Lose Every Bulge in 3 Weeks

Hollywood-Style Slim Down

When a Hollywood celeb has to slim down in a hurry, she hires a slew of professionals to whip her into shape. Now you can do the same. We asked celebrity fitness pro Gregory Joujon-Roche and his Los Angeles-based Holistic Fitness team of trainers, nutritionists, and chefs to develop a three-week program guaranteed to help you drop at least five pounds, blast fat, and firm up everywhere. The team's methods have worked for such clients as Demi Moore, Rachel Weisz, singer Pink and even Brad Pitt, who have all called on Holistic to help them reach their better-body goals.

Monday: Strength workout
Tuesday: Cardio in intervals
Wednesday: Strength workout
Thursday: Cardio at a steady pace
Friday: Off (Optional: Yoga class or DVD)
Saturday:* Cardio in intervals or strength workout
Sunday: Cardio at a steady pace

Get lean and super-sculpted with this combo of muscle-toning strength moves and calorie-blasting cardio.

Monday: Strength workout
Tuesday: Cardio in intervals
Wednesday: Strength workout
Thursday: Cardio at a steady pace
Friday: Off (Optional: Yoga class or DVD)
Saturday:* Cardio in intervals or strength workout
Sunday: Cardio at a steady pace

*Note: You can double up any workout to do both cardio and strength on the same day. If weight loss is your goal, however, Gregory Joujon-Roche recommends doing the cardio component first, to take advantage of higher energy levels and maximize fat burning.

1. Snap-Kick Lunge

Fitness Focus: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes, Hips, Abs

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, fists under chin.
• Lunge forward with right foot, bending right knee 90 degrees, keeping knee aligned over ankle.

• Stand up, kicking left leg forward to chest height.
• Return to start, then lunge backward with left leg. Do 12 to 15 reps before switching sides.
• Do 3 sets.

Make It Easier: Hold on to the back of a chair during the lunge and kick.

Make It Harder: Step directly back into the lunge after you kick forward without returning your foot to the floor.

2. Kneeling Ball Push-Up

Fitness Focus: Chest, Arms, Abs, Obliques, Hips, Lower Back

• Kneel on the floor 2 to 3 feet in front of a stability ball with hands on sides of ball.
• Lean forward, keeping head aligned with spine.
• Do 12 to 15 push-ups, bringing chest toward ball.

• After completing the set, slowly roll ball out in front of you as far as you can; hold for 4 counts.
• Bring ball back to start and repeat 5 or 6 times.
• Do 3 sets, alternating one set of push-ups with one set of pushes.

Make It Easier: Do the push-up phase of the exercise only.

Make It Harder: Do a full push-up with your knees off the floor.

3. Plank Extension

Fitness Focus: Abs, Shoulders, Back, Glutes

• Lie facedown on the floor, elbows aligned under shoulders and hands together under chin.
• Lift hips and push up onto elbows, balancing weight on forearms and toes.
• Keeping abs tight and hips raised, lift left leg off the floor to about hip height; hold for 2 counts.
• Lower and repeat on right side.
• Continue, alternating sides.
• Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Make It Easier: Keep one knee on floor as you lift and lower opposite leg.

Make It Harder: Hold each leg lift for 6 to 8 counts.

4. Elbow Side Plank

Fitness Focus: Hips, Thighs, Glutes, Shoulders, Chest, Obliques, Abs

• Lie on your right side with shoulders, hips, and legs stacked, right elbow on floor aligned under right shoulder and left hand on hip.
• Lift hips, keeping weight balanced between right arm and foot. Keeping hips square, slowly extend left arm toward ceiling.
• Hold for 8 counts; lower hips back to floor and rest for 2 seconds.
• Repeat for 12 to 15 reps; switch sides. Do 3 sets per side.

Make It Easier: Keep top hand on hip throughout the exercise.

Make It Harder: Lift top leg with top hand and hold for 6 to 8 counts.

5. Touch-Down Squat/Hammer Curl

Fitness Focus: Glutes, Legs, Hips, Lower Back, Abs, Arms

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell vertically in each hand.
• Squat down, bending knees to 90 degrees and bringing body weight back onto your heels.
• Hold for 4 counts, lowering dumbbells toward the floor in front of you.

• As you stand back up, curl weights toward shoulders.
• Lower weights to starting position and repeat.
• Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps total.

Make It Easier: Do a half squat (knees bent about halfway to 90 degrees).

Make It Harder: Balance on one leg as you squat down (you will probably not be able to go as deeply into the squat).

6. Triceps Extension/Crunch

Fitness Focus: Arms, Shoulders, Abs

• Lie faceup on the floor holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended above shoulders, palms facing in; keep knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Slowly bend elbows, lowering weights toward ears.
• Take 4 counts to lift the weights back up until arms are fully extended.
• Do 12 to 15 reps.
• Lower weights to shoulders, crossing elbows over chest.
• Lift head and shoulders off the floor, crunching up as high as you can.
• Hold for 4 counts. Lower and repeat for 12 to 15 reps.
• Alternate one set of extensions with one set of crunches; do 3 sets of each.

Make It Easier: Don't hold weights during the crunches.

Make It Harder: Do this exercise while lying on a stability ball.

The Cardio Plan

To blast fat and reach your weight-loss goals, you'll need to do four cardio workouts a week along with the strength routine, says Paul-Brian McReynolds, a martial arts trainer and the cardio specialist at Holistic Fitness.

Two of these should be high-intensity intervals like the routine below. Do them as a run/walk program on a treadmill or outside, or on an elliptical machine. When outside, use your rate of perceived exertion (RPE, or how intense the workout feels on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being easiest and 10 extremely difficult).

For the remaining two days, exercise for 30 to 60 minutes at a relatively steady pace (RPE 5 or 6) with the aerobic workout of your choice. If you're running during your interval workouts, McReynolds suggests cross-training with low-impact activities such as cycling, swimming, or walking the rest of the week to avoid injury. To enhance flexibility, take a yoga class or do a yoga DVD one additional day each week. (We like Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn DVD; $15 at gaiam.com.)

Originally published in Fitness magazine, February 2006.