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Sound too good to be true? Targeting your hips, thighs, and stomach these 8 exercises tone and strengthen the troublesome spots where cellulite likes to linger. The mix of exercises alleviates boredom, and 20 minutes can be tucked into a television show. Combine these moves with a healthy diet and cardio work and you’ll be breaking out the bikini in no time. The best part: it takes only 20 minutes, 3 days a week.
QUICK TIP: Avoid crash dieting; it can make cellulite worse. When you lose weight quickly, you lose muscle tissue—the stuff that makes your legs and butt look toned and smooth.
THE CELLULITE SOLUTION EXERCISE PLAN
Follow this 3-step, 20-minute program 3 days a week, and watch those ripples disappear.
Step 1: Cardio Warm up with 2 minutes of moderate walking, cycling, or stairclimbing (you can use indoor stationary machines). Increase intensity for 8 minutes. Work vigorously enough to be breathing hard but still able to talk in short sentences. Lower the intensity, and cool down for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Strength Do one set of 10 to 15 repetitions of each of the following exercises, using a heavy enough weight to fatigue the muscles. (This is essential for optimum muscle building in these areas.) Your muscles are fatigued when you feel as though you can’t do even one more repetition. When you can easily complete 15 reps, increase the weight slightly. Work slowly, counting 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to lower.
Step 3: Flexibility After each strength training exercise, you need to stretch the muscle you just worked. Do each stretch once, holding for 20 seconds. Westcott has found that adopting this stretching strategy can boost strength training results by 20%.
THE CELLULITE SOLUTION EXERCISES
Dumbell Squat
Stand with your back to a chair and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells down by your sides, palms facing in. Keeping your back straight, bend from the knees and hips as though you are sitting down. Don’t let your knees move forward over your toes. Stop just shy of touching the chair, then stand back up.
Follow with a lying hamstring stretch: Lying faceup, with legs extended, use a towel or rope to pull each leg in toward your chest. Don’t lock your knee. (Squats hurt your knees? Here’s what else you can do.)
Lunge
Standing with your feet together, hold dumbbells down at your sides with palms facing in. Take one big step forward with your right leg. Plant your right foot, then slowly lower your left knee toward the floor. Your right knee should be at a 90-degree angle, and your back straight. Press into your right foot, and push yourself back to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg.
Follow with a standing quadriceps stretch: Standing straight, gently pull your right foot toward your butt. Repeat with the left leg.
Advanced Step-Up
Using an aerobic step or regular step and holding dumbbells, start with both feet on the step. Keeping your left foot planted on the step, step off the back with your right foot. Before touching the floor, press up with your left leg to bring the right one up again. Repeat for one set, then switch legs.
Follow with a lying glute stretch: Lying faceup with legs extended, alternately pull each knee (grasping behind the thigh) toward your chest.
Scissors Press
Tie an exercise band loosely just above your knees. Lie on your back with your arms down at your sides, and extend both legs straight up directly above your hips; your feet should be spread wide enough that the band is taut. Slowly open your legs as far as you can. Pause when the tension becomes too great to pull any farther, then slowly close back to the starting position.
Follow with a lying figure-four stretch. Lying faceup, cross your right ankle over your left knee, and pull your left leg (from behind the thigh) toward your chest. Switch legs.
Inner Thigh Squeeze
Lie faceup with your arms at your sides. Bend your knees slightly, and raise your legs so they form a 90-degree angle with your body. (If this is too difficult, bend your knees more and lift your legs only as high as is comfortable.) Place an inflated exercise ball (the kind you use for abdominal crunches) between your knees; your feet should be flexed. Slowly squeeze your legs together against the resistance of the ball as hard as you can, making sure to keep your knees bent slightly. When the resistance becomes too great to press any farther, hold for 3 seconds. Then slowly open back to the starting position.
Follow with a butterfly stretch: Sitting with the soles of your feet together, place your hands on the top of your inner thighs, knees out to the sides, and lean forward from the hips.
