Mandy Moore's Workout

Stretch Your Way to a Lean Body

Mandy Moore credits her toned figure to her trainer, Ashley Borden. Moore has said that Ashley single-handedly changed and helped her understand her body. We think Mandy Moore looks great and we love that she admits to letting herself have a cookie every now and then -- we should all reward ourselves for a workout well done!

Ashley Borden, Nike Elite Athlete and FITNESS advisory board member, who has trained Mandy Moore, uses this exercise to tone the entire body. From the start you can feel its effect on your butt and thighs, so you can look forward to fitting into your skinny jeans as you do each rep.

The exercise: Roll-up

A. Lie faceup on floor, knees bent and feet on floor, arms at sides with palms up. Inhale, then exhale, tightening pelvic floor and drawing navel toward spine.

B. Keeping pelvic muscles tight, squeeze glutes and slowly lift hips as you raise spine off the floor one vertebra at a time. Keep squeezing glutes as you roll up and push through heels. When you're all the way up, take a deep inhalation. Exhale, squeezing glutes as you roll slowly down to the floor. Do 5 to 6 reps.

Workout Tip: Count Down

Borden uses this trick to make sure you get the most out of your workout: Instead of starting every set by counting from 1 to 10, decide how many repetitions you're going to do and count backward (10, 9, 8...). This will add staying power to your workout because it gives you more of a finish line to cross, making it harder for you to quit too soon.

Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, January 2009.