2010 POSTER SERIES THE BODY YOU WANT

The FORMULA FOR FAT LOSS

Use this cutting-edge workout to banish your belly and find your abs
By AdAm CAmpBell photogrAph By SCott mcdermott

the FAt-loSS FormUlA

this belly-busting plan from The Mens Health Big Book of Exercises is the last fat-loss workout you will ever need. Created by Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., it employs the cutting-edge workout formula used at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California, one of Americas top 10 gyms. Here, Rasmussen fills in the exercises for you. But in the book, youll learn how to choose the moves yourself from a menu of more than 600 exercises. So any time you want a new routine, all you have to do is plug and playand watch your gut melt away. DIreCtIons
Alternate between workout A and workout B, with a day of rest after each session. For exercise 1 in each workout, do 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps, resting 60 seconds after each set. Then perform exercises 2a and 2b as a pair. That is, do 12 reps of exercise 2a, rest 60 seconds, and do 12 reps of exercise 2b. Rest for 60 seconds again, and repeat until youve completed 3 sets of both exercises. Follow the same procedure with exercises 3a and 3b, alternating back and forth with the same sets, reps, and rest.

FAST AbS: The wORkOUT

this 30-minute workout will burn away your belly fat for good
WorKoUt A 1 Barbell rollout
load a barbell with 10-pound plates and affix collars. Kneel on the floor and grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. position your shoulders directly over the barbell and keep your lower back naturally arched [A]. Slowly roll the bar forward, extending your body as far as you can without letting your hips sag [B]. pause for 2 seconds, and reverse the move to return to the starting position.
Keep your arms straight from start to finish. A B

WorKoUt B
1 Cable core press
Attach a stirrup handle to the middle pulley of a cable station. With the cable taut, hold the handle against your chest with both hands and stand with your right side facing the stack [A]. Slowly press your arms forward until theyre completely straight [B]. pause for 5 seconds, and reverse the movement. do all your reps, and then turn around and work your other side.

Use a handover-hand grip. A B

2a Crossover dumbbell stepup

grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with a bench to your left. place your right foot on the bench [A]. press your right foot into the bench and push your body up until your right leg is straight but your left foot is still off the bench [B]. then lower yourself to the starting position. do all your reps on your right leg, and then turn around and repeat with your left leg.
Push your heel into the bench as you push your body up.

2a offset dumbbell reverse lunge

Stand holding a dumbbell in your right hand next to your shoulder, with your arm bent [A]. With your left foot, step backward into a reverse lunge and lower your body until your back knee almost touches the floor [B]. push yourself back to the starting position and repeat. do all your reps, and then switch arms and lunge backward with your right leg.

B Your front thigh should be at least parallel to the floor.

2b Inverted row
Secure a bar in a power rack at about waist height, and lie underneath it. grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, and hang from it with your arms straight. your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head [A]. pull your chest to the bar [B]. pause, and slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
B

2b Chinup
grab a chinup bar with a shoulderwidth, underhand grip, and hang at arms length [A]. Now squeeze your shoulder blades down and back, bend your elbows, and pull the top of your chest to the bar [B]. pause, slowly lower your body back to the starting position, and repeat.
Keep your core braced so that your body stays rigid.

Aim to touch your collarbone to the bar.

Photographs by

3a Barbell front squat

hold a bar next to your chest with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. raise your upper arms until theyre parallel to the floor, letting the bar roll back so that its resting on the front of your shoulders [A]. push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [B]. pause, and return to the starting position.

3a Barbell deadlift
load a barbell and roll it against your shins. Bend at your hips and knees and grab the bar with an overhand grip, your hands just beyond shoulder width [A]. Keeping your lower back naturally arched, pull your torso up and thrust your hips forward as you stand up with the barbell [B]. lower the bar to the floor and repeat.

Keep the bar close to your body from start to finish.

B e t h B I S C h o F F,
g r o o m i n g : Va s s i l i s K o k k o n i d i s / F o r d A r t i s t s N YC f o r K e r a t a s e ; f r o n t o f p o s t e r : g r o o m i n g : M i a S a r a z e n

Dont allow your upper arms to drop as you perform the exercise.

3b Pushup
Assume a pushup position with your arms straight and your hands slightly beyond shoulder width. your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles [A]. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor [B]. pause, push yourself back to the starting position, and repeat.
Your shoulders should dip a bit below your elbows.

3b Dumbbell push press

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders, with your arms bent and palms facing each other. your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent [A]. dip your knees [B], and then explosively push up with your legs as you press the weights straight above your shoulders [C]. lower the dumbbells to the starting position and repeat.

Keep your wrists straight and press the weights directly above each shoulder.

By the
NUmBerS

24

Number of sets per exercise that produces the biggest boost in fat-burning hormones, according to multiple studies

815

Number of reps shown to elicit the greatest increase in fat-burning hormones

60

Number of seconds you should rest between exercises in order to keep your fat-burning hormone levels high throughout your workout

Number of seconds you should take to lower the weight (or your body) on most exercises

This workout is excerpted from The Mens health big book of exercises, which has hundreds more fitness routines and useful tips, along with complete instructions and full-color photos of over 600 exercises. Order your copy at mhbigbookofexercises.com.