Train your gaze on these fitness pros, who show us their favorite exercises for blasting holiday pounds

We asked five of our favorite personal trainers to recommend their favorite exercises for building muscle and burning fat, post-holiday season. Below are their calorie-busting suggestions for getting fit in the New Year. Frontiers recommends that novices or those beginning a fitness regimen first consult with their doctor and a certified personal trainer to ensure best results, and to avoid injury.

Switch-Lunges w/ Medicine Ball Twists

BY JULIET KASKA, Emerson Hall Zen Fitness Training

This exercise is an advanced one that will get your heart rate up while simultaneously, slimming the waistline, shaping your butt, and defining your arms. For the beginner remove the jump and perform the exercise as separate segments. As you move into an intermediate level combine the segments, and as you advance add the jump-switch on.

A proper lunge: Place your right foot forward with approximately 6-12 inches between your front heel and your back toes. Bend both knees to a 90 degree angle. Your back heel should be off the ground. Correct alignment and distance of feet should be determined by the placement of the front ankle directly under the front knee while at 90 degrees.

A proper Medicine Ball rotation: Place medicine ball between your hands, with ball directly in front of your sternum, elbows out to side. Push ball directly out in front of you. Pull your abdominals in tight and rotate from your waist to bring the ball to one side. Return to start position and repeat on the second side.

1. Start in your lunge, with your right foot forward and medicine ball at your sternum as described above.

2. Perform 1 Med ball rotation to the right, ending with pulling the ball to your sternum.

3. From a bent knee lunge position power jump-switch to your other side, landing in a bent knee lunge position with the left foot forward,

4. Repeat rotation to your left side.

Juliet Kaska owns and trains at Emerson Hall Zen Fitness Training. Visit www.jkzenfitness.com, e-mail juliet@emersonhallfitness.com, or call 310/274-0700.

Squats

BY TOM NELSON, Muscle Mechanics L.A.

Muscle Mechanics LA recommends the squat for really bumping up your metabolism and burning fat. Squats are the granddaddy of leg exercises, hailed to be the absolute best exercise for building mass in the quadriceps and glutes. For women, however, the squat can be one of the most incredible shaping exercises you will ever perform. In this piece, I am going to discuss Smith squats and dumbbell squats.

Smith squats balance the load for you, and that allows you to focus on your position and form throughout the movement. As a result, I consider this to be one of the safest ways to squat. To set up, stand centered in the machine, feet out in front of you about 8–12 inches. Your forelegs should be perpendicular to the ground when you are in the parallel position. (I suggest that you find this position before you load the machine to begin the workout. Women should use a weight that allows them to perform between 16–20 repititions when fat loss and shaping are the goals.

Dumbbell squats are simple:

Stand between 2 dumbbells with your feet about shoulder width apart.

Squat down and take one in each hand. Stand straight up.

Squat back down to a parallel position, then stand again. This method of squatting is perfect for people who have back issues since it virtually eliminates the use of the lower back. Again, women should use weights that allow them to perform 16 – 20 repetitions when fat loss and shaping are the goals.

Tom Nelson works out of Train West Hollywood. Visit www.musclemechanicsla.com, e-mail tom@musclemechanicsla.com, or call 323/337-5045.

Lower Ab Blast (Resistance Leg Lifts and Knee Bends)

BY DONNIE WHITE

The Lower Ab Blast is a ideal way to combat fat and build muscle in that stubborn, hard to maintain lower ab section, also known as the kangeroo pouch. With a healthy low-fat diet and a sound workout program with the Lower Ab Blast included, you will be looking at a shapelier, more toned lower abdominal mid-section in just a short time. So if it’s a defined surfer-like Iliac Crest (that hot muscle that separates your lower abs from your upper thighs and hips) you want, the Lower Ab Blast is what you need. Performing this super set abdominal exercise will allow you to fully extend and tighten yours abs, stretching and flexing, and shocking your muscles into working hard for you. It’s a helluva ab workout that leaves me breathless sometimes but it’s my absolute favorite and I love the results. To look good in your low-rise jeans and/or naked, perform the exercise as described:

Starting Position

1. Lie on your back in the supine position on the flat bench.

2. Bend your arms and hold (grip) the bench over your head, with your glutes (butt) at the end of the bench (but not off) and your legs extended straight out in front of you (declining) with your heels resting on the floor.

