Condoleezza Rice's No-Excuses Workout

Work In a Workout

If one of the busiest women on the planet can make time for exercise on a near-daily basis, that leaves the rest of us with one less excuse. The Secretary of State's workout would put most athletes to shame: Six days of cardio for up to an hour (at home she uses the treadmill or elliptical machine), plus three days of strength circuits and one day off for recovery. It's an intense routine that offers big physical payoffs -- for one thing, Rice can pound out more than 40 full push-ups and dips. Talk about a superpower!

How to Do the Workout

Rice's total-body strength circuit was developed by Thomas Tomlo, her trainer for the past three years, and is designed to quickly overload the muscles with a high number of reps and little rest. Each of the three circuits ends with the same series of push-ups, triceps dips, and crunches. Do it twice a week, along with three days of cardio minimum. (Try to make at least one of those cardio workouts an interval routine, alternating bursts of high and moderate intensity 5 or 6 times.)

What You'll Need

• A set of moderate (5- to 8-pound) and heavy (10- to 12-pound) dumbbells
• A sturdy chair or bench
• A clock or watch with a second hand

This routine should take about 30 minutes.

Note: This workout is intense, so take the number of reps down or add more rest between circuits if you need to.