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Tank Top Arms Bikini Belly Boy Shorts Bottom

About.com Rating

By Paige Waehner, About.com

Updated: May 7, 2007

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

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The Bottom Line

Overall, this 30-day program is laid out well and offers solid strength training programs that will appeal to a variety of exercisers, whether you're just getting started or are looking for something to perk up your current routine. Beginners will find information for getting started and moves suitable for novices, while advanced exercisers will find a variety of new and challenging exercises to try. The 4-week programs offered are easy to understand and offer many options for workouts that allow progression over the course of the program.

Pros

Workout programs that target a variety of fitness levels, from beginner to advanced
Fresh and challenging moves with a focus on strength, balance and flexibility
Detailed instructions and demonstrations make the exercises and workouts easy to understand

Cons

Workout schedules don't incorporate cardio workouts

Description

A 30-day strength program designed to help women get a "bikini-ready body."
Three different programs are offered for novice, skilled and master exercisers, each with different exercises and workouts
All the exercises covered include detailed pictures, descriptions and variations along with form pointers
The strength moves cover all muscle groups including upper body, lower body and abs. Flexibility exercises are also included

Guide Review - Tank Top Arms Bikini Belly Boy Shorts Bottom

Minna Lessig, a well-known trainer, puts her knowledge together in her new book, Tank Top Arms Bikini Belly Boy Shorts Bottom. From the title, it's clear the 30-day programs offered are for women who want a "bikini-ready body." In the first part, Minna covers cardio basics including heart rate zones, monitoring intensity and a list of activities to choose from. She also includes a treadmill workout that offers new ideas for spicing up your routine. There isn't much time spent on cardio, so readers will have to take care of that on their own. The flexibility section is next and includes pictures and instructions for both static and dynamic stretches. The dynamic stretches include yoga-like poses and this section also includes warmups and cooldowns.

The meat of the book is broken down into 3 parts - Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly and Boy Shorts Bottom. Each section offers:

Strength moves broken down by skill level
Instructions, pictures and suggested reps and sets
Variations for different fitness levels, and
Form tips and stretches

This section is well laid out and the exercises include classics like crunches and squats along with challenging moves like a side plank with a rear delt fly - killer!

The focus is on compound moves that work mutliple muscles and challenge strength, balance and stability...a nice change from the same old moves.

Part 4 offers three programs that include all the exercises shown. There are 3 programs for novices, skilled and master exercisers, each with a workout schedule, cardio suggestions and a variety of workout options that get progressively harder. The programs don't include cardio, which is a minor drawback. She also includes a brief section with nutritional advice as well as training logs.

Overall, Minna offers solid advice and workouts with new and fresh exercises that will appeal to a wide audience.