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.

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]. 

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.

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.

Take a cue from recent research for new metabolism-boosting strategies.

1. Become a Spice Girl. Capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their hotness, lights a fire in your metabolism as well as on your tongue. Recent research indicates that eating one tablespoon of red or green chilies can give you a temporary metabolic spike of up to 23 percent. To increase your fat-burning potential, chop up some chilies and add them to a meal an hour before working out. Other great options include cayenne, white pepper, black pepper and jalapenos, according to Robyn L. Goldberg, a registered dietitian based in Los Angeles.
2. Always eat breakfast. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, participants who did not eat breakfast and rev their metabolism early in the day gained two times more weight over time than those who did.
3. Skip the cosmo. A study at the University of California, Berkeley revealed that having just two alcoholic beverages could slow fat-burning by up to 73 percent. Your liver converts the alcohol into acetate and starts using that as fuel instead of your fat stores. Limit your imbibing for best fat-burning results.
4. Don’t skimp on sleep. There is a direct link between metabolism and circadian rhythm – your daily pattern of activity versus rest – according to a new study from the University of California, Irvine. Findings suggest that maintaining a proper sleep pattern – between six and eight uninterrupted hours a day – and a clean, healthy diet play a key role in maintaining an elevated and healthy metabolism. Lack of rest and sleep disruption can lead to obesity-related illness and accelerated aging, so turn off the television and go to bed already!

Got some extra weight hanging around your middle? Use our diet and exercise tips to beat that stubborn muffin top

That weight around your middle sure can be stubborn to shift. Anyone who's tried to get rid of their muffin top can vouch for how difficult it is to get rid of. If you want to tackle your wobbly tum and sides, or just want to tone up your middle area, use these tips along with a healthy diet (think nutrient-dense veg, high-qualityprotein and LOTS of water) and you might be on to a winner...

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Get good abs with... crunches and a clean diet!
Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent at a 90o angle. Think of creating a concave stomach by pulling you belly button in towards your spine and then curl your truck up, keeping your head and neck tall and in line with your body. Keep pulling your navel in towards your spine during the whole movement. Do three sets of 25 reps.

Bored with the gym? Get excited about kettlebells!

• Increased endurance
• Fat loss
• Improved core strength
• Firm and lifted glutes
• Increased lean muscle mass
• Gains in muscle strength
• Greater flexibility, balance, coordination and stability
• Improved sports performance

When it comes to leg-training days, your attention is probably on two areas and two areas only: your thighs and butt. Make sure your legs are defined from your hips to your ankles by adding these two calf exercises to your lower-body days.

Trade in those excuses for workouts that will leave you feeling strong, energized and ready for more.