Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Post-Baby Makeover

Work Out Like Elisabeth!

La Palestra's method focuses on health, not weight, explains founder and trainer Pat Manocchia. "We're building habits that last." He designed Elisabeth's postpartum program with the goal of increasing cardiovascular and strength levels while addressing new-mom issues of little time and uneven energy. Use Elisabeth's program as your guideline, aiming for core and cardio workouts three to four times a week and strength training twice weekly.

10 minutes of easy cardio. (Elisabeth did the stationary bike, elliptical, or stairclimber.)

Several times a week, Elisabeth did 20 sets of 10 reps of the following: planks, the bridge, and ab exercises such as seated belly pulls (sitting on ball, pulling navel toward spine).

The goal: To get deeper levels of abdominal muscles and stabilize her spine, says Manocchia.

Form is very important, as is varying moves to prevent injury. Cardio workouts switched between quarter-mile sprints, two-mile runs, then quarters again. Once a week Elisabeth did a longer run of four to six miles.

"We split up muscle groups for maximum impact," says Manocchia. "One day was legs and shoulders; the next, back and biceps." She started with 2 sets of 10 reps and worked up to 3 sets of 20 reps, mostly doing exercises that use her body as resistance.