Romantic beach gown
Shape Up: The Knot Wedding Dress Workout
Since it's all about the dress, your workout should be catered toward what you're wearing.
Pick your gown style from the list below and follow the instructions to achieve a healthier, hotter you.
The Sheath Workout
What you want: A sleek, smooth torso for even the slinkiest sheath.
The Twist
1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Imagine holding a ball in buy wedding dresses between your thighs. Squeeze your thigh muscles, then pull in your belly and tuck it under your pelvis (so you're in a slight sitting position). Lace your fingers together and place your hands behind your head.
2. Keeping your chest high, slowly twist from side to side without moving your lower body, so that your upper body turns from facing left to facing right. Keep it slow -- you won't get the full benefit if you're relying on momentum. Repeat 40 times. Yep, you heard us right -- 40!
Standing Side Crunch
1. Stand in the same position as you did for the twist, with your abs tucked in and your toes facing front (but drop the imaginary ball!).
2. Lift your left knee toward your left arm bringing your elbow down to meet it. Hold, then return to the starting position. Repeat it on the right and do a total of 20 repetitions on each side.
The Open-back Dress Workout
What you want: An upper- and lower-back workout to help firm up that all-important rear view.
One-Arm Row
1. Stand with your left side next to the front of a bench (or a coffee table, or a couch). Place your left foot and left hand on the bench, bending your right knee. Keeping your torso parallel to the ground, grasp a dumbbell with your right hand. Let your arm hang straight down with your palm facing your thigh.
2. Slowly pull the dumbbell up and back until it's in line with your hip. You should feel cheap wedding dresses a muscle contraction in your upper back (that means it's working!). Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
Pullover
1. Lie on the floor with your knees bent, hip-width apart, and feet planted. Grab a dumbbell with each hand and extend your arms up over your body, so that your arms make a 90-degree angle with your torso.
2. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, slowly lower the dumbbell back behind your head as far as you can; you should feel a stretch in your back muscles. Next, lift the dumbbell back into the starting position above your body, squeezing your back muscles as you go up. Do 10 repetitions per set.
The Strapless Dress Workout
What you want: Toned triceps, biceps, and pectorals to really strut your strapless stuff.
Bicep Curls
1. Standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, pull your tummy in and tuck your pelvis under. Hold a heavier pair of dumbbells down at your sides with your palms facing front.
2. Keeping your elbows at your sides, slowly curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders. Reverse direction and lower the dumbbells into starting position -- avoid locking your elbows. Do 10 repetitions per set. Slow and steady wins the race here -- you'll get a bigger benefit from the exercise if you use concentrated, controlled movements. If you feel like you're whipping the weights around to get them up, your dumbbells are too heavy. Downgrade to a smaller weight so you can move more comfortably.
Flat Dumbbell Fly
1. Lie down with your knees bent and your feet firmly planted shoulder-width apart. Stretch out your arms on the floor so your body makes a T. Grasp a dumbbell in each outstretched hand, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Keep your palms facing up towards the ceiling.
2. Slowly raise the weights upward in a rounded arc (as if you were hugging a tree!), gently touching the dumbbells together at the top above your body. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower the weights back to their starting positions. Do 10 repetitions per set.
Tricep Dips
1. Sit normally on a sturdy, nonwheeled chair. Place your hands on the front edge of the seat (fingertips facing front) and your feet on the floor, hip-width apart and a little bit ahead of you. Slowly slide your bottom off the shop wedding dresses seat of the chair, keeping your hands where there are.
2. Keeping your arms close to your body, bend your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, allowing your rear end to descend past the edge of the chair. Using your arms to lift you, reverse direction and push yourself back up to the point at which your arms are straight. Work up to 15 dips per set.
Contributors: celebrity trainer Ashley Borden, fitness author Brad Schoenfeld
