The Complete Routine

" If you've been struggling to wriggle in to your favorite pair of jeans, this 5-move routine is for you. The Fit Your Skinny Jeans Workout will firm your butt, flatten your belly, and tone your thighs. Designed by Tracey Mallett, owner of the ATP Specific Training and Physical Therapy Center in South Pasadena, California, Fit Your Skinny Jeans targets your lower body. All you need is a stair or step bench and a pair of light dumbbells. The Running Man: Stand facing the bench or stairs. Take a giant step on to the stair with your right foot and hop up. Land on your right foot and then step back to the floor with your left foot. Do 15 of these of explosive hops on the right foot using your arms to gain momentum. As you hop up, bring your left knee toward your chest. When you step down onto your left foot, keep your abs tight to help you balance and hold your right leg out behind you. The Running Man targets your glutes, calves, thighs, hips, and core. After 15 reps, switch sides and do 15 hops up with your left foot. By holding 1 leg behind you for 2 counts on the down phase of this exercise, you'll work your abs and butt while improving your balance. To make this exercise easier, you can try stepping up without the hop, and then, hold the end position for 2 counts with your back foot on the floor for balance. You're almost done with the first exercise in this 5-move Skinny Jeans routine. Standing Flye: You will need a set of 3 or 5-pound dumbbells for this exercise. Stand sideways next to a step bench or flight of stairs and place your right foot up on the step. Keep your feet wide apart and your toes turned out 45 degrees. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms in front of you at chest height with your elbows slightly bent. Press the weight out to the sides while lowering your hips into a plie. Straighten your legs and bring your arms back together. You'll do 15 reps on this side before switching to the other leg. Now, switch sides. So your left leg is up on the step, and do 15 more reps of the plie with flye. The standing Flye targets your inner thighs, calves, hips, chest, shoulders, and core. To make this exercise easier, you could lower yourself only halfway down into a semi-plie. You could also eliminate the weights, keeping your hands on your hips instead. Skater's Lunge: You will need a set of 3 or 5-pound dumbbells for this exercise. Holding the dumbbells at your hips, stand on a step bench or stair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Leaning forward slightly, lunge back with your left leg, then, bring your left foot back on to the step and do a squat. Now, lunge back with the right foot. You'll continue alternating legs until you've done 8 reps on each side. When you're lunging, your front leg should be bent 90 degrees with your knee aligned over your ankle. Remain in a low position as you bring your rear leg back on to the step. Then, when you squat, lower yourself down about 2 more inches and hold that position for 1 or 2 counts. The Skater's Lunge targets your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, and core. If you wanna make this exercise easier, don't hold weights and bend your front knee only 45 degrees when you lunge. You're more than halfway through the Skinny Jeans Workout now. Leg-Step Extension: Get on all fours with the step behind you. Keeping your arms straight with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, press your toes into the step. Tuck your left knee in toward your chest, and then, extend it behind you. You'll do 10 reps of this tuck and extend motion before switching legs. Squeeze your glute as you extend your leg behind you. After you've done 10 reps, switch sides, so your left leg stays on the step and your right leg is tucking and extending. Leg-Step Extension targets your glutes, hips, hamstrings, chest, arms, and core. If you wanna make this exercise easier, keep your back leg on the ground instead of elevated on the step, and do only 6 reps on each leg. Single-Leg Rotation: You'll need a pair of 3 or 5-pound dumbbells. Stand facing away from the step bench or stairs and place the toes of your left foot on the step. Keeping your upper body straight, bend your right knee 90 degrees and rotate your torso to the right. Return to start. You'll do 10 reps on this leg before switching sides. Make sure your front knee is aligned with your ankle. When you rotate, bring the dumbbells over the outside of your right thigh. Single-Leg Rotation targets your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and obliques, or side abdominal muscles. After you've completed 10 reps, switch sides and do 10 more reps with your left leg in front. If you wanna make this move easier, try doing the rotation without dumbbells and bend your front knee only 45 degrees. Do this workout 3 times a week on nonconsecutive days. Add some cardio and you'll be slipping into your skinny jeans within a month."