Hottest Fat Burning Workout Of The Season

It’s the time of the year when we’re overwhelmed with office parties, family gatherings, school plays, gift shopping, holiday card distribution and whatever else we can fit into our hectic days. Of course, it’s also the season for freezing temperatures and knee-high snow. For many of us, busy lives and bad weather add up to one thing -- less activity. Not only is it difficult finding the time for fitness, but the climate is less than ideal for those warm-weather walks that comprise a large part of many exercise regimens.

But blaming these factors for your failure to get physical would be a cop out, according to fitness expert to the stars Harley Pasternak. With a little bit of will, you can find the way to exercise any time, any place. Even if you dont own costly exercise equipment, you can still transform your body into a fit and trim fat-burning machine with some simple exercises.

Harley, who resides in Toronto, Canada, makes a living shaping the buffest bods in Hollywood. His clients need noticeable results, and they need them yesterday. Since most of the actors and actresses he trains are pressed for time, they need to get maximum impact for minimum time, which is where his body circuit training comes in. It’s a 30-minute (if that) workout that combines both resistance training and cardio. To get started, you should have a set of dumbbells, a jump rope and a Resist-A-Ball or Resist-A-Band.

Does it work? Just eye the out-of-sight statures of Angela Bassett (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) Stephen Dorff (Deuces Wild), Jim Caviezel (Angel Eyes), Emmanuelle Chriqui (On The Line), Eliza Dushku (Bring It On) and Swiss supermodel Julie Ordon and you have your answer. Pasternak points out that what worked for his clients can also work for you.

“With this workout, people are going to experience a number of benefits. They’re going to get stronger. They’ll get more muscular endurance and better posture. Their body composition will change so they’ll be burning fat. Of course, they can also look forward to a smaller waist and tighter midsection.”

To perform the body circuit training workout, Harley recommends you do 15 to 20 reps of each move with 30 seconds of jumping rope between exercises. Before you get started, warm up by either jogging in place or jumping rope for five minutes to get your heart rate up.

Lie on your back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your arms so that your elbows form right angles (90 degrees), palms facing outward, in the direction of your feet. "Press" (push) the dumbbells up toward the ceiling, bringing them slightly toward one another at the same time, so that the motion is actually a slight arc; when your arms are extended, the dumbbells should be just slightly less than shoulder width apart. Lower to the starting position, and repeat for reps.

If you are using a bench, be sure that in the starting (and ending) position your elbows aren't much below your torso; in other words, just an inch or so lower than where they would be if you were actually lying on a floor.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

ROW (also known as Seated Row)
Equipment: Dynaband or other rubber tubing
Target area: the muscles of the back, specifically lats and rhomboids

Sit on the floor with your feet extended in front of you. Wrap the Dynaband around your feet and grab one end with each hand. Keep your lower back erect and bring your hands and arms from an extended position back into your body. At the completion of the movement, your hands should be just below your chest and your elbows just outside your ribs.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

SHOULDER PRESS (also known as Dumbbell Press, Seated Dumbbell Press)
Equipment: Dumbbells
Target area: the muscles of the shoulders (delts)

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend your arms so that your elbows form right angles (90 degrees) and hold them at shoulder height. Press the dumbbells up toward the ceiling and slightly in toward each other until your arms are almost fully extended. Return to starting position.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

BICEP CURL
Equipment: Dumbbells
Target Area: the biceps (front of the upper arms)

Sit on a bench with your elbows at your sides and your palms up. Lower the dumbbell toward the floor, then lift it three quarters of the way to your shoulders. Return to start.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

LYING DUMBBELL TRICEP EXTENSION
Equipment: Dumbbells or a Barbell
Target Area: the triceps (backs of the arms)

Lying on your back on a bench, extend your arms straight up holding the dumbbells. Hinging at the elbow joint, bring the dumbbells on either side of your head towards your ears. Extend your arms up bringing the dumbbells towards the ceiling. Don't let your elbows wander out away from each other.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

LUNGES
Target Area: the muscles of the legs (quads, hamstrings) and the butt (glutes)
Extend one leg forward and bend it at the knee, making sure your knee doesn't extend beyond your foot. Drop the rear knee toward the floor and then straighten it. Alternate legs.

CRUNCHES
Target Area: the muscles of the abs
Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Interlace your fingers and cradle your head with your hands. Keep your elbows pointing out. Slowly crunch upward, making sure to keep your lower back flat against the floor. Return to starting position.

JUMP ROPE 30 SECONDS

To get more information, visit Harley at his website at www.harleypasternak.com.