3. Now that you have the starting position down, go grab a 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, or 15 pound dumbbell to place and hold between your feet during the exercise. (Beginners will start with the lighter weight while more seasoned ab blasters may go a little heavier.

4. Place the dumbbell on the floor between your feet with your legs straight and your knees together (at all times) during the exercise. Return to the starting position.

5. With your naval pulled in toward your back (abs tight) and your legs straight, quickly raise your legs with the weight between your feet to about 45 degrees, pause for a two count, then slowly lower your legs back to starting position without your feet hitting or completely resting on the floor. Blast out 15 of these; keeping your abs pulled in (flexed tight) and not forgetting to breath.

Knee Bend

1. Go back to starting position, release the dumbbell from your feet and quickly bend your knees up to your chest/bust, with no weight (dumbbell) keeping your abs tight and flexing them as hard as you can.

2. Now slowly lower your legs back to starting position again but without your feet touching the floor. Blast out 15 of these knee bends immediately after the resistance leg lifts. (So one repetition is a 30 count.)

3. You may want to start out with two or three sets of 30 reps until you get used to doing the exercise. Work up to four sets.

Donnie White works out of Train West Hollywood. For more on Donnie, see www.trainwesthollywood.com, www.trainerdonniewhite.blogspot.com, and www.exercisewest.com, e-mail to dw2004mgt@aol.com, or call 323/204-2820.

Variation of Weightlifting’s Snatch Lift

BY DAVID DI FRANCESCO, Fearless Living Inc.

This is a similar movement to one I use when training guys for the Navy SEALs and FBI. It’s a great, all round muscle building and fat blasting movement. A simple to duplicate exercise to build and rip… who can beat that? Equipment needed: Two Dumbbells. For those just starting out, plan on completing this movement for about one to two minutes without pause. Those more fit should aim for three minutes. Ultimate goal, and the one I ask of my SEAL clients is five minutes without pause. Good luck and enjoy!

1. With the dumbbells placed on the floor in front of you, bend at your knees (not your waist) and grab the dumbbells palms facing forward. (as if you were grabbing a barbell to do a barbell curl).

2. Stand up and in the same motion curl the dumbbells toward you. (bicep curl).

3. Rotate hands, palms facing forward and press dumbbell overhead (overhead press).

4. Bring dumbbells to start of overhead press position.

5. Bending at the knees return dumbbells to starting position on the floor.

6. Repeat.

For more on David DeFrancesco, call 714/420-2668 or visit www.warriorworkout.com.

Step Ups

BY RONN BURNS, Ronn Burns Personal Fitness

As the name implies, the Step-up is nothing more complex than stepping up onto a bench, then stepping back down from it. Although it is an incredibly simple exercise, it is great for burning calories and tightening the butt, quads and hamstrings. The speed, number of reps, step height and the amount of weight you are holding will all play roles in the effectiveness of this exercise for your goals. You do not have to have a step up block or bench. Instead, you can improvise by using the stairs in your house. During performance, aim to maintain a straight back and even steps. Beginners should perform this exercise using their body weight only. Perform 6 - 10 sets with each leg depending on your fitness level.

1. Stand next to a flat bench with dumbbells in each hand hanging at your sides.

2. Step up onto the bench with one foot and then bring up the other foot so that you end up standing on the bench with both feet.

3. To return to the floor, step backward off of the bench with the same foot you started with. Look straight ahead throughout the exercise and keep your back in an upright neutral position.

4. Repeat the movement with the same leg for 10-15 repetitions then begin with the opposite foot.

Ronn Burns works out of Train West Hollywood. E-mail ronnburns@aol.com or call 310/213-0153.