathing? You are likely reaching your maximum exertion level. Start with small intervals: Going all-out for four minutes at a time is tough for even the strongest athlete. Start with 20-second intervals and work your way up from there.
2. Don’t overdo it. The best part about high-intensity training is dramatically reducing your exercise time. But you need to allot yourself adequate rest periods. The participants in this study rested for up to three minutes after every four minutes of work. The good news: As you get stronger you will be able to recover quicker, shortening rest time between sets.

You can get a total-body workout on a single machine.

Stuck in a swivel chair from nine to five? New research suggests it's time to get up and move.

Don't let emotional eating sabotage your fat-loss goals. Here are five easy-to-follow tips to stop your cravings.\

The best exercise motivation may be encouragement from your peers, a Stanford University study shows.

1. Make fitness dates with a pal. Knowing that someone is counting on you to show up can be an effective push in the right direction.
2. Like a hotel’s complimentary wake-up call, a daily email or phone conversation with a friend can keep you on track. Ask a buddy who understands your fitness goals for gentle reminders several times a week. Even a simple email that asks, “How’s your program going?” may be enough to spark the fitness fire in you.
3. Participate in online fitness communities, read blogs, join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for fit tips! Post your routines, discuss diet plans and connect with like-minded fitness folk.
4. Hire a personal trainer for weekly or biweekly sessions with a small group of friends. Not only will you save money, but shelling out cash will also make you less likely to hit the snooze button when training time comes around.
5. Accountability seems to have played an important role in this study, as all groups improved their walking time after one year – even those that didn’t receive phone calls but had to report their exercise. If you prefer to work out alone, try logging your routines in a journal for a private source of motivation.

Pushy relatives, a busy schedule and cookies galore can threaten to derail your fat-loss plans. Here's how to stay in control.

Understanding how and why we crave foods may be the key to resisting them.

1. Pop a piece of sugar-free peppermint gum into your mouth. The feeling of clean teeth will prevent you from noshing on unhealthy snacks, and the scent has been proven to reduce appetites.
2. Take a quick walk around the neighborhood and soak in your surroundings. The beautiful flowers, yapping dogs and clear skies can take your mind off of that nagging internal itch.
3. Intense exercise has been shown to reduce your appetite. Hop on your bike or grab some weights for a 30-minute sweat session. Cravings? What cravings?
4. Sniff some eucalyptus. Just thinking of this scent was found to be successful in a cravings study.
5. Try acupressure. Some believe that acupressure can help alleviate stubborn cravings. Place two fingers below your ear where your jaw hinges. Open your mouth until you feel a bump, then press and hold